2 Little Gals and 3 Little Pals

Meal planning for dummies

2012-02-06T15:47:00.001-06:00

Have I ever mentioned my extreme dislike for cooking?

Well, I have found the most amazingly wonderful website that was made just for me. No, seriously.
It's an all-inclusive meal planning website.
Well, all-inclusive totally makes me think of warm breezes, palm trees, sand, and all-you-can-eat from the most amazing restaurants, so all-inclusive may be taking it a tad far. But really, I'm in LOVE with this site!
If you've heard of E-MEALZ before, totally disregard this post, and go ahead and hang your head in shame, because SHAME ON YOU that you've never mentioned it to me.

When I initially heard about it, I thought it was another one of those "we'll figure out your meal plan, but you're pretty much on your own after that" websites. Oh no.
They plan your meals (entree and sides), give you the recipes for each meal, personalize the shopping list to whatever store you've picked, organize your shopping list by each department within that store (frozen, meats, dairy, etc.) and tell you the total price of everything you'll need. Really, it's everything short of cooking for you.
You can choose the meal plan that works for you, like the diet plan, the budget friendly plan, and the vegetarian plan.
Honestly, I'm kind of excited to cook now.
HAHA. okay, just joking.
But I do dread it less. So that's good.

The only negative thing about it is that you have to pay for it. It's around $5-7/month, depending on how you pay for it.
I actually think it saves me money, because when I grocery shop, I usually just try to get in and out as fast as I can, so I'll be grabbing things that I *think* I might need.
It's also diversified our meals, because, let's face it...I know how to cook a handful of things, and since I know how to do it, and I know my kids will eat it, I don't change it. But eating the same meals over and over does get old. So for me, it's worth $7 a month.
My sanity is worth $7 a month. Just ask my husband.

Phone pics

2012-01-25T14:48:00.000-06:00

They've gotta go somewhere.

Isaac swells up so much from mosquito bites!

My little dude

At Chuck E Cheese for little man's 2nd bday

oompa loompa, anyone?

Playing in the leaves!

They really love each other! :)

Like father, like son

overall pockets are handy little snack holders!

Merry Christmas, Layla.

Bathtime.

After-bath hair. Cute.

Legos!

Layla ALWAYS lays like this when she's playing w/ her toys.

Playing at Kid Zone!

My friend's baby - Gabriel :)

So many boys!

My cheesin' cheeseburger

Laney's rendition of Jett. Pretty close.

Laney at horseback lessons

Elijah is 6!!!

2012-01-11T15:38:00.000-06:00

I feel like a broken record at times, but how did this happen?!?! I vividly remember the day that we found out we were going to welcome a son into the world, and now that precious baby is 6! The day he was born, (on 1-11 at 4:00pm on the dot...doesn't that sound like Elijah? Everything in proper order :P) he came out without a sound, he just looked around, as if taking in the entire world.

As the doctor placed him on my chest, I remember being in disbelief that I had a son. Until he peed on me. in my mouth, to be exact. Then I believed it. Girls can't aim that well...not at all, actually.

As I type this, my biggest little boy is sitting in school eating the cupcakes I took him and his classmates to enjoy. He's so grown up. He's the sweetest little man in the whole world and I love him more than life itself. When I ask him "Elijah, you're mommy's what?" He answers "Your dream come true." He's right. He is. I always, always wanted a little boy. He really is my dream come true.

I love you so much, Elijah Scott! Happy Birthday, son!

The fastest year ever

2012-01-06T12:57:00.000-06:00

Is it just me, or did 2011 go by faster than any other year in the history of mankind?
I remember things that happened in 2010 and, I swear, I think they happened just last year. I can't believe it's already 2012.
It's like I was sleeping all of 2011 or something.
So, for the sake of my sanity, I'm gonna go ahead and do a month by month post of all last year.
Let's see if I remember this stuff.

JANUARY:

Jett had a poopy explosion Do I remember it? check.

Elijah turned 5. Star Wars party at g-ma's house. remember? check.

Played in the snow alot. remember? check.

FEBRUARY:

Mike got a new job. remember? check. for sure

We started with our new connection group at church. remember? check. We love it. We love everyone in our group and we've gotten to know them all so much more. We have 33 (when our friends' little boy comes home from China it will be 34) kids in our group. It's extremely, extremely loud when we're all together. I'll leave it at that.

We were stuck inside our house for 2 weeks straight with the flu. remember? um, yes. check.

MARCH:

Took this most wonderful photo of our sweet babies. Remember? Why, yes, check - and as of last night, is the centerpiece on our fireplace mantle.

We got the ducks. remember? quack. I mean, check.

will we ever have live ducks living in our home again? negative. they poop. like a whole lot.

APRIL:

We made the decision that, as soon as possible, we are hoping to go through the process of international adoption to bring home a child with Down Syndrome. Remember? check. We still talk, think and pray about it all the time.

The boys started swimming lessons. Remember? check.

My baby boy turned 18 months old. Remember? sorta check. This is why my year is fuzzy. I feel like I missed all of Jett's second year. It just went by way too fast!

MAY:

Easter at Independence Events center. Remember? check. It was amazing!

I joined Weight Watchers. Remember? sure. I lost 23 (although WW only shows 18.8...I lost a little more after I weighed in the last time) pounds from May to August, when Mike's work got a little crazy and I couldn't make it to the meetings anymore. I just rejoined with my bestie who has lost about 50 pounds total through WW before, and who just had a baby. So when she was all Weight Watch with me, please? I was all YES Ma'am! I took like 4 months off at the end of the year. I ate everything in sight and didn't exercise. My last weigh in was August 30th, so when I went back on December 30th to rejoin and weigh in for the first time in 4 months, after eating anything and everything, I was clearly concerned with what the scale would say. I gained a whole...brace yourself....10 ounces. Seriously. Not even a whole pound gained. Go me! haha!! It was so nice, because I know I'm not totally starting over. Sure, if I would've been doing it that 4 months, I would probably be at my goal weight by now, but I'm not looking back. I can't go back and undo it, so I'm moving forward.

We decorated our bedroom after 10 years of not doing it. Remember? check.

JUNE:

My husband turned 32. Remember? check. sort of. I can't remember what we did. Wow, I need to make his next birthday special.

Mike's parents moved closer! remember? check. We get to see them so much more! =)

The boys got their bunk bed. remember? check. And we haven't had any broken bones from it. yet.

JULY:

4th of July with the Vanderpool clan. Remember? check.

Family visiting. Remember? check, but it's getting fuzzy. Sheila, we're all suffering from separation anxiety!

Chloe turned 8! Remember? check, but I keep thinking she's nine. weird.

AUGUST: (August was a full month)

Laney started horseback riding lessons. Remember? check. She still loves it! That will never change.

Laney also turned 10! My ~~baby~~ firstborn is in double digits! Someone make it stop! Remember? check, but I don't like it.

Elijah started Kindergarten! Remember? check. Don't like this one, either.

We got a new puppy! Remember? check. every time I hear her collar jingle-jangle at 3am because someone can't hold their bladder for longer than 10 minutes. oh I remember.

SEPTEMBER:

The boys took the most precious pictures with Layla. Remember? Check.

Mike's work schedule started going haywire. Remember? Check!

Chloe started ballet, but soon changed to gymnastics. Remember? check! She loves it! She's just been doing the recreation (aka fun and not a lot of strict training) side. This coming Monday, she'll be joining the team (aka still fun, but more strict Olympic-type training).

I started babysitting only 2 days a week. Remember? check. It's still nice to be able to get my boys out of the house once in a while!

I turned 31. Remember? fine.

OCTOBER:

Pumpkin patch. Remember? check. I vividly remember taking the kids on the hay ride by myself because Mike was indisposed in the porta-potty.

My Isaac (aka Ike the Spike, Iggy, Iggle puff, Ikey) turned 4! Remember? check, although, I can't believe it.

My baby turned 2! My B.A.B.Y.! We took him to Chuck E. cheese, and he danced on stage with the animatronic Chuck. Remember? check, but I'm not happy about it. Seriously, not happy.

NOVEMBER:

I fell in love with Fall. Remember? check. Come back, Fall. Now, please!

We put up our Christmas decorations way too early. Remember? check, but it really wasn't way too early. Maybe for a pack of Scrooges. But not for me.

Thanksgiving at Michelle's. Remember? Burp.

DECEMBER:

I kind of went crazy with the Christmas music and decor. Remember? Blissfully check. Mike would like to forget it, though.

Took the kids to see the Christmas lights at Longview, listened to Christmas music and ate Girl Scout cookies the entire time we were in the car (remember when I completely ~~forgot~~ ignored that I was on Weight Watchers?). Remember? check. I heart Christmas.

Sheri came to visit and we decorated Christmas cookies, watched movies and drove around looking at more Christmas lights. Remember? check. LOVE!

CHRISTMAS! Remember? CHECK, of course!

Okay, so maybe I do remember the important (and some not so important) things through the year, but it still went by entirely too fast.

Can we all agree that 2012 should go a tad bit slower? Yes, please!

All Christmasy and festive

2011-12-29T14:21:00.002-06:00

We had a fabulous Christmas. Really. fabulous.
I like to use the word fabulous. It's fabulous. And delectable. That's a fun word, too.

Okay.
So back to Christmas. The fabulous one.
We were lucky this year to be able to spend Christmas with almost all of our family. It didn't snow, in fact, it was like 55 degrees on Christmas day. Holla! That's my kind of Christmas!
There was lots of Bing Crosby, lots of food, lots of family, lots of fun and lots of love!

Christmas Eve Eve was spent at my aunt and uncle's house, exchanging white elephant gifts and eating.
Christmas Eve day was spent opening stockings and letting our kids get high on sugar and pop.
Christmas Eve night was spent at my sister's house exchanging more white elephant gifts (which we re-gifted from the first party) and more eating.
Christmas day started bright and early at 6am. We woke the kids up to open their gifts and Isaac sat up and said (groggily) "um, it's still dark outside." Once he came to a little more and figured out that it was Christmas day, he was cool with waking up before the sun.
The kiddos opened gifts, played with them for a while, then we headed over to my mom's.
We ate a delectable breakfast there, opened more gifts and headed back home.
Christmas day, Mike's parents and sister Sheri arrived and we opened gifts with them.
I've always wanted to host a nice Christmas dinner, complete with candles and our nice dishes. Done and done.
Christmas night, we shared a wonderful dinner with my mom, my grandma, Mike's parents and sister Sheri. Everything turned out nice (or nicely)...whichever.

Pucker up.

Let me show you. Like thith.

Layla opening (or inhaling) her present.

Decorating Jesus' birthday cake

Elijah's present for us :)

Decorating cookies with Daddy, Mommy, and Aunt Sheri! :)

Elijah's snowman cookie. He wanted to hold the snowman's hand for the picture :)

Oh Chloe. Oh my sweet, sweet Chloe. (shaking head)

Not Christmas themed, but still cute. He wore himself out playing Zelda. His daddy almost cried, he was so proud.

My child's first real sentence

2011-12-16T22:26:00.000-06:00

He walked up to me, pointed to Mike and said "He's (eeesh) playing (payin) daddy's game." Yeah, he was talking about Mike...probably trying to tell on his dad for playing his own game. :)
Oh yes, my child's first sentence was about a video game.
Are you surprised?
I'm not. =)

My daughter's a poet

2011-12-12T14:20:00.000-06:00

The other day, Mike was downstairs looking for something in the girls' room, and came across a piece of paper that was completely filled with words. Of course, his curiosity got the best of him and he had to read it. He came upstairs and showed it to me. I read it, thinking it was just another goofy story that one of the girls had made up (I need to post their stories. You guys? They are some of the funniest things I have ever read.) The first line of the poem told me that it wasn't going to be anything I expected. Oh my gosh. I honestly thought that Laney had copied a poem from a book, or had copied something from a movie. Oh no...she wrote it. And I'm not talking 4 or 5 lines, here. This was a whole sheet of paper filled. And it wasn't the type of poem that was cute and rhymed and was about cute kittens in a basket. This was straight from her heart. I got to the middle and had to wipe my eyes to read the rest of it. Laney found us reading it and was pretty upset. She told us that she read it to Chloe and Chloe laughed at her, so she didn't want to read it to anyone else. We talked with her for a long time about how Chloe doesn't know how to react to things that she doesn't understand, so she just laughs. And then we talked about what an amazing talent that God has blessed her with, and about using our talents for Him. She has such a tender heart.

