My Life..........ReRouted

Lets try again....

2010-02-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

So Facebook has stolen my time.....hence the reason I havent blogged in well over a yr. I had given up on the idea of ever blogging again until I have noticed that I enjoy reading the blogs and notes that others have, not to mention the fact that I have things running through my head constantly that sometimes need to just come out! So, I will begin again the effort of blogging :) I am sure that Fb will continue to take some of the small amount of free time that I have but for those thoughts that keep me awake til 3am I will reserve those for here! Lord knows I would like some sleep, hehe :)

2008-12-22T05:49:00.000-08:00

Ok, Ok! I get it! You want me to blog!!!! So here I am.......and of course I must post some pictures. Not like you cant see them on facebook (which is where I have been spending my free time, lol) but in case you havent seen them :)

Eden was dedicated at church yesterday and there is just something about dresses and little girls! I had sooo much fun dressing her up. I mean, my boys were fun to dress but its totally different with Eden. I never put my boys in frilly dresses, of course, so I guess thats the difference. :)

I have spent my last week Super crazy busy and now the next few days before Christmas are totally open. I think I might actually get bored. Everyone is off visiting family or busy getting ready for Christmas. I'm all done with my shopping and wrapping (well mostly) and my house is in order (as much as it can be with 3 children) so now what do I do?? C'mon Wednesday.....hurry up!!!

I'll spend my time trying to think of something interesting to blog about........until then..... :)

Aria Daae

2008-10-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Here she is! Meet Aria Daae, Desirees new addition!

I got a phone call at 7:30 am on Thursday morning from Des telling me that her water had broken. I figured that I would get Jack on the bus and see if I could drop Asher and Eden off at Sarahs and then make my way over to Desirees house (for those of you who dont know, she was planning a home birth). I got Jack on the bus and then got a phone call from Ryan asking me to pick up the supplies that they needed to have there for the midwife (they were planning on going out to get the stuff that day). I went directly to Wal Mart, got the stuff and swung it by their apt at about 9:50 am. I got to the door and as I was knocking I heard a baby crying. LOL! "Crap" I thought, "I have the stuff dor the delivery right here!" Lmao! Guess she didnt need it! Hahaha! I walked in to see Des laying in her bed nursing her new baby girl. She looked GREAT for just having a baby! Of course it did happen REALLY fast. The midwife barely got there in time! Lol! Anyway as I got closer I realized that little tiny 5 foot 2 Desiree did not give birth to a small baby. Little Aria is not so little weighing in bigger than Eden is Now! Hahaha! She was 10 pounds even! So for all of you who doubt you could have a big baby naturally or at home for that matter....lol.....remember Des! You Go Girl!!!

What to do??

2008-10-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

HELP!!!! :) I need some input from any and all sides of the fence on this. Little Eden is scheduled for her vaccines tomorrow and although I vaccinated the boys on schedule and wasnt too worried about it I seem to be really stressing about it with Eden. I dont know if it is because she is small or what? It just seems like such a large amount of stuff to put in such a little body. I know there are pros and cons and there are people on both sides of the fence. I am not one to not vaccinate at all but I was looking into the delayed alternative schedule. My friend Andrea was just here with the same delima and though we sent the morning discussing it and trying to come to a conclusion as to what to do we ended up where we started.......lost. LOL! Where and how do you even get the delayed schedule done? Do Dr's listen to you if you want to get it done any way but their way. Can you ask the health Dept to only give some and not all at once? How do you go about talking to a Dr about this without pissing them off??? Somebody Help!!! :) I know some of you have lots to say about this...........so go ahead! :) Cmon Jenny!