Oh man, I wish I could post her poem here. I'll ask her if I can, but I'm not getting my hopes up. It was like pulling teeth to have her let us read it to both of her grandmas.

I'm so thankful for this wonderful little lady that God has allowed us to raise.

Christmas is about who, now?

2011-12-08T15:37:00.001-06:00

I've mentioned before that we don't do the whole Santa thing. Mike and I decided long ago that we didn't want him to be the center of our Christmas traditions. or anywhere near the center, for that matter. We have a good enough (more than good enough, really!) reason to celebrate, without bringing the fat guy into it. I've never understood why people make such a big deal about him. Don't we have enough crap taking the focus away from Jesus as it is? We are guilty of taking our kids to sit on his lap, but his name is never mentioned in our house after that. We'll probably just completely stop taking them to see him at all. There's no need, since they know the whole thing's a sham. Anywho, I recently came across this blog post, after someone on FB posted it to their wall. I fell in love with it, and I just had to share it. She very eloquently explains why her family doesn't participate in the whole Santa thing. Here are some excerpts from her post:

Because I'm anxious to make enemies and isolate myself from any goodwill you've ever felt toward me, let me just start with a biggie: We've pulled out of the Santa charade. Our newest kids are 5 and 8, preparing for their first Christmas in America, and we're just not doing it, yall. Maybe because we've spent the last four years trying to unravel the mess we've presented to our other kids all these years, but hear me say it: We are giving Christmas back to Jesus. Not a corner of it; all of it.

There is no fake benefactor this year my kids can petition to get more stuff. Because honestly? For a five-year-old, how can Jesus compete with Santa? Our children don't have spiritual perspective; when faced with the choice of allegience, they have a baby in a manger, or they can get a jolly, twinkling, flying character who will bring them presents. This is going to be an easy choice for them. My friend Andrew, who identifies himself as a member of the "non-believer corner" put it this way:

I always thought it was strange how Christians will tell me they have this giant and awesome truth they know is true deep in their soul and want to share with me, but when 12/25 comes around they lie to their own progeny because, apparently, that giant, liberating, and awesomely simple truth is somehow just not enough. It may be a good narrative, but it needs a little something to give it some panache.

As importantly, it sets this tone for Christmas: Be good and you'll get stuff, which becomes so deeply seeded, undoing that position is almost impossible. When we teach our children to understand Christmas through this lens, then tell them at nine-years-old: "Never mind! It's all fake! Oh, and stop being so selfish because Christmas is about Jesus"...we shouldn't be surprised when our kids stage a mutiny and ask to move in with Grandma. Young parents, this is so much easier to do right the first time rather than try to undo later. Give your kids the gift of a Christmas obsessed with Jesus - and no other - when they are little, and it will be their truth all their lives.

Makes sense, right? The whole post is worth a read. We're going to adopt the tradition of giving our kids the gifts of Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read.

We're as guilty as the next parents of buying too much crap our kids don't need. It's over. No more. We want to instill in them values that you can't put a price on. We want our kids to look back at their childhood Christmases (is that a word?) and remember the love and the way Jesus was the center of it all. Not only at Christmas time, either. Jesus is enough for us all year round.
Remember the advent calendar I posted about? We've been doing it each night, and it's a HUGE hit! The kids love it!

Interview with Jett

2011-11-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

My first negative comment!

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

I got my very first negative comment on the old blog. and I deleted it. Why? Well, when you have a serious complaint about something you have read (which obviously wasn't from me...since I copied the post from MckMama's blog), you confront the person without hiding behind an anonymous front. Seriously? Be an adult. If you have something you want to say, say it. Maybe the comment was valid, maybe it wasn't, but when you leave a comment from "anonymous", I really couldn't care less what you have to say.

That being said, to anonymous, I hope you have a wonderful day.

A post of lists

2011-11-22T11:08:00.000-06:00

We recently got our very first advent calendar...this one to be exact:

So I've been researching what to put in the little doors. I've read that some people put candy and other little trinkets, but I really wanted something more meaningful and more to do with the actual Christmas meaning. So I looked and looked, and found this neat idea on this website.

1. Quarter--A quarter! That equals 25 cents. But 25 also stands for the number of days till Christmas, when God gave us His best present. Jesus told about one woman's gift and the way she gave it. Read: Mark 12:41-44

2. Grape Gum or Candy--Grapes make jelly and juice, raisins and wine. But Jesus didn't need grapes to perform His first miracle. Read: John 2:1-10

3. Smiley Face--Here's a smile! A smile usually expresses happiness. Jesus gave us many instructions to keep us happy. Read: Matthew 5:1-12.

4. Swedish Fish candy--Well, if you were surprised to find these fish, wait till you read the story today! Others were surprised to find fish, too. Read: Luke 5:4-7.

5. Birthday Candle--As you know, we are getting ready to celebrate Jesus' birthday. However, Jesus talked about something else that is related to this candle. Light! Read: Matthew 5:14-16.

6. Small Bell--You could make some noise with this. But it would not have bothered a certain man--until he met Jesus. Read: Mark 7:31-37.

7. Goldfish Crackers--These would not go very far if you were really hungry! But Jesus could make much out of little. Surely He knew how to multiply! Read: Matthew 14:13-21.

8. Cotton Balls--These cotton balls would be helpful in a thunder storm, wouldn't they? We could use them for ear plugs to muffle the loud noises that thunder makes. But we know someone who doesn't need cotton. Jesus can control the weather. Read: Matthew 8:23-27.

9. Piece of Map--People needing to use the other parts of this map are in trouble! Don't you get lost today! Read: John 14:1-6.

10. Soap--Do you like to wash? Behind your ears? Washing turned out to be a happy time for a man who met Jesus. Read: John 9:1-7.

11. Heart Candy or Sticker--Hearts. Wordlessly, they speak of love, don't they? Jesus spoke some commands about love. Read: Matthew 25:17-41.

12. Small Cross--We use the cross as a symbol, representing Jesus. Do you know why? Read: Phillipians 2:1-11.

13. Packet of Salt--Ordinary salt. Yes, Jesus related salt to us and our behavior. He also gave us some advice. Read: Matthew 5:14 and Colossians 4:6. (Notice that He doesn't recommend pepper!).

14. Sand--Don't try to eat this! It's sand. It reminds us that Jesus knows something about architecture, about buildings--and building lives. See His instructions: Matthew 7:24-29.

15. Silk Flowers--Flowers are pretty, aren't they? Jesus used flowers to teach us a reassuring lesson. Read: Matthew 6:28-34.

16. Raisins--Raisins! Many children are given raisins instead of candy for a snack. That's because they are a health-promoting and delicious fruit. Jesus told us how we can produce good fruit. Read: John 15:1-5.

17. Seeds--Jesus told a story about seeds that man planted. Then He explained it, revealing its deep meaning. Read: Matthew 13:3-8 and Matthew 13:18-23.

18. Christmas Carol--Christmas is just about a week away. And here is an appropriate song. Sing it loudly! Read: Psalms 100.

19. Rock--A hard stone! Can you change this stone into a piece of bread? Do you think Jesus could? Jesus was asked to do just that. Do know how He handled it? Read: Matthew 4:1-4.

20. Crumpled Foil--Try to smooth out this piece of aluminum foil and use it as a mirror. It's hard to see your reflection plainly, isn't it? Many circumstances are hard to understand, but someday everything will be clear. Read: 1 Corinthians 13:12.

21. Mustard Seed (or packet of mustard)--The mustard seed is the smallest there is! When it sprouts, it grows into one of the largest plants! See what Jesus said. Read: Matthew 17:20.

22. Dove--We've learned that the cross represents Christ, but do you know what the dove stands for? Read: Matthew 3:13-17.

23. Scrap of Wool Material--The threads that compose this fabric came from the wool of a sheep. Jesus called Himself the good shepherd. Do you know who His sheep are? Read: John 10:7-18.

24. Marble--A marble! Do you know what is sometimes called the "Big Blue Marble"? The world. God made the world for us. What does God continue doing to the world? And who is the world? Read: John 3:16.

25. Picture of Baby--Isn't this baby cute? When he was born, he made a whole family happy. Jesus was born a baby, too. He came to make the whole world happy. Read: Luke 2:1-20. Enjoy your celebration today. Continue to learn about Jesus--and love Him forever!
*This comes from www.daniellesplace.com (among other places on the web)

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I read this post of MckMama's and thought it was too funny. And pretty accurate. I'm confident that about 95% of these things have happened to me.

Have you, fellow mothers of small children, ever noticed something about women who are not the mothers of small children? Be it they are not parents yet or have moved past the small children phase, other mothers sometimes just don’t seem to get it. They don’t mean any harm, of course, when they ask you if you know that your baby’s diaper looks full. Of course you know that, but as the mother of small children, you just may not care at the moment, as you’re holding your tantruming toddler with one arm while trying to get to the car in time to pick up your oldest from Kindergarten.

Can you relate?

If so, then sit back and enjoy these other ways you know you might be the mother of small children. Yes, this is Part III of one of my favorite blog post series.

You might be the mother of small children if…

…you actually think redoing your own bedroom in a Curious George theme would be kind of cute.

…you’d rather have a bright new nightgown than a night on the town.

…you can just barely remember a time when “getting lucky” meant something other than managing not to wake your sleeping baby as you crept past his door on the way to the garage to get a Diet Coke during nap time. Now that’s lucky!

…watching other women get their hair blow dried at the WalMart salon as you push your cart full of kids and Fruit Loops by the window is as close as you’ll get to being pampered this week.

…you wish bras came in size 38 B/C because your right breast is now significantly larger than your left.

…you can still zip your wedding dress all the way up. When it’s on your left thigh.

…while sleeping at 3 am, you have ever awoken to the thought, “Who is sitting on me?”

…there is a chalkboard in your dining room, a paper plate turkey in your kitchen, Polly Pockets in the bathtub and a princess hair tie in your hair.

…when your husband asks you what special things you want for your birthday, you tell him in all seriousness that you’d like Post-It notes and Size 3 diapers.

…you think Dora the Explorer toothpaste actually tastes pretty good.

…you don’t remember the last time you shaved your legs. In fact, you can’t even find your razor.

…you could feed twelve goats for a week with the cracker crumbs currently in your carpet.

…you’ve ever signed a check with a green crayon.

…there is a small piece of hot dog stuck anywhere to you right now.

…you avoid looking in your baby’s diaper because if you look and see that it’s dirty, then you’ll have to change it.

…you wonder what the point of your bathroom door is, anyway.

…you’re seriously considering asking for pop beads for Christmas because you think they are so fun.

…you have first hand experience with what happens when a bottle half full with milk sits under the couch for seventeen days. And it ain’t pretty.

…you have ever pretended not to see one of your children touch the toilet water.

…you wonder if Diego has an older brother. And then you remember that you’re married. And that Diego is a cartoon character.

…you are all the way to Target alone in the car before you realize Dr. Suess’s Storytime has been playing in the CD player.

…without missing a beat, you can tell someone to please stop playing with their vagina at the dinner table, and then continue to butter your bread.

…there is a seven month old doing the finger slide on your iPhone right now, and you’re just happy that she’s entertained.

…you run out of washrags and consider using your sexy lingerie so that at least you could get some use out of it.

…you’ve ever had a dream about the Backyardigans.

…when your husband says he is going to give you a really amazing night in bed, you hope he means that he’s going to crash on the couch so you can sleep alone, because that sounds really amazing to you.

…when in a pinch, you’ve ever used milk out of a sippy cup for your coffee.

…you take off the sheets on your bed and discover six pretzels, fourteen Lego pieces, three socks and a pair of footie pajamas with a diaper still stuck in the foot. You cringe at the thought of what you’ll discover when you take the kids’ sheets of their beds.

…you don’t bother feeding the dog since the baby does that just fine from his high chair.

…though you’ll never admit it to your friends, you’ve discovered that you really like corn dogs.

…you think the five second rule is so last year. You now adhere to the five minute rule and, sometimes, to the five hour rule.

…you covet your neighbor’s minivan.

And a few oldies but goodies from last time, you also might be the mother of small children if…

…you sound like you have Tourette’s when you talk on the phone. “So, Sarah, do you and the kids want to meet up for–GET DOWN FROM THE FENCE RIGHT NOW–do you guys want to meet us at McDonald’s for–NO, YOU CAN’T!–for lunch at 11:30 as soon as we–DO NOT PUSH YOUR BROTHER DOWN ON THE TILE, OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER-get finished up here?” (by Rachel E.)

…you can touch your own nipples to your chin, or your bellybutton, whenever the mood strikes.

…you used to look down at women who wore their maternity clothes when they weren’t pregnant. Now you look up to them, because you only wish you still fit into yours.

What about you? How do you know you might be the mother of small children!?

A few of mine would be:
...you are so thirsty sometimes that you drink out of a sippy cup...without taking the lid off. and then realize that the juice doesn't come out of those things fast enough.

...your 2 year old gets so messy at Walmart from eating the free bakery cookie, that you whip out a pair of your daughter's (used) underwear* from your purse to clean him off.

...you sometimes wish that restaurant menus had "Hot dogs with mac and cheese" on the adult menu. Because how great would it be to have leftovers that the kids would actually eat? Yay for easy meals!

...you know that when your child is constipated, the best remedy for it is the library. Because OHMYGOSH!! Will we ever make out of the library without someone needing to go poop or pooping in their diaper? I'm betting on no. because it hasn't happened yet. Maybe this is just me?

...you think it seems like a vacation when you only have to take 2 kids to the grocery store with you. (or maybe that's a "you know you're the mother of many when...")

*okay. the underwear thing. So we took Chloe to her first gymnastics class, and she was wearing her ballet leotard with underwear. When we got there, I noticed that her underwear were totally showing under the leotard, so we went to the restroom where she took them off, and I put them in my purse. That's the story of how Chloe's dirty underwear ended up in my purse. The End.

It's beginning to look alot like ThanksChristmas

2011-11-17T10:44:00.001-06:00

So, we decided to put up our Christmas tree a tad bit early this year. It's just that Thanksgiving weekend is so busy with, well, Thanksgiving day itself, going to see the mayor's Christmas tree, and black friday as well. And it seems like if we put it up the week after that, it's not long enough to have it up. Heck, if I'm gonna go through all the toil of putting it up, I want it up for a nice, long time!

So here's what you'll see if you walk into our house right now.

{The stockings are hung by the chimney with care :)}

{Someone wanted their picture taken.}

It's so nice to have it done!

I should also mention that we have a Christmas wreath hanging on the front door and pumpkins on our front steps. It's a little bit confusing when you see it.

Fall, I think I love you

2011-11-08T16:01:00.000-06:00

Fall is growing on me. Not literally, of course.
I used to despise fall. It's not Fall's fault. He can't help it.
It's just that, well, I may actually be having a love affair with Fall. Don't tell my precious Summer.
For some reason, this year I am totally digging all the things that Fall brings in with him. The smells, the decorations, the beautiful colors of the leaves, and even the temperature change. That may also have to do with the fact that it's almost mid-way through November, and I've yet to wear my heavy coat. I hate cold weather! Have I mentioned that before?

Anywho, we're having lots of fall fun around these parts. Pumpkin patches, leaf-pile jumping, warm baked potato soup* with crusty bread, pumpkin pie candles, and Christmas music are just a few things we're enjoying lots of lately. Oh wait, did I say Christmas music? OH YES I DID! I know that we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet, blah blah blah. Whatever. I'm no Scrooge (like some people that won't be named. Mike.) when it comes to playing Christmas music. I've been enjoying my little Christmas music play list for quite some time now. And I don't intend to stop.

So here's to Fall. And to celebrating Christmas all year long. :)

* Oh.my.heavens. I found the most delectable recipe for baked potato soup.
This is a Fall recipe MUST HAVE!

Ingredients

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley
Directions

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil. Garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

I used 4 potatoes and 4 cups of broth, which made just enough (but I always like to have leftovers), so I will probably double everything next time, and use like 6 or so. Oh, and I didn't use the hot pepper sauce, but it was still tasty!

My baby is 2!!!!

2011-10-23T10:46:00.000-05:00

What?!?!?
Jett is 2. Sound the alarm. Something is wrong.
I'm still in denial that he turned 1, and now he's 2?
I no longer have a baby, or even a toddler.
He's a kid. A strong-willed, humorous, snuggly, hyper, blond-headed, blue-eyed kid.

2 years ago, I was staring into this precious little face.

Just one year ago, we were here:

And my baby boy now?

He's 2.

He's my love.

You make my world go round, Jett. I'm so blessed to be your mother.

Happy Birthday, angel boy. I love you so much!

xoxoxoxo

My Isaac is 4!!!

2011-10-16T22:03:00.000-05:00

Saturday (yesterday) was Isaac's birthday, and I would have posted something, but we were too busy having FUN all day!!!

Friday night, he chose to spend his night out at the mall, to play in the play area, and he also wanted to eat there. So we all had a delicious, nutritious (or not) dinner of food court food. :) Afterwards, we went to Toys R Us, so he could pick out a birthday present. He picked a stuffed Mario (go figure.) and a ~~new~~ used Mario Galaxy game.
Saturday morning, I made him a breakfast of red and blue (Mario and Sonic) pancakes,

let him open the rest of his presents from us,

and then we headed to the pumpkin patch!

We came home and got ready to have his party with just a few friends and family. Grandma Carol made him a Sonic cake (much more special than a store bought cake, in my opinion) and we also had pizza, to offset the sugar in the cake. We tried to go with nothing but organic health food. Can you tell? ;) He opened his gifts, and he just played and played with his friends till about 11:30 that night, then he crashed. Oh, I forgot to mention that half-way through his party, after eating pizza, and before gift-opening, he fell asleep on the recliner. :) He had to take a nap, his party was that INSANE! =)

{are you noticing a theme throughout these pictures? Sonic and Mario are like family to us. :) }

{Isaac with his Sonic cake - made with love by grandma!}

I'd say he had a pretty spectacular birthday! :)

I truly cannot believe he's 4. I know I say that about every kid, and every birthday they have. and I mean it each time. Don't kids grow too fast? Time goes at about 10x normal speed after you have kids. True?

My little Ike the Spike is growing up, and there's nothing I can do to stop it.
I love you more than you can imagine, Isaac. Sometimes I feel like my heart will burst, with all the love I have for you! You will always be my sweet little Humble Bumble. I love you! Happy 4th Birthday!

Major phone-pic dump

2011-10-06T13:59:00.000-05:00

{Crazy pics - I literally laugh out loud when I look at these :) }

{Spending the day with my mom, my sis, and my girls at Santi-cali-gon}

1. The kids waiting for the bus

2. Jett's first trip to the lake

3. The first night with Layla

4. Mini golf with the girls for their birthdays

5. Out of 5 kids, this is the first time this has happened.

6. Sweet snuggles with Layla

1. Chloe and Layla

2. Laney and Layla

3. Sonic happy hour with my 2 littles

4. Isaac looks like he ate a Smurf :)

5. Snuggly puppy. She was so little! She's growing fast!

1. Jett swinging in the backyard

2. Elijah - I'm not exactly sure what he's doing. I told him to stand in front of me to take a pic, and this was how he posed. I've learned not to ask questions.

3. and 4. We The boys spotted the tractors as we were coming out of Sears.

5. Chloe's first ballet class

6. Could he possibly be any more snugglier? no. The answer is no.

1. Jett climbing into his crib for nap time. We love our naps around here!

2. Being Mario can wear a dude out!

3. Trying on masks at Target.

4. What happens when you leave Layla in a room alone with an open window.

5. Silly Ikey.

6. The binky has to go soon!

Laney's horseback lessons are going great! She still loves it and every week she counts down the days till Monday! Last week, her teacher started letting her learn how to do barrels. She just trotted her horse (Cowgirl...her favorite horse!) around, instead of running (of course), but it was still fun for her. I took a video of it. (Please ignore me talking during the beginning. Her instructor was telling me about something.)

Things I never want to forget

2011-10-04T09:36:00.000-05:00

Elijah playing by himself in his room with his magna-doodle. He loves to just write out words as they pop into his mind.
Isaac's snuggles. No matter what time of day it is, I can look at Isaac and say, "I didn't snuggle you all morning!" (which is always, always not true...we snuggle ALL the time!) and he'll say "How did we let that happen?!", and run right over to me and give me the biggest hug and kisses. Sometimes the roles are reversed, and he'll be the one that starts it by looking at me and saying "I didn't snuggle you all morning!" It's my favorite.
Laney's helpful attitude. It never fails - when I'm trying to do 5 things at once, and Laney is anywhere near me, she always asks if there's something she can do. She cleans up, she takes the dog out, and she helps the boys with whatever they need help with...all without being asked to. She is such a sweet girl.
Chloe's empathy and soft heart. She's so wonderful to anyone who's upset or in trouble about something. She is so concerned about making sure that problems are solved, and everyone is happy. She's also got a watchful eye for her brothers. She knows when Jett is somewhere he's not supposed to be or getting into something he knows he shouldn't have, and without batting an eye, she's getting him back to where he needs to be. It's just second nature to her to keep an eye out for her brothers.
Jett's raspberries on my cheek. He kisses me on my lips, and then turns my cheek and says "This one" (which sounds more like di-wa) and blows a raspberry instead of a kiss. And every single time he does it, he laughs hysterically and looks at me like I got you again! When will you ever learn, mom?

These are just a few things I always want to remember, so I might start posting every once in a while the things I never want to forget, because there are alot!

Life Lately

2011-09-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

Wow, we have had such a crazy past few weeks. Mike's work schedule has gone from 40 hour work weeks to 65-70 hour ones. I feel bad for him, as I know he works so hard and he's so tired when he comes home from work. I can tell it's a struggle for him - he wants to help out when he comes home, but being so exhausted from the physical labor he does, he really just wants to relax. I struggle with knowing he's tired and just wants to sit down, but geez...I'm tired too. These girls of ours are seriously more trying than the 3 little boys. They've started the whole "I can't stand my sister. Can we please sell her?" stage, and I'm not a fan. Seriously, sometimes I just wanna give them boxing gloves and throw them downstairs to just duke it out. They know exactly how to get on my very last nerve. I know, these are all normal everyday things that everyone deals with. I also know how blessed I am, so I'm gonna choose to focus on that. Thank you Jesus that Mike has a job, and thank you for these 5 precious lives that you've entrusted me with. Please help me to control my temper and to keep my eyes focused on YOU!!!

We try to put the kids to bed around 8:30 (although they don't usually quiet down till 9 or 9:30) so we can have just a little bit of time to talk without any distractions. Now that the kids are getting older and are starting more activities, I'm slowly learning how to organize everything and everyone.

I've started babysitting only on Tues. and Thurs., so I try to get out of the house with Isaac and Jett for at least a little while on the other days. It's been fun being with the 2 littlest boys. I miss Elijah being at home, and all the cars being everywhere. The noise level has dropped tremendously.

Chloe started ballet a couple weeks ago. She really loves going every week. It's hard to get pics of her there since there's really no place for parents to watch. There's only one place you can stand to see in the studio, and I feel really bad if I stand there the whole time to watch. (although I totally want to!) I'm really looking forward to her first recital, with the whole family being there to cheer her on. :)

My b-day was yesterday, but since Mike didn't get home till 7:30 last night, we didn't do anything but watch Whose Line is it Anyway. :D We're hoping to go somewhere together this weekend.
I will love it when life gets back to normal. Well, our normal at least. I mean, let's face it - normal around here is still pretty crazy! :)

A boy and his dog

2011-09-09T13:35:00.000-05:00

Weight Loss Update

2011-08-30T21:12:00.000-05:00

I went to my Weight Watchers meeting tonight, for the first time in 2 months. Mike's job has been c.r.a.z.y, so I've had a hard time finding time to go. Although I have been away from the meetings, I have been eating better than I normally would, but not nearly as well as I would have if I had been going regularly. So when I weighed in today, I wasn't sure what to expect. The scale showed that I had lost 5.8 pounds since my last weigh-in. I was pretty much pleased. I know that it would have been much better if I had been going to the meetings like I should have. You guys, those meetings work. for real!

So, my total weight loss now sits at 18.8 pounds. I learned my lesson by not being as strict about counting points and missing the meetings. I'm hoping to drop another 15-20 by my birthday, which is at the end of next month. My goal weight is still 31 pounds away...I know I'll get there, I just have to get focused a little more.

Oh, and yay for Mops starting this Thursday! It's been 2 years since I've been able to go, so I'm excited!

Our New Addition

2011-08-27T20:15:00.001-05:00

We've done it yet again.