Oh and, of course, i had to put a picture of Eden and the boys for you all to see :)

Beware, its a soapbox :)

2008-09-16T00:10:00.000-07:00

This post may ruffle a few feathers depending on those who read it. Some, I know, will whole heartily agree and others, well, others may not. lol. :)

I recently was talking to a friend from high school about parenting methods and, as with so many parenting conversations, the word "Babywise" was uttered. At the site or sound of the word I usually get somewhat ruffled because its my personal opinion that its more of a method revolving around the needs of the parent than the actual child. Again, JMO. :) It has a Very popular following especially among Christians. I mean, He has a book called "Growing kids Gods Way". FOR REAL??? That must be the Bible of Parenting! Lol! He must have some inside track! Sheez! Anyway, instead of just giving my own opinion based on emotions (like I just did in the previous sentence,lol) I decided to do some research. Come to find out, this man, Gary Ezzo, although he has led millions in how to parent and raise "Godly" children doesn't seem to even know how to conduct himself in a godly manner. At least not what I would consider Godly. He has some major character issues that seem to really flare up when people have opinions that differ from his. He is very opposed to AP (attachment parenting) or anything, for that matter, that is not completely in line with his method and goes so far as to call it "anti-christian". LMAO! Focus on the Family made this statement in 2004
"Most troubling of all, when approached with these concerns by parents and professionals alike, the Ezzos have responded in an inappropriate manner. Rather than addressing head-on the valid questions that have been raised about their materials, the Ezzos routinely attack their critics and dismiss their concerns as “anti-Christian.” In addition, a number of respected publications, including _Christianity Today_, _World_, and _The Christian Research Journal_, have reported on character and accountability issues that have arisen between the Ezzos and several reputable churches. For these reasons we have chosen not to recommend the Ezzos’ curriculum to Focus on the Family’s constituents. In the final analysis, we would suggest that, if a parent decides to use the GFI curriculum, its principles should be implemented only in conjunction with generous measures of common sense, intuition, and natural parental affection."
To add to this he has had several issues with churches including being excommunicated from one in CA., he has no relationship with his own adult children and most importantly there are some really sad cases of people being duped and following his Parent directed feeding so strictly that it had severe health consequences for their child. NOW, all of that said, I know people who sware by babywise and they're children aren't scarred by any means and they are great parents. For one, I believe they use allot of flexibility and mostly recognize their cries as needs not manipulations. So, Please don't think that I am calling anyone bad parents, I'm not! I am appalled that millions of people sware by this guy and no one seems to know anything about him or his credentials. I'm also always trying to understand the pull to it as well because it just never sat right with me as a mom. Isn't that what you have to do as a mother, follow your instincts, not just do what a book tells you?
Ok, Feel free to state your opinion! Again, please dont be offended as I am just asking for your input and not putting down anyones parenting! :) :) I love you all! :)
http://www.ezzo.info/

Little Princess....

2008-09-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

I Know, I know, more pictures but I'm obsessed with this little Angel and just assume you all want to see how she is growing! As for the picture of me, I was just impressed with my sons ability to photograph and thought I would show off his talent. lol!

Oh, and just to update you, Eden is just about 3-4 ounces away from 8 pounds. Its taken a while but she is gaining well now! :)

2008-09-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok! I had to post about Sarah Palin! How can I not!? I mean she is on the ticket for Vice President!!! I dont care what side of the fence your on, you gotta admit its cool to have a lady with 5 kids as the VP nominee. Alright, some people may not think so but Oh well! :) I am in love with these pictures with her son in a sling while she signs a bill. lol. Think what you will about her stance on things but I am energized just watching her. :) Maybe its because I can relate to her as a woman. I mean, Hillary is a woman, but not one that I can relate to, thank God. Lol! :) Anyway...... Oh, and on a totally surface level.....I Love her hair!!!! I want hair like that!
This is a late night post and really was just spurred on by watching the convention all night so I really dont have a ton to say because I'm sleepy. :) Nothing too insightful to say. :)

A Few Firsts

2008-09-02T19:32:00.000-07:00

Thought I would post some pics of a couple of "Firsts" in our household. Jacks First Day of School and Eden First Bath. Eden was 3 weeks in the bath pictures. Can you believe that she is 4 weeks!!! I cant believe that she is so big already. Ok, "big" isnt really the right word, but you know what I mean! :) Speaking of size, she is about 7 pounds 1oz now. I am hoping by her 1 month checkup she will be back up to birth weight. It took her longer than some but she is getting there. :) Someday she will fit into these adorable clothes I have. :) Oh, and the last picture is just cute and is a great picture of her beautiful big eyes. :)