No, not another baby.

Another puppy.

Another boxer puppy.

Isn't she cute? :)

Her name is Layla (as in Laila Ali...the boxer...obviously spelled differently)

I don't know if we'll ever learn our lesson from having so many pets die on us or get stolen from us, or (as the smart ones do it) just plain run away from us, but here we are again.

Layla's got an uphill battle living with this family.

Poor thing.

(We do intend on keeping her until she dies a natural death. Let's hope she makes it that far.)

Elijah starts school!

2011-08-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

When we welcomed this wonderful baby boy into our family 5 years ago, I neglected to consider the fact that he would grow up and go to school one day. Well, that day has come (much to my dismay), and I think it hit me harder than I thought it would. Sure, I knew he wouldn't be an emotional wreck that Laney was when she started Kindergarten but I didn't think I would take it so bad. I cried the night before he started and the night before that. And I'm not even pregnant!

Everything went swimmingly on his first day. My mom came with me to take the kids to school, and when we walked in his classroom, his teacher (who I just adore!) greeted him and showed him where to put his lunch and backpack. He found his desk, and sat down to color the picture in front of him. He grabbed a crayon, then said "I want to play with the toys." I told him that it was morning work time, and that he needed to color his picture. I gave him a kiss, told him I loved him, and headed toward the door. I turned around and he was sitting at his desk, just looking around the room - taking everything in. He waved goodbye to me, picked up a crayon and started coloring. whew!!!
We took the girls to their classrooms and said goodbye to them. Both of their teachers are new to their school, so we'll see how the girls like them. After we dropped them off, my mom mentioned poking our heads back into Elijah's classroom to see what he was doing, but I decided against it. When you walk out the front door of the school, the hallway directly to the right leads right into Elijah's room, so we looked down the hall to see if we could see him. There were a few people in the doorway, and I figured he was still sitting at his desk, but just as we were about to leave, we saw him zip across the room to the side with the toys. I knew if he was running around the room, he was fine.

I tried everything to get him to talk about his day when he got home, but nothing worked. He answered every one of my questions with one word answers. Oh well. As long as he makes it home alive, and I don't have any notes from the teacher in his folder, I'm good. He said he wanted to go back, so I took that as he had a good day.

{this face cracks me up. He looks a little bit skeptical of this whole "school" thing.}

{Laney-4th grade, Elijah-Kindergarten, Chloe-3rd grade}

{Isaac didn't wanna be left out!}

{Elijah and his teacher - she was Chloe's kindergarten teacher, as well}

{My big boy at his desk}

{Bye!}

{Chloe and her teacher, Ms. Freund - pronounced Friend. Chloe likes her name :) }

{Laney and her teacher...don't their teachers look young?!?!}

A Decade of Laney

2011-08-15T13:34:00.001-05:00

10 years ago today, I gave birth to our very first child. It was incredible. To meet this little person whom you've only known from ultrasound pictures and from the little (and increasingly big) kicks and jabs from the inside - well, there are no words to describe it. It is the only time when "love at first sight" is completely true and accurate.

10 years ago, this sweet little angel made me a mother.

{Look at that round, chubby face!! We were told a few times that she looked like a little Native American baby. :)}

Today, we celebrate 10 years of Laney!!! She's a decade old! =)

Happy Birthday, sweet Laney! You make me so happy and thankful that I get to be your mom! You couldn't be more wonderful if you tried! I love you with all of my heart!!!

Laney and horses

2011-08-09T18:18:00.002-05:00

Laney started her horseback riding lessons last Monday, and she loves it! (obviously) Laney at a horse ranch is like a fat kid in a candy store. She'll be learning both Western and English riding styles. The first lesson was made up of watching a video on helmet safety, grooming her horse, saddling, and learning to rein (or steer, or whatever it's called) her horse - Pepper was the horse she rode at her 1st lesson. When we signed her up, we were told that she wouldn't actually be getting on the horse at her first lesson, so we were pleasantly surprised. I seriously think it was because the girl could tell that Laney wasn't nervous around the horse. at all. She picked up on everything very quickly. It just comes second nature to her, for some reason. Again, put a fat kid in a candy store, and I'm sure he'd memorize the entire Jelly Belly wall of flavors pretty fast.

Last night was her second lesson - my mom and Mike's mom were able to go with us! Laney groomed the horse (named Frog :D) by herself, remembering the order of the brushes, and helped her instructor saddle and bridle the horse. She rode for probably a straight 40 or 45 minutes, and did an amazing job - guiding the horse exactly where the instructor told her to, and walking her horse over a little bridge (after working with him for a while...he was hesitant to do it. :)) She was able to trot for a little bit, with the instructor leading the horse. We think she'll be able to trot by herself after the next one or two lessons.

It's so fun to watch her do exactly what she loves. Last night, she was riding close to the fence where I was standing, and I asked her something. She answered me with a quick, one-word reply - she was so focused on what she was doing. I'm so proud of her!!!

These pics are all from last night. The video at the bottom is from her first lesson.

My Chloe is 8!!!!

2011-08-01T11:22:00.001-05:00

Chloe Lynn...what can I say about this child that will adequately portray how amazingly wonderful and unique she is? There are no words that describe how much I love my blue-eyed, blonde-headed baby girl. I love her quirky, feisty, funny, sometimes shy personality. She is one of a kind, for sure!!!

I'm so proud of the little lady you have become, Chloe! My prayer for you is that you follow Jesus Christ and that your main goal and desire in this life is to serve Him in everything you do!!! You can be anything you want to be, through Him!!! I'm so happy that God chose me to be your mother!! I love you so much, sweet girl!!!

Soooo

2011-07-21T13:29:00.000-05:00

apparently I suck at blogging.

Oh, where to start.

We've been so busy the past couple of months with the 4th of July, trips to the zoo and worlds of fun, family visits and such, and the old blog has been neglected, yet again.

So just to warn you, this will probably be the longest post ever. in the history of blogging.

Worlds of Fun

The name says it all. :) My kids love this place. In fact, the other day, I asked Elijah and Isaac if they would rather go to Disney World or Worlds of Fun, and the both picked the latter. So, I guess we could've saved alot of money last year. ;)

Zoo trips

We visit the zoo alot during the Summer months, and we always get a family pass. This year, they added a new sky safari ride over the Africa section. Let's just say that I'm sooo happy we didn't get the pass that included that in it. We went on it once, and I'm pretty sure it's safe to say it will be the last time. Laney and Chloe rode together, Mike rode with Elijah, and I rode with Isaac and Jett. First of all, these seats have no belts or anything to strap you in, and the bar that comes down in front of you doesn't exactly make me feel safe....especially with a 3 year old and a 1 year old who's trying to climb out of it the entire time. Ugghhhh!!! Stress and fear are the two prominent words that come to mind. Jett lost his binky somewhere around the giraffes, and I'm hoping that they can get some use out of it. Do animals use binkys? I can just picture a sweet little baby giraffe sucking away on a way-too-tiny-for-him binky. :) So anyway, never again with the African sky safari. Bad, bad idea.

But we had fun otherwise.

{Feeding the sheep is always a big hit!}

{Jett loved them!!}

{This is the sky safari - otherwise known as Doom and Fear!!}

{and that's the binky that belongs to the giraffes now}

{look at those paws!!}

Sliding

These are probably the last pics I will have of the kids on this slide. It bit the dust this summer, and we're sad to see it go. I guess we'll have to start saving for a new one. We really loved this thing!

4th of July

We had our typical 4th of July festivities. We did fireworks at our house with friends and had a barbecue and more fireworks with family. Everyone had fun, as usual.

{What's 4th of July without a little watermelon?}

Family visits

Mike's parents, sister and brother-in-law and their kids came to see us, and we had a great time with them. Every time we're together, we have so much fun and make so many memories. It really just sucks that we live so far away from them. The kids all get along so well and we're so sad when we have to say goodbye.

{Aliya and Jett. I seriously neglected this child while Aliya pretty much took over the role of caregiver for him. :) Thank you, sweet girl!!}

{Ma-Maw and Elijah}

{all the kiddos}

{Look at that gorgeous family!}

Whew.

So that's basically what we've been up to this summer!

We're looking forward to a few things coming up really soon, too!!

--Elijah starting school!!! This will be interesting. I'm not so much concerned with him sitting still anymore. Now my major concern is him keeping his clothes on and being able to wipe himself. I'm preparing myself for the, how do I say it... interesting(?) phone calls and notes we'll get.

-- Chloe is starting ballet!!! She's really excited, especially since I told her that we have to get her a new leotard, tights, a new tutu and, wait for it......real ballet shoes! We go to meet her instructor and to look at the studio this coming Monday. She'll start lessons the first week in September.

-- Laney is taking horseback riding lessons!!! If you know Laney at all, you know that her dream (other than owning her own horse) has come true!! There are no words in the English language that describe how ecstatic she is about it! We go tomorrow to take a tour of the place, and there's a good chance she'll have her first lesson then, too. I was told that it will be Laney and just one other girl around her age in her class. When I was looking up prices and stuff, I noticed that the cheaper lessons were the group lessons. I was thinking there are probably 8-9 kids in a group, but they told me group lessons are 2-3 kids. That was a nice surprise!!

Weigh loss update

2011-06-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

I know I said I wouldn't be doing many updates on my weight loss journey, but, well, I lied. :) No, I'm only going to post about it every so often, and this is one of those times.
I've been doing Weight Watchers for 6 weeks now, and I'm happy to say that I'm down 14 pounds!! My friends and family tell me that they can definitely tell I've lost, which of course, is awesome motivation to keep going. I can tell myself, when I put my clothes on - they aren't as snug as they once were. :)
The first few weeks, I was charted my food intake religiously, calculated everything I put in my mouth and how many WW points it was worth, and never went over my allotted daily points. I need to start logging everything in again. It really does help. I've only missed 2 meetings, and I really hate when I do, not only because I don't get to weigh in, but because the meetings are so helpful and encouraging.
I got some new tennis shoes (that actually fit and don't make my toes feel like someone's tearing them off), so I'll be starting the 30 day shred tonight. After the Bachelorette, of course. Don't judge. :)

Oh, and I bought a new swimsuit.
Now if I could only get the courage to wear it out in public.

I've still got a ways to go, but knowing that I have a little bit behind me is nice. And at least I know it's working!

Schedules

2011-06-21T11:40:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or whenever you see this word, do you also sound it out in your head like a British fellow...shedules.
Anyone? No?  Alright.

Anyway.
First of all, I want to say Happy Father's Day to my wonderful husband. He's the only man in the world I would want to be the father of my children, and I'm so happy he's mine. I love you, honey!! You're the best!!! =)

On to more good stuff...

Mike's job is going great! He comes home happier, less stressed, and earlier in the day. But that's about to change. Well, the earlier in the day part, anyway. Starting next week, he will start working 4 days a week - 10 hour days. So, instead of getting home at 4, he'll get home at 6. Which, if there wasn't some sort of benefit to this, would totally suck. But here's the awesome part. Since there are 2 electrical/instrumentation techs at this plant (Mike being one of them, of course), they will switch back and forth from one of them working Mon-Thurs and the other will work Tues-Fri. So, Mike will have 2 day weekends one week, and 4 day weekends the next. They switch the on-call back and forth every week, so the weeks that he has 4 days off, the other technician will be on call. So every other week, Mike will have 4 day weekends, without being on call...which is pretty much amazing!

I'm so thankful that God has blessed Mike with this job, and also, just the ability to work. He's such a hard worker, and it's not just sitting at a desk type of work either.  I'm so happy I got a blue collared worker, they're way sexier, with their hard hats and tool belts. ;) Sorry to my family that reads this. haha.  =D
He got called in alot this past weekend, which kind of sucks, but at least he gets overtime for it.  He worked a total of 17 hours on Friday, and then to top off the weekend, on Father's Day, he got called in at 7am and didn't get home till 4.  He's an amazing man, and I wouldn't trade him for the world. I love him more than life itself.

Long time...

2011-06-13T14:44:00.000-05:00

...no bloggy.

This may or may not be a long post. We'll see.

We're up to more projects. Mostly out of necessity, though.
I go into the boy's bedroom the other day, and smell a funny, mildewy smell coming from Elijah's bed. We've been having problems with them taking cups of water into their room and pouring it down their race car track that looks like this.

They say it's a water slide. Go figure.