Beware.....I'm Long Winded! :)

2008-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Edens Birth Story

I went to the Dr on Tuesday August 5th for a scheduled check up at 16 days past my due date. I was in a delima because I knew I didn’t want to be induced and that my hearts desire was to go into labor on my own but I also was REALLY done being pregnant. I went in at 2:50 to see Dr Ransom and I was 2 cm dialated just as I had been for the past month or so. This was discouraging, but she did say that she felt like if I went in and got Cervidil (a cervical ripener) that she was sure that I would not need pitocen and could still have my natural delivery and water birth. This was, of course, up to me. I could still go home and wait it out. Seeing as Ransom was confident that I just needed a kick start I chose to go in that evening for cervidal. This can take up to 12 hours and I figured I could sleep through the night while it worked and maybe things would pick up in the morning. No matter what happened though I would be leaving the hospital with a baby, there was no turning back. J Ransom called and reserved the water birth room and we were set to go! I got to the hospital about 5:45 pm and got all checked in and settled. The nurse came in at 8pm to give me the Cervidil but checked my dilation first. Turns out I was now 4cm dialated and the cervidil would not be necessary. J YAY!!! Now I just had to wait and see if I could continue to dialate. I called my support team (My doula Christie, Des and Sarah and Elizabeth…..oh wait, she moved to North Freakin Carolina…lol) and told them the situation and they could come now or whenever I felt like I was really progressing. By 11 that night everyone was there and now we were just waiting to see what my body would do. We spent the next few hours walking up and down one straight hallway in order to keep my contractions going. Of course as soon as I stopped they stopped. Grrrr! Dr Ransom eventually suggested using a breast pump to simulate nipple stimulation. This also worked great as long as I was not too relaxed. As soon as I would drift off or relax too much all contractions would stop. By 7 am I had had an hour of sleep and was exhausted and extremely frustrated!!! Ransom came in and I finally just gave her the go ahead to break my water in order to get things going. I was fairly confident that this would not only work but would have me progressing quickly. I also knew that once my water was broken that the intensity of the contractions would get MUCH worse but at this point this was my last option before pitocen. By 8am Ransom came in to break my water. Apparently even the bag was stubborn because she had a hard time breaking it. J I must have done something right cause it was very healthy. Lol! At this point I was between a 5 and 6 cm, baby was -2 and I was 80% effaced. They knew that things would start progressing now so they stated getting the tub ready etc…. It took a good hour or so before I really started feeling like I was pretty uncomfortable with contractions. I got in the tub at around 9:10 and my contractions were lasting about 75 seconds and pretty intense. At this point I was still handling the contractions okay but I was in a much more serious mood. J At 10:35 they checked me again because I felt like I was going to lose it!! I was really nauseated and didn’t feel like I could handle it anymore. J I was a 9 at this point and 20 minutes later I was fully diallated. Dr Ransom came to check me and although I was pushing and she said that the baby was right there I could tell that it was not! Something seemed really wrong with how she checked me. Everytime I pushed it LITERALLY felt like I was going to break my tailbone and so pushing into the pain did not feel natural. After pushing and not getting anywhere for 35 minutes I decided to get out of the tub to cool off for a few minutes. Although my intention was to get onto the bed it took a few contractions to get there. I ended up on the floor on my hands and knees for a while. As soon as they got everything from the bed underneath me on the floor I decided to move to the bed. Lol! I am sure that the nurses were thrilled with me at this point. I was also making a fool out of myself by cussing and screaming and then apologizing. Lol! J Once I got on the bed Dr Ransom realized why the baby was not moving down. She was posterior in a non vortex position which apparently means that she was sunny side up and presenting brow first instead of the crown of her head. Her nose was stuck on my pubic bone so my pushing wasn’t doing a whole lot of good. I was SOOOOO exhausted and at this point was ready to give up and asking for a c- section. I wasn’t getting any break from the pain because in between contractions Ransom had her hand in there trying to bring the baby down and stretch me. Good Lord it HURT!!! At some point I started asking to take a nap, lol. I laid on my side ( I think this helped move her abit) and must have drifted off for a minute or so until a contraction must have caused my body to push. I was so incoherent that I pushed through the bone splitting pain and pushed her all the way down and out. Thank God! J All I remember is them telling me to wait and that was Soooo not happening….this baby was coming out! Lol! With one more push I heard someone say “it’s a girl” which let me know that she was here and everything else was bearable! They laid her on my chest at 12:19 so that I could meet this little angel that I had waited for my whole life. Through all of that I didn’t tear at all! Dr Ransom is my HERO!!!! So although it was difficult and seemed unbearable for a little while I would do it again the same way in a heartbeat. For one, if I had had an epidural I would have ended up with a C Section and I am pretty sure if another Dr was delivering I would have had one as well but God was in Control an I am so thankful for every detail He put in place! J