So anyway, I know they've been into water again, and I'm sniffing around like a K-9 dog trying to find out where this smell is coming from. I lift up the mattress on Elijah's race car bed, and the whole wooden board underneath it is soaked. I lift up the bed itself, and water just starts pouring out from the corner. Ughhhhh... Isaac's toddler bed isn't holding up much better, with half the boards missing under the mattress, so needless to say, we decide they need ~~new beds~~ a new bed.

We decided on a bunk bed with a full-size mattress on the bottom. When Jett is big enough to start sleeping with the bigger boys, we'll move the girls back upstairs. They are currently downstairs in the playroom, which, if I was a child, would be ideal and totally awesome. But no, Laney and Chloe (Laney mostly) are asking to come back upstairs and have their old room back. Ok, whatever. I'm thinking along the lines of, ok you have a room that's like 4 times the size of the one upstairs, and you have your own TV and pretty much every toy known to man at your fingertips down there, but whatever. Weirdos.

(totally kidding, by the way. I don't mind having them closer at night, being the paranoid person that I am. :D)

So I started googling cute boy rooms to get an idea of what I wanted to do in the boys' room. Then it hit me. This is their room. How 'bout I ask them what they want. So I did, and they chose Mario. shocker, I know. While I would prefer that they have a cute nautical themed room (which my husband said was totally gay) or an awesome outer-spaced themed room, or some kind of dino room, I guess it comes down to the fact that they are only gonna be little once. They are only gonna ask for a Mario room one time. (hopefully) They have the rest of their lives to have grown-up rooms. Let them be little, right? :) So we got them Mario bedding, and we would love to eventually paint their room like this -

I would actually not mind a Mario room myself, if it looked like this. :D

Let's see...what else?

The girls are on Summer vacation, which means....EXTREME.LOUD.NOISE.ALL.THE.TIME. I have 6 kids here, every day. A lot of times, there are 7 or 8, when their friends come over. I usually can't even hear myself think, but that's okay.

We (meaning myself, my mom, my sister, my 3 nieces, 2 boyfriends of nieces and partridge in a pear tree) took the kids to Worlds of Fun last Thursday, with my friend Cathy and her little boy, Daniel. They all had fun, of course. I'll post pics of that as soon as I get more time.

Oh, one more thing.

Mike's mom and dad ~~are moving~~ moved closer to us...like only an hour away close. We're so excited!!!! Now, if we could only get Sheri and Sheila closer. That's our next project.

Has someone been spying on us?

2011-05-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

Bedroom Makeover

2011-05-17T16:22:00.000-05:00

Since Mike and I moved into our home 5 and a half years ago, we have not touched our bedroom, as far as painting it or decorating it...even somewhat. Our poor room had been neglected for far too long, and it was high time we did something about it. We spent one long weekend painting, getting the furniture delivered, decorating, etc. It turned out awesome!!!

Okay, I'm swallowing my pride and posting a before picture. The only reason I have this picture of this disastrous room is because I needed something to use when I looked online at paint colors. Here goes...
It's hideous. seriously. don't say I didn't warn you.

See? Yikes.
The only type of wall furnishings we had in there was beautiful artwork done by none other than Elijah Hall, himself. He gifted us with our very own personal drawing, right above our bed. I don't know if you can see it, but if you look closely, you'll see letters, squiggles, drawings of playground equipment and, of course, cars.
It was darling, but it had to go! =)

So now, here are the after pictures:

Ahhhh...much better!

Details:

I'd like to get a couple of small, old books to put in the large frame.

I made this earring hanger after I saw a picture of it on a craft website. She had a vase similar to this one in the tutorial post, and I thought it was too cute, so I copied that, too! I also made a frame for my mom and my mom-in-law for Mother's Day! I know...I should have started the wire up higher. I fixed that on the one's I made for mother's day! :)

It feels so nice to have a nice place to rest at the end of the day. It's like my own little sanctuary. I love it!

It's Monday

2011-05-16T10:44:00.000-05:00

Just a few things to say today. They really have nothing to do with each other, so I'm gonna try the little handy dandy bullet point system.

First, I wanted to say thanks for the weight loss encouragement and ideas. My first weigh in was last Tuesday, and thankfully I lost 5.4 pounds my first week on Weight Watchers!! Yay! I'm crossing my fingers that tomorrow's weigh in will not disappoint!
Mike's grandfather passed away last Tuesday. He was a sweet man, and will be missed. The funeral was on Friday morning, 6 hours away, so Mike went by himself. We were originally gonna pack up everyone and spend the night Friday night and come home on Saturday, but we decided it would be best if Mike went alone. I missed seeing everyone and wish we all could have been there to be with our family.
The boys finished their swimming classes, and I just wanted to post a few more pics. They were so excited to get to jump off the diving board at the last class! (Elijah, mostly)

{Isaac had to be gently placed in the water :)}

Chloe had a school program on Thursday night, and she had a small solo in one of the songs. She did a great job! She has the cutest little voice!! ...well, when she's not ear-piercingly loud, that is. :)

{Chloe and her friend Candreyenne}

{bff}

{getting in line for her solo...she looks nervous :)}

{she did perfect!}

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Ready, Set...

2011-05-03T20:28:00.003-05:00

LOSE!

I just joined Weight Watchers tonight! This whole losing weight thing isn't happening on my own. In fact, I've gained like 8 pounds in the last month and a half. I know I've posted time and time before on how I was definitely gonna do it, and nothing would get in my way. (I know...go ahead and roll your eyes. I did.)

Um, no. Didn't happen.

The thing is, I never had any weight problems when I was younger. I mean, I wasn't skinny (I never want to be skinny.), but I was at a healthy weight, and I had curves, which I was fine with. I was totally happy with the way I looked. That is, until I got married and got pregnant 3 months later. The whole "eating for two" thing is wrong. Breast feed and the weight will come off? Yeah, that doesn't work for everyone. And frankly, I'm tired of hearing about women who were in their regular clothes a month after they delivered their baby, all due to breast feeding.
I know that I need to have healthier eating habits. I know that I need to exercise more. I know I need to get this weight off to be healthier. I know all this, but getting these thoughts put into action is where I'm having difficulties. I was doing good, losing weight, eating healthier, being more active, making healthier choices when I last posted about losing weight. I really was. And then life happened and Mike's work started slowing, and he started looking for another job. I got stressed, and of course the excuses can go on and on. The fact is, I need accountability. And bless Mike's heart, but he isn't the guy for the job. He would tell me I looked fine if I were 300 pounds. And not that there's anything wrong with that, he's so sweet to me, but I need someone to answer to. I need to know that there's someone waiting for me each week with a scale in hand. I need someone to guide me and to let me in on tips and ideas of what I can do better to meet my goal.

My sister started with me, and whether she continues to go with me every week to the meetings doesn't matter. I'm going. As long as I'm able, I'll be sitting my rear end in those plastic chairs every Tuesday evening for as long as it takes to get me to a healthy weight.

I'm not going to go into specifics here on how much I've lost each week, and what kind of exercise routine I've found to be the most helpful. Just know that I'll be working my way towards a healthier lifestyle. For me and my family. We all need a change.

Just a smidge late...

2011-05-03T11:01:00.001-05:00

Just realized I never posted anything about Easter, so here I go.

Our church decided to rent out the Independence Events Center for our Easter service this year. We were hoping that the place would be packed out, as we've been advertising and praying that we would reach our community in a big way - and that's just what happened! It was amazing!! To see our whole church under one roof (we have 3 services every Sunday, so it was nice to be able to have one with everyone together) praising God, and worshipping together was incredible! I figured there would be quite a lot of people there, but when we arrived, I was in awe! They estimated that there were about 4100 people there! Our pastor reported that there were many decisions made to follow Christ, and who knows how many other seeds have been planted! To God be the glory, great things HE has done! Our church is raising money to start an orphanage in Nigeria, and at the Easter service alone, they received over $27,000, bringing the total up to $40,000!!! That is enough to buy the land and start building! Praise God! Mike and I are looking forward to the day we can travel with a missions team to Nigeria to help in any way we can, and some day we hope to have the opportunity to take our kids with us! It will be a life-changing experience, I'm sure!

After church, we headed over to my aunt and uncle's house and had dinner, and of course, an Easter egg hunt for the kiddos.

My computer got a virus last week, so we had to completely clear everything off of it, and reinstall windows. What I'm saying is, I have no pics of Easter on this computer. I uploaded some to this album on Face.book.

So thankful that the message of Easter is just as real and alive to us every single day of the year!

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
-Matthew 28:6

Isaac funny

2011-04-26T18:17:00.000-05:00

Laney had just finished drawing a picture of herself (just of her head) and Isaac looked at it and said "um Laney, you didn't draw foots." Laney said "I know, Isaac." He thought for a second, then looked right at her and said, "But Laney, you have foots! Look down!" :)

Jett - 18 Months Old!!

2011-04-22T08:31:00.000-05:00

I can't believe you have already been with us for a year and a half, my littlest man!

At 18 months, you have the most AMAZING personality!!!

{oh, and you still make this face all.the.time}

You are, by far, the funniest little toddler I have ever known!! You love (LOVE!!) to dance! Any time you hear music, you just can't help yourself! You bend your knees, and kinda bounce and twist from side to side. :) You love to say your special "shsllsshh" sound (still), you love to laugh and you love to make everyone else laugh! You will peek around a corner, just to see if anyone will notice you, and if they do, you come out running and laughing. You love to scream at the top of your lungs just to hear yourself. You blow raspberries when you play with cars, while pushing them across the floor. You try to tickle everyone and you say something that sounds like "diddle", over and over. I think you're trying to say "tickle". You do have a bit of a temper, and when you don't get your way, you get on your hands and knees and put your face on the floor and just whine.

You don't do it very often, though! Let's keep it that way, please!

You've been done nursing for about one month, but you still love your binky. You play with your hair every time your binky goes in your mouth.

This has made for some very crazy hair days.

Your teeth are almost done coming in - you just need to grow your canines!! :) You still have stark-white hair, and I'm hoping it doesn't change for a long time! I love it!

Sometimes you just say "Mama, Dada...Mama, Dada...Mama, Dada" over and over. We love hearing you say it!! The other day, you looked at mommy and said "Dada?" Mommy told you that daddy went bye-bye. You walked over to the door, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled on it, while whining and saying "DADA!" You love your daddy!!! When you see daddy drive up to the house when he's coming home from work, you scream "Dada!!" and you run to the top of the stairs and wait for him to open the door!

You don't say a whole lot of words, but that's okay. I know it will come in time. You're favorite things to say are:
Mama
Dada
LIJA!!!!! (yelling for Elijah)
cooka (cookie)
ca (car)
bubba (bye bye)
da (dog)
Nigh nigh (night night)
Co-co (Chloe)
Na-na (banana)
mmmoooo (when mommy asks you what a cow says)

Sometimes you try to copy us when we ask you to say something, but you definitely prefer your own language.

But...
Your most FAVORITE thing ever????

EATING!!!!!!!!!

Child, you eat more than your 2 older brothers combined. (That's not an exaggeration!!!)
If anyone is eating anything at any given time, you will, without fail, be hovering over them, begging for a bite. As I'm typing this, you are mooching cereal off daddy!!! I have never seen one child eat so much. ever.

Jett, you are the sweetest, most wonderful blond-haired, blue-eyed baby boy in the world!!! There is nothing I wouldn't do for you! I love you more than life itself!!!! God has placed you in this family for a reason, and I'm so grateful to Him for allowing me to be your momma!!! I love you precious boy!!!

Swimming lessons and growing ducks

2011-04-18T13:34:00.000-05:00

The boys have started swimming lessons and they absolutely LOVE it! There is one teacher that I don't care for...she's not very patient with the kids, especially Elijah. When she puts him on his back to practice floating, he gets a little freaked out and starts grabbing her and kicking. She doesn't really try to talk to him and work with him, and he's not going to stop doing that unless she explains to him exactly what he's supposed to be doing.
Isaac hates being dunked under the water, which, ironically enough, Elijah loves. They are both doing just fine, and I'm not too concerned with what they're learning. I just basically wanted them to be familiar with being in water.

Our ducks are getting so big!!! Mike hates them and wants to release them as soon as possible, but they're so fun! ...to me and the kids, anyway! :) I do hate cleaning out their box and feeding them 400 times a day (do you have any idea how much ducks eat?!?!?!), but I know the kids will miss them when they're gone. We get them out every once in a while and let them wander around the driveway and the backyard, when the kids are playing outside.

{This is his "are you kidding me?" look}

{He picked a flower for his mom. My little sweetheart.}

{Elijah's putting gas in her bike :)}

{Someone's too big for a Winnie the Pooh ride-on...}

Small World

2011-04-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

A while back, I set up a dr. appt. for Elijah. When I was speaking with the receptionist, I told her I would take the first available, and that it didn't matter which doctor in the practice he saw. She told me that her first available was with Dr. James, so I took it. I've never seen this doctor in the practice, but I like all the other doctors there, so I wasn't too concerned.

We arrived at the doctor's office, and got called back to the exam room. I glance up as the doctor walks in and says to us "Hi, I'm Dr. James", and immediately notice that I know this woman! "Oh my goodness!! Liz!!! We went to high school together!" She starts smiling, and says "Sarah!?!?! How are you?" I couldn't believe it! I haven't seen her in probably 12 years! I had heard through the grapevine that she was a doctor, but I didn't know where she worked or in what her specialty (is that what it's called?) was. It never even occurred to me when I made the appt. with Dr. James, that it would be her! So, now my children's doctor is one of my good friends from high school! Crazy! I guess I'll be asking for her when I make all of their future appointments!!! :)

Big Decisions!

2011-04-02T00:28:00.001-05:00

I've questioned in my mind whether or not to post about this, but it's been on my heart and my mind lately, and it's a big decision for Mike and I to make, so we could benefit from ya'lls prayers. (did you like that? ya'lls? I'm connecting with my inner Southern gal.)

When I was in high school, a group of about 50 of us from our church took a trip to a place called Shepherds Home, a home for mentally handicapped adults. When we first arrived, I was a little nervous, never having been around mentally disabled individuals much throughout my lifetime. I didn't know how to interact with them or what to expect from them. I prepared myself for a unique experience, as it no doubt would be. As the week progressed, and I started talking to and working with the residents, I became so comfortable around them...much more comfortable than I ever expected I would be. I literally fell in love with these people!! I loved them...all of them, of course, but the people with Down syndrome just melted my heart. I specifically remember working with this one lady who had Down syndrome. She was the sweetest lady with the most amazing personality! She left a huge impression on me. I think that's when God started working in my heart.

I've always been drawn to people with Down syndrome. I can't explain what it is that I feel for them. I know this sound cheesy or whatever, but when I see someone with DS, my heart just melts. Really. Just the joy they exhibit is amazing. And if you've ever been around someone with DS, you know what I'm talking about. They are just precious.

Anyway, getting to the point of this post, Mike and I have decided that in about 5 years, we would love to adopt a child with Down syndrome...from Eastern Europe, Russia, or Asia, as many of the orphans from these areas are sent to live in "institutions" after the age of 4 and are declared unadoptable. Reece's Rainbow is a great ministry set up to raise awareness about Down syndrome orphans. They also have funds set up to help offset the cost of adopting these precious children. If you have a few minutes (or 12) check out this video they put together.

While Mike and I would both love to be able to jump into this immediately, the reality is that we just can't. Our 5 year plan is to pay off bills, sell our house, move to a larger home (which we would need with 6 kids!!) and then start the adoption process. We're under no illusions that this will be easy. Adopting a special needs child is not something we're taking lightly. It's going to be tough. We know that. It's going to be a life-long commitment. We know that, too. But we also know that we weren't called to live a life of ease. We aren't in this life to see what we can get out of it. We are called to follow Christ, and to serve and honor Him. Those precious children each have a purpose for their lives, and we believe that this is God's will for our family. We also realize that this isn't something that every family is called to do. This is a HUGE decision that we haven't come to lightly. We have been praying about it, and talking about it for some time now.

So that's that.
Now that I've publicly announced it, does that mean it's set in stone?
I hope so!

And I realize that 5 years is a long time, and yeah, this post is a little premature. Like I've said before though, this is the only journal I have, and I want to always remember the time we made this decision.

But, if you ever think about it, please pray for us as we begin to research all the things that come along with adoption, international adoption, special needs children, and Down syndrome. We have alot to learn about it all, and I can't wait!

"Because every family deserves the blessing of a child with Down sydrome..."
~Reece's Rainbow

I'm also posting this powerful video that impacted me and helped aid our decision to do this:

Duck Duck....Duck

2011-03-24T11:34:00.000-05:00

We've got ducks.
As in, we've got 3 real baby ducklings.
Living in our home. In a plastic tub.

They are the cutest things ever. Seriously.
How it happened:
I logged onto facebook recently and saw some friend's pictures of the sweet little ducklings she had just adopted. I accidentally let my kids see the pictures too, and it was all over. We knew we had to have these precious little things in our house.

But not before I researched how to take care of them. I'm not that crazy. I found that it didn't take all that much to care for them, so we decided that we would try this duckling thing out.

Off to the farming supply store we went, and picked out the 3 duckings we wanted, along with food and other essentials we needed to properly care for them.

We got home, found a plastic tote to put them in, and voila - we're the proud owners of 3 little ducks. :)

{aren't they sweet?!?!}

{This one is Percival, or Percy for short}

{This one is Flo - she's the girl..or so we've decided}

Which brings me to - how does one know if a duck is a boy or a girl? I didn't think to ask the guy that sold them to us.

{and this one is Gordon}

We plan on releasing them to our local lake when they're big enough.

Oh, and if someone had told me about how much they poop, I may have passed on this opportunity. I thought that maybe ~~the girls~~ I would have to change the box every other day or so. No. Every day. I have to change the box out every day. It gets gross pretty much after one hour.

Are we completely insane?

Don't answer that, by the way.

Life

2011-03-22T11:02:00.000-05:00

{Where's Jett?}

{There he is!!}

{Elijah teaching Isaac how to play Guess Who}

{I guess he was done with pictures. :)}

Funny kid

2011-03-14T10:40:00.000-05:00

I just had to write this down before I forgot about it...

Elijah just walked up to me with a receipt in hand and asked me what it said. I asked him to tell me what he thought it said. This was his response:

"Mommy, you can give me lots of cars for Christmas. John 8:36."

Ummm...not quite, sweetheart.

Indoors

2011-02-28T21:54:00.000-06:00

I feel like singing that little song our dear friend, Spongebob sings so eloquently...

I know of a place,
Where you never get harmed.
A magical place,
With magical charms.
Indoors, indoors, indooooors!

Our whole family was sick for almost 2 weeks straight, and I've just about had it with fevers, coughing, snot and medicine. Also, I've had it with our weather. I need Spring! Or better yet, Summer!!! We were all finally well enough to get out Saturday night. Mike and I took Laney out to eat, and watched The Grace Card. This movie is amazing!!! Laney loved it too!

My camera has been on quite the break with everyone being sick, and I think a 2 week vacation is long enough! You'll notice that most of these pics are taken indooooors, what with our weather having multiple personalities lately. I was able to take Jett out for a while to take pictures a few days ago, when it was about 65 degrees out. It's not 65 degrees anymore. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. :)

{sick, sleepy, sweet baby Jett}

{I could probably eat this. It's organic, right?}

{I think he's trying to lick the fresh air. It's better than actually breathing it in.}

{he's trying to plug in the DS, and if he's anything like his daddy or his brothers, he'll be able to defeat Mario Bros. in just a few short months.}

{see his dimple? I swear he has one.}

{That's the funniest thing I heard all day!}

{Oh boy...}

{This bagel is not organic, but it's goood!}

So, um, my boys can make the ugliest faces you've ever seen. I'm not joking. They all 3 have these angry eyebrows that show up when they're mad about something. It's crazy. They're kinda disturbing, actually. Just to prove it...look:

{yikes}

{not quite yikes yet, but we're getting there.}

And you might have noticed there are no pictures of the girls. I still have 2 daughters. They didn't go anywhere. I just haven't taken any pics of them lately. There's no reason, really. And I'm too tired to think one up.

Stream of Consciousness

2011-02-10T13:27:00.001-06:00

We're finally coming into some sort of regularity as a family, after weeks of praying (and preparing) for Mike to get this new job, having odd schedules, and just kind of trying to wade through the unknown. I feel like I have been doing what it takes to just get by these last few weeks, and it's nice to get back to some familiarity. We still have a few days at the end of next week, when Mike will be out of town, that will be more difficult days than most, but I can't complain about it at all. This is what we prayed for. We've been hoping that Mike could get with a company that was very secure financially and that had great benefits and all that fun stuff, and it has happened. Mike is very excited about this new opportunity, as he will be learning so much more at this new job. It's so good for his career, for now and in the future.

I'm fearing that Jett may be a late talker, like Elijah was. He only repeats a few words - ma-ma, da-da, ball (ba), teeth (tees), hi, and he makes some animal noises. EVERYTHING he says ends in this weird "slsshss" sound. I can't quite describe it, but it is definitely Jett's trademark sound. Everyone comments on it when they hear him babble. They comment on that and his BLONDE hair. :)
Okay, I just made a video so you could hear him. :) (and please excuse the fact that I look like crap..)

The older boys have both been sick lately. Elijah had an earache and a sore throat last week, and Isaac started complaining of a headache and stomach ache a couple days ago. I took him to urgent care, and the doctor looked at him for literally 30 seconds and told me he had strep throat. Didn't do a throat culture or anything. Trying to rush through our patients, are we? Anyway, he's feeling much better, so all's good. :)

We started going to one of our church's small groups, and I love it!!! I'm so excited to develop these new friendships! But the most exciting thing that happened all week....

We got new tires on our van!!! Yay! :)

Thankful

2011-02-07T09:13:00.000-06:00

Mike got the job!!! YAY!! Praise Jesus!!

He's leaving tonight to go out of town for orientation in Iowa. He'll be back Wed. night., and then next week he'll be gone another 2 or 3 nights, but that's the all of the traveling he'll have to do. We're so incredibly happy he got this job! It's steady work...we'll never wonder if he has work for this week or the next, which is so comforting. He'll be the electrical maintenance tech at a biodiesel plant. The benefits are wonderful, the vacation is wonderful, and he has room to move up in this company.

I'm just so thankful, not only that God has provided this job for Mike, but also for the fact that He's the one who gives Mike the strength and health and capability to work.

James 1:17 -- Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Thank you all for praying for us!! We have felt so much peace and protection during this process, and I know it's from the prayers of so many people who care for us. We appreciate all of you so much!!

Patience

2011-02-03T14:25:00.002-06:00

Patience:
-noun
:an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay

Just about 4 weeks ago, Mike was faced with the possibility of being laid off. We knew it was coming, and well, he did end up being out of work for about a week. He started looking for a new job immediately after he learned that the company he is with wasn't getting much work. He sent his resume to a few different places, and he heard back from one company just a few days later.
They set up a phone interview for the following day, and it went very well. The next step was a face to face interview with their hiring manager. This company is based out of Iowa (the position is here, in our hometown), so the interview was at a local hotel. Mike thought it went very well, and we thought that we were close to finding out something, one way or another. Haha.. To make a long story short, Mike has had 5 different interviews, and still, 3 weeks later, we don't know what is going to happen.
They offered Mike the position, but the pay they offered was much less than what we wanted. Mike has counter-offered, and we're waiting to hear back...that's where we're at now.
I was originally going to post this once we knew for sure if Mike got the job or not, but I've learned so much during this time, I just want to focus on the positive and tell you guys how God has been working in my heart.

I've never prayed so hard for anything in my life. Honestly. I have never spent so much time in prayer in one day than I have in the days of these past few weeks. I'm ashamed to admit that. I'm ashamed to face the fact that my time in prayer has only strengthened when I needed something from God. Not when I was just praising Him for who He is, or for thanking Him for what He's done for me. Because let's face it. We have it good here. We live in America, we can freely worship our Savior, we want for nothing (that we absolutely need) and we know nothing of suffering like millions do in other parts of the world.  But here I am, asking for something else. I know that it pleases Him when His children come to Him with requests. I know that. I just know that I need to praise Him more when things are going good or bad. He's the same, no matter what.

I have learned so much patience through this time. That's where I was trying to go with this whole thing.   I lack in the area of patience. totally. My nature is to be anxious. It's annoying, to be honest. So when this whole "waiting 3 weeks to hear about a job he's had 5 interviews for" thing came up, I pretty much lost it.  I couldn't handle the waiting; the helpless feeling of not knowing if Mike was going to be working from one day to the next; the anxiety I got when I would go through all the "what ifs". It was too much. So I gave it to God. I can't handle anything on my own...especially this. And He knows that. He was just waiting for me to come to Him, completely stripped of all my pride, and to hand over my worries and frustrations to Him. He has promised that He will take care of us, whether Mike gets this job or not.
There are so many things that have happened during this time of Mike being out of work and not being paid, and not knowing what is going to happen in the next few weeks that shows how amazing and wonderful our heavenly Father is. He's taken care of us, and provided for us in a way that can't be explained by anything other than His work. I truly cannot explain it all, but believe me when I say that it brought us to our knees, just watching how everything has unfolded.

Matthew 6:25-27 says:
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[a]?

I'm claiming this.  I know He'll be with us, whatever happens. I'm not worrying about it anymore. I'm not saying I don't think about it anymore. That would be silly. But I know that whatever happens, I want God's will to be done. Not mine. If this job offered $500,000 a year, but wasn't what God wanted for us, I absolutely would NOT want Mike to have it. I can say that in all honesty now, because now I see that without God's hand in our lives, we are nothing.

Some verses I've been loving lately:

Psalm 37:7-9
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land

Hebrews 6:12
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

I'm starting to think that God knew how much my patience needed to be tried, and this waiting is His way of breaking me. It hurts, but it's a good hurt. :)

I'll update once we know something, which will be by Friday. (or so they told him.)
Please keep us in your prayers if you think about it.

Snow

2011-01-30T16:37:00.001-06:00

I'm hoping to have a nice, wordy (if that's even a word) post in the next couple of days. For now, these pictures will have to get the "it's been almost 20 days since I last blogged - I need to now!" feeling under control. :)

5 Years

2011-01-11T12:10:00.001-06:00

5 years of fun...

5 years of exploring...

5 years of dirt...

5 years of games...

5 years of running...

5 years of laughter...

5 years of cars...

5 years of curiosity...

5 years of silliness...

5 years of wonder...

5 years of love...

Happy Birthday Elijah Scott! Mommy loves you more than you will ever know! You make my world go round, and you light up my life!!! I'm so blessed that God has allowed me to be your mother for the last 5 years. I'm looking forward to raising you and I'm praying that you will grow to be a wonderful man who loves God and loves others. You make me so happy! Thank you for being you! I love you!!!

Who's hungry?

2011-01-04T17:24:00.000-06:00

So, the night before New Year's Eve, Mike and I dropped 3 of the kids off with my mom (AGAIN...I know...) and took a little trip to Nebraska Furniture Mart. Our tv stand has been wobbling for about, oh, 2 years or so, and that, coupled with the fact that ~~our~~ Mike's new tv comes tomorrow (one that wouldn't fit into our old tv stand), got us thinking that we should probably find a new one. Was that like the longest run-on sentence you've ever seen, or what? sheesh. So anyway, we were out shopping and started getting hungry. It happens. We spotted a Lone Star right down the street and saw their 2 for $20 deal, so we headed in. We were happy to only have 2 kids with us (Isaac and Jett). It gets a little crazy when we try to wrangle all 5 in a restaurant.
We got seated about 15 minutes after arriving, and ordered our drinks and appetizers. I looked over at Jett, who was just hangin' out in the highchair, eating the heck out of some fruit puffs. Isaac was happily coloring on his menu, after having just informed me that he wanted a cheeseburger with no cheese for dinner. Mike and I were relaxed and everything was right with the world.

Then.

THEN.

I noticed Jett's face getting a little red, and slowly, his facial expression started to change into that one face mother's don't like to see. especially out in public. especially at a restaurant. He was making me a little present in his diaper, right there in front of everyone. I informed Mike of what his kid was up to, and told him I would wait to change him till he was done. Well. About 2 minutes after that, I started smelling the stench. You know the one.
So I got out of my seat, and grabbed my sweet, little, innocent, precious son. I lifted the precious angel up, and smelled him, you know, just to make sure. Like I had any doubts.
What followed will be forever sketched into my memory. Right about the time his lower back got close to my face, it registered in my mind that my hands were covered in a liquidy, stinky, mess. That's right. His poop made it's way out of his jeans, up his entire back, and all over the front of my sweater. All.over. Thankfully, my nose didn't touch his back side, or we would've had a poopy mess and a throw-upy mess to deal with.
I couldn't believe I was standing there, holding this poop-covered child, trying to hide the poopy mess that was me, as well. I quickly made my way to the restroom, after finally convincing myself that I wasn't, in fact, in some horrible dream. Mike told the server to box up our meals (he had just sat down the appetizer), and I cleaned up myself and Jett the best I could with baby wipes. You know, I've heard people joke about bringing a change of clothes in the diaper bag for yourself, but it had never dawned on me until just then that I should have actually taken that advice. Luckily, I was wearing a shirt under my sweater, so I was able to not ride home in a poop covered garment. The only change of clothes I had for Jett was a one piece summer outfit that was 2 sizes too small. But he was gonna have to deal with it. This was his fault, after all. j/k :)

After I had taken approximately 20 minutes cleaning us both up, I headed back to the table. Our food was sitting on the table in styrofoam boxes, which was fine by me...for some reason, I had completely lost my appetite. We paid the check and made our way out of there as fast as we could.

The end.

p.s. Steak from a styrofoam box just isn't the same. Just to let you know.

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T22:30:00.000-06:00

I'll be ringing in the new year with my man and my babies. Playing video games, watching movies, having wrestling matches, playing pretend horses, and just savoring this time when they're little and they still want to spend New Year's eve with their parents.

God is good.

Happy New Year to you all!

Destructive

2010-12-29T14:18:00.000-06:00

I had a brilliant idea that we would get new toy bins for the boys' room, since they have so many ~~annoying~~ fun little pieces to all their different toys.

We put the thing together last night.
at 9:30pm.
they looked at it for 5 minutes before they went to bed.

Then they woke up this morning.
the very first thing they did was play in their room.
for no longer than 10 minutes.
and then I came in
and saw
this.

They actually held out longer than I thought they would.

Christmas weekend wrap-up

2010-12-27T13:20:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Friday night, my whole family came to our house for our annual Christmas Eve game/snack night. We ate so much junk, played spoons, Mafia, and had a white elephant gift exchange. It's always so much fun to have the whole family together!
The only thing that was missing was being with our other family. We always miss Mike's parents and sisters when we can't be with them for the holidays! They are so much fun, and they're better game players. :)
Christmas morning, we got the kids up a little before 7, and let them open their presents. They got to play with them for a little while, and then we were off to my mom's for our Christmas breakfast. Our family, along with my 2 sisters and their families all open gifts from my mom, and she cooks us a huge biscuit/gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage casserole, quiche breakfast. It's yum! We then went to my sister's house later that day for Christmas dinner.

I'm worn to a frazzle, the kids are dragging, and we're overwhelmed with how much STUFF they have. Mike's parents and my mom always give so much to us for Christmas, and while we know that getting things isn't what Christmas is about, I know it brings them joy to be able to give us such a nice Christmas. We're so blessed to have such wonderful, Godly parents.

The real reason we have Christmas is all because of Jesus Christ. It's all about Him! One of my most favorite Christmas songs is "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K. If you've never heard the song, here are the lyrics. I LOVE IT!

And with this Christmas wish is missed
The point I could convey
If only I could find the words to say to let You know how much You've touched my life
Because here is where You're finding me, in the exact same place as New Year's eve
And from a lack of my persistency
We're less than half as close as I want to be

And the first time
That You opened Your eyes did You realize that You would be my Savior
And the first breath that left Your lips
Did You know that it would change this world forever

And so this Christmas I'll compare the things I felt in prior years
To what this midnight made so clear
That You have come to meet me here

To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me
In the hope that what You did
That you were born so I might [really] live
To look back and think that
This baby would one day save me

And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life.

I would post the pictures, but there were over 300 of them I had to go through, edit and add to facebook. The album is here, if you'd like to see the Christmas pics.

In case you don't know

2010-12-18T11:09:00.000-06:00

One messy house, four hyper kids, one working husband, one tired mom, and one sick Chloe with a puke bucket does not a fun Saturday make.

Thankfully, my wonderful mom (have I ever mentioned how amazing she is?) is watching the kids tonight at our house so Mike and I can finish Christmas shopping. I told her not to come, since there's a sick one here. She doesn't care. She's awesome like that. Chloe's starting to sing a Care Bears song as I'm typing. That's always a good sign. Maybe she's starting to feel better? :)

There is a light at the end of this messy, stinky, crazy tunnel!

Christmas Fun

2010-12-13T15:03:00.000-06:00

Alternately titled, "Pictures. Loads and loads of pictures."

Trimming the Tree:

{Chloe's first Christmas ornament from way back in 2003!!}

{Laney and her first Christmas ornament -- 2001. geez. They're getting too big!}

Annual trip to Crown Center's Crayola land:

{this picture makes me laugh}

{Little story behind this picture: At the end of the play area, you can meet Santa and have your picture taken with him. We usually take the picture at the end, but it's not the reason we go...the kids just like to play. Our kids don't believe in Santa, so it's not a big deal if they see him or not. Not that I think there's anything wrong with doing the whole Santa thing...we just feel it's the best choice for us. Anyway, we asked the girls if they wanted their picture with Santa, and Laney said she definitely did not. Chloe was in her own little world (go figure), and she didn't care. Then I asked the boys. Isaac was kinda iffy about it, but Elijah definitely, absolutely, for sure did NOT want to! He said "Mommy, I do not want to sit on his lap. I have enough presents under the tree. I don't need anymore." I didn't even know he knew what Santa was all about, but apparently he does. :) So anyway, they, meaning Laney, Chloe and Isaac, looked at the mechanical Santa and we were on our way. the end.}

{Dinner at Fritz's}

{My mom with the kids}

{Mayor's Christmas tree}

{Cute gingerbread village...most of it is actually edible.}

Making Christmas cookies:

Merry Christmas!!!

I'm serious this time!

2010-12-02T12:59:00.000-06:00

Remember a while back, well, a long while back, when I was pregnant with Jett and I wrote this post? I didn't exactly keep up with it after Jett came along. I've tried coming up with a good reason as to why I haven't done anything to lose weight, but I can't. The only thing that has slowed the weight loss process down is my Jett's dwindling milk supply when I eat less...well, that and my lack of motivation. I thought about just starting the whole thing after Christmas...a New Year's resolution or whatever, but I can't wait. I need this weight off. Like now! Yesterday, even!

I started doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. It totally kicked my butt the first day. Like, I felt like I was gonna throw up and pass out...within the first 10 minutes. oy. It hurt. But I'm on day 4 now, and although it still burns and I feel like dying half-way through it, I feel so much better afterwards! Can I just ask why no one has thought about big-chested women when they make work out dvd's? Have you ever tried doing a jumping jack with 2 bowling balls hanging off you? My bra cuts into my shoulders so bad, I'm surprised they didn't bleed! I now have to hold my girls while doing the jumping jacks. sorry if that's tmi, but there it is.

As for my eating plan, I don't really plan on changing too much, other than just eating more fruits and veggies. I honestly don't eat all day long (as the shape of my body would suggest otherwise). I usually have a big iced coffee (with splenda and a little skim milk) in the morning with maybe a granola bar, if anything (I'm not a big breakfast eater) and for lunch, it's usually chicken noodle soup or a sandwich with pretzels. For dinner, I eat okay (not great, not horrible), but I never get seconds. The big thing for me is nighttime snacking. After the kids go to bed, I just want to sit down and watch a movie with Mike, and it makes me wanna snack, so I'll have a bowl of ice cream, or chips. Never carrot sticks or celery, for some reason. ;) I figure if I cut out the evening snacks, and drink only water and eat nothing after 6pm, it will help drastically! Oh, we cut out pop about 3 months ago, so that's been hard, but at least I don't have the cravings for it anymore. We'll have it every once in a while if we go out to eat or something, but we never buy it for our house anymore. I usually drink tea with splenda. I must start drinking more water, too.

So that's it. Please, please pray for me as I continue this. I have a long way to go, and I'm just starting. Gotta start somewhere, right? :)

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T22:56:00.000-06:00

How's that for a unique title? Wow, this weekend was SUPER busy, but it was so much fun to spend time with family! There's no way to put into words how thankful I am for my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is my everything, and I just love Him so much! He is the reason I live and breathe! And of course, I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband, and my 5 precious children. I feel so blessed and so grateful for every day I get to spend with them!

Thanksgiving weekend rundown:

Thursday, we had Thanksgiving dinner at my aunt and uncle's house with the rest of my family...33 people total!! So much food, as far as the eye could see, basically. I mean really, you've never seen a Thanksgiving dinner like our family has. It's bordering on gluttony. But oh my, it's goood.

Thursday night, my mom and I ventured out at 10:30 to be at Walmart for their midnight Black Friday deals. We stood around the palette of wrapped-up $25 leapfrog leapsters, to be sure to grab two (or at least one) when midnight came, and everyone would dig in. and dig in is putting it terribly lightly. You ever see on a movie where people are fighting over one toy, and things are just flying of the shelf and it looks like a war zone? Yeah, that was it. I was in the middle of it, and got injured, and defended the one leapster I was able to grab with my life. My mom wasn't able to grab any (apparently I get my ninja skills from my dad), but a lady kindly let my mom have one from the stash she had grabbed. So we made off with 2 leapsters...go us!! I got everything on my list, and so did my mom, so we left feeling accomplished and off to bed I went! No getting up at 3am for me this year...thank goodness!!! I'd much rather stay up till 3 than get up at 3! I'm not a morning person! The rush of Black Friday is fun, and I do it because I have 5 kids to buy for and not a whole lot of money to do it with. But if I didn't have to, oh, I probably would go anyway, if nothing but to watch people fight. :) It's like a train wreck...you know, it's totally disturbing, but you just cannot look away!

Friday, my mom and I did a little more shopping and she bought me some new jeans (yay!) and scored a few more deals. Mike and I took Isaac and Jett to the dr. for their check-ups and my mom kept the other kids. That took about 2 1/2 hours. I'm thinking of changing pediatricians. The appts. are always like that...you get there at 3:50 for an appt. at 4, and don't end up getting called back till 4:45 and then have to wait in the room for the dr., yada yada yada... It gets old. They both had to have shots, so afterwards, we took Isaac to look around Toys r us and let him pick out a cheap little toy. He picked a stuffed Sonic the Hedgehog, of course. He's been playing with him since last night, acting out the way Sonic acts in the video games and even imitating what he says. He slept with it, too! It's very cute!

Today, Mike and I went to the matinee showing of the 7th Harry Potter movie (I LOVED it and can't wait for part 2!) and did a little grocery shopping afterwards. My mom came over and watched the kids (again!). We just got finished putting up the Christmas tree and all the decorations, and now we're getting ready to watch Back to the Future 1 and 2. or probably just 1...it's getting late. :) Don't hate me, but I've never seen any of the Back to the Futures. My sister-in-law almost disowned me for it, so I'm basically watching them just for her. ;) We'll go to church tomorrow, and maybe drive the kids around to look at Christmas lights tomorrow evening. It's been a great weekend!

So that's my weekend in a nutshell. or maybe not a nutshell. Whatever the case, I'm thankful for 4-day weekends like this. We should have them more often.

He's definitely mine

2010-11-23T09:33:00.000-06:00

There's no denying it....

He's definitely my child.

With his Daddy's blond hair. :)

He's 13 months old now, and sweeter than ever!!

He loves to snuggle like Elijah loves cars. Yeah, that much! It's pretty awesome!

He loves to say "uh-oh"

He's still nursing, and I'm having a hard time trying to figure out when to stop. It makes me a little bit sad.

He loves to play cars with his brothers, imitating everything they do.

He's starting to run now...

He's my little Jett-pack, and he's living up to his name.

Laundry Day

2010-11-10T16:16:00.000-06:00

Do people really have "laundry day"? Really? Do they?

I find it very hard to believe, as my "laundry day" falls on....oh...every day. 2 loads a day. Sometimes 3.

Not even kidding...sadly.

I really don't mind laundry. really, I don't. There's just so much of it. so. much. It laughs at me, I really think it does.

My washer and dryer hate me. Now that I know as a fact. I hear them whispering to each other, plotting my demise.

All I'm trying to say is that I do alot of laundry. a.lot.

I'm tired of seeing the same shirts and jeans and towels and socks and underwear over and over and over.

But I am grateful that we have clothes to wash. I suppose. I have to say that, right?

No really, I am.

Okay, I'm totally stalling. The floor of my bedroom looks something like this:

source
...maybe worse.

Fine, I'm going.

Wow, my washer literally just beeped at me that yet another load is ready to be dried. Ugghhh...I hear you dude! Just shut up!

Sock Monkey

2010-11-05T13:31:00.001-05:00

Reason #5,384 why I love Etsy:

Could this hat possibly be any cuter?

It came from this shop! She has so many cute things! The owl hat is adorable, too!

Jett's Birthday Party

2010-11-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I haven't posted anything about Jett's 1st birthday party...
I thought about either not having one at all (just doing something with family) or having one for him and Isaac combined, but then I got all weepy about how this is the last "1st birthday" we'll have for our kids. Needless to say, we had one. :)
I'd been entertaining the idea (if I decided to have a party) of having a Dr. Seuss theme. I love all the bright colors, and everything Dr. Seuss is just so cute! I found some amazing ideas online, but trying to pull it all together was a little bit hard. Have you ever tried to find anything related to Dr. Seuss in a craft store? Let me save you some time - you can't. Oh sure, I found tons of amazingly cute things I could make from craft supplies, but honestly, I'm not all that crafty. So I wandered through Joanns and Hobby Lobby looking and looking for things that I could possibly make to somewhat resemble the awesome pictures I found on the internet. Not so much. I mean, his party turned out cute, but I had a much grander picture in my head of what I wanted it to look like. Is grander a word? Oh, and also, you can't find a Dr. Seuss cake anywhere, unless you'd like to mortgage your house to pay for it.

Okay, enough about that...on with the pictures.

The invitation:

The decorations:

{The banner is Jett's monthly picture from birth to 1 year}

{We started out with 2 fish - named, Red and Blue - but one of them died about 2 hours after we got them home. That is precisely why I got 2. :) }

The presents:

The cake:

Thing 1 and Thing 2 - aka Drew and Mariah ;)

I still can't believe my baby is 1!

Trick or Treat

2010-11-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

Smarty Pants

2010-10-29T16:12:00.000-05:00

If it drives you nuts to hear parents brag about their kids, turn away. Just turn away now. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Mike and I went to Laney and Chloe's school last night to meet with their teachers for parent/teacher conference. Chloe's was first, and right when we walked in, her teacher immediately told us how much she enjoys having Chloe in her class and how she just loves her fun personality. Chloe is doing very well in reading, writing, science, socializing, listening, and obeying. There are just a couple things in math that she needs to work on, but they're no big deal...she needs to work on memorizing addition facts (I'm getting her some flash cards this weekend) and she needs to improve in how she writes 3-4 digit numbers. I asked the teacher if Chloe was ever loud in class. There are times when we're at home, or at the store even, and I have to ask Chloe to lower her normal speaking voice, because she's too loud. She has this voice that carries! oh my goodness...the girl can be noisy! Anyway, the teacher said that she was never loud in class, and was actually surprised when we told her how loud Chloe normally can be! She said that she's pretty quiet most of the time, and sometimes has to be asked to speak up.
When we came home, and I asked Chloe why she was so quiet at school, she told me it was because she didn't want to be too loud, so she could hear her teacher and not miss anything she says! :) That's my sweet girl! Her teacher also mentioned how her class this year was very mild-tempered, and very compatible, so it's easy for her to do more fun experiments and things like that with them. She told us none of them had really strong personalities. (which I thought was a nice way of saying "none of them are brats") haha!

Laney's teacher honestly went on and on about how smart and sweet Laney is! I know all of this stuff, but I'm her mom, so of course I think that! She has absolutely no concerns with how Laney is progressing, and told us that she is a very solid student! She said she usually gets all of her work done quickly, so she'll assign her harder work to do with her friends who also get through their work quickly. The teacher had her computer sitting out with a little picture slide show of Laney while she was working at her desk and working with her friends on the stuff I mentioned earlier. When the school evaluates their reading levels, Laney's score should fall somewhere between 500 and 800. Laney's was 920!! Yay! She loves to read! We mentioned to her teacher that Laney has always been a quick learner, and that she was singing all kinds of songs like "You Are So Beautiful" before she was even 2. Her teacher got a little teary eyed and said "Stop! You're making me cry!" I can tell that she really likes Laney! :) It's so nice to have a teacher that fits well with your child. Last year, Laney's teacher was really young, and made mistakes on Laney's papers when she would grade them, and just didn't really act like she put much effort into her work. She was nice, but I didn't care for her as my child's teacher. Her teacher this year is older, and seems like she really loves what she does...same goes for Chloe's teacher. We really love both of their teachers this year!

I enjoy seeing how they're doing, and how they interact with the other kids in their class. Who knows if I'll feel the same way when Elijah starts next year! yikes

A few funny moments from Isaac

2010-10-28T11:52:00.000-05:00

Th child totally knows his way around Netflix, and can find The Wonder Pets or Veggie Tales without my help at all. Mike and I usually watch movies after the kids go to bed and when they ask if they can watch too, we tell them no, because it's not a movie for kids. Well, the other day, I was in the kitchen and Isaac comes to me and tells me, "Mommy, I turned on a bad movie for you." Apparently, he thinks the movies we watch are "bad" movies. :) haha. For the record, the movie he turned on was The Sixth Sense.

I asked him if he had a fun 3rd birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, and if I could have my birthday there too. I said "Is mommy too big to have her birthday there?" From the look on his face, I could tell that the wheels in his head were turning. Finally after thinking about it for a few seconds, his reply was "No, you can fit in there." Gee, thanks. At least I know I'm not too fat to fit into a Chuck E. Cheese establishment. :)

He woke up the other night and came to my side of the bed (of course) crying. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, "Mommy, don't say 'spooky' to me anymore. It makes me cry." wha??? Me: "Um, honey, I don't understand. I didn't say that to you...what are you talking about?" Isaac: "Don't say 'spooky' to me anymore!!!" Me (still totally confused): "Okay, I won't say 'spooky' to you." At which point he starts crying even harder...because I actually said the word "spooky". I still can't say it to him, or he breaks out in this weird half cry/half laughing thing. It's so bizarre, and I'm still completely confused.

Fall is upon us...still

2010-10-26T17:20:00.000-05:00

I don't actually like Fall. I know, I know...it's probably 95% of the population's favorite season. Not me. It might actually be my worst. Okay...I liked Fall last year, because Jett was due, and 2 years before that, Isaac was due in the Fall, so I probably liked it then too, but every other year? nope. I'll tell you why.

1. Summer is my favorite time of year. When does Fall come? Right when Summer is over. the end of summer. dead. done. me=sad

2. There are no fun holidays in Fall (and don't say Thanksgiving...that's just work work work and then gain weight) And Halloween isn't really all that fun for me anymore. I have 5 kids to dress up and walk up and down the street with and feel the aftermath of 15 tons of candy in my house getting eaten by said children...get my drift?

3. I hate cold weather, and Fall just ushers it right on in. It's like the time I start dreading cold weather.

4. The weather is all wonky. Hot. cold. hot. medium. cold. medium. hot... Aagggghhh....make up your mind already!!! Do I leave the kids' summer clothes out for the days it decides to be like, oh, 85ish degrees? Or should I pack them up and just let my kids smother in their winter clothes on those days? Which is it?

Okay, so those are all stupid reasons...but Fall really is probably my worst season.
It goes -
1. Summer = swimming, 4th of July, summer break, barbecues, watermelon, bare feet.
2. Spring = Easter, it starts to get warmer, it's almost Summer :), flowers
3. Winter = Christmas. that's about it.
4. Fall = meh.

So okay, I don't have seasonal depression or anything. I know, it may sound that way, but I don't. ;) Honestly, I'm happy to be in any season, as long as I've got my family here with me. =)

Anywhoo, I guess I'm obliged to say it even though it's over a month late: Happy Fall Y'all!
oy.

Happy 1st Birthday Jett!!!

2010-10-22T09:55:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a difference a year makes!

One year ago today, I was meeting my 5th precious baby...my 3rd little boy. My sweet little 7 pound 9 ounce bundle of love.

{aren't they precious when they're sleeping? ;D}

He has stolen my heart!

I love you precious boy! You are everything I ever dreamed you would be, and so much more!

Jett's one year pictures:

Happy Birthday Jett! Mommy loves you!