2008-08-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

OK, You guys wanted to see me at 17 past due so here I am in the hospital. :) I Posted a couple of me in the tub and some more of little Eden. :) I sware by tomorrow I will have finished the birth story and posted it as well. Sorry, I have just not found the time between nursing and pumping!
Eden Update........ I took her to the Dr for her weigh in on Monday and we did get some good news. She weighed in at 6lbs 9oz. So she gained 4 ounces in 3 days and that made the drs very happy and it of course relieved some of my stress. She is so tiny and to watch her get smaller really makes you question all the things that you've thought in the past about feeding etc.... Luckily I have allot of people around me to support me and give me good advice. :) Thanks Elizabeth, Jenny, Christie and Sarah! :) Lets hope and pray that this continues and I can eventually stop having to supplement. I am just supplementing with breast milk but it sure is a pain. I gotta say that I don't know how people have the time to bottle feed. Call me lazy but it sure is a big pain in the A$$ to have to get up and like get everything together and then feed them. You have no extra hands to do anything else! Plus in the middle of the night you actually have to get up! Grrrr.......lol! I would imagine that would be a Awful........ 3 am is not one of the time that I supplement.
Oh........ I will also post some pictures of ......get this....... Jacks first day of school!!!!! I know, Right! He LOVES it, he rides the bus to and from school and absolutely loves it. He started last Thursday and I couldn't have asked for it to go better. :) I will try to post those pics in the next few days. :)

A Few More :)

2008-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Ok....Here are a few more pictures of little Eden :) She is Really a beautiful baby! Not tha I am biased at all or anything. :) I shoudl be sleeping so I am not going to write anything else. Maybe tomorrow.....or the next day. Laundry or Blogging......Hmmmmmm....I choose blogging, lol! Of course that wouldnt be the most responsible thing. :) lol!

2008-08-09T13:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pics of our little Eden.:) She really has been a great baby so far. She nurses alot and is very alert!! At some point I will write out my birth story and post it. At the moment I am typing one handed while I nurse so it will have to wait till later. :)

Meet Eden Elizabeth

2008-08-07T14:17:00.000-07:00

Here She is!!!! Isnt she Adorable! Its just a hospital picture but she hasnt left here yet for us to put her in cute little girly clothes! I'll post more soon once I get some!!! How do you like the name? :)

Here we go......

2008-08-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Sara gave birth to a Baby GIRL, 7lbs. 4oz, 19.5 ins long, at 12:19pm Wed. Name is to be revealed later...NO DRUGS at all, no stitches, a completely posterior birth, really rough. But I hear that baby has beautiful dark hair and is precious. Pics to come soon.
-Elizabeth

Ok, This is it! I went to the Dr this afternoon and she said that although I am STILL a 2 (I know, RIGHT!) I do seem to be progressing and that cervidil would do the trick. That way I shouldnt need Pitocen and I can have the water birth that I want. I could just wait some more but I am So done that I feel like this is my best option. We'll see how it works out! lol! Hopefully it will end with a baby no matter what! lol! :)) So......Here goes!!! I am leaving here now and cervidil can take a while to work so i will try to keep you posted as to my progress. Thus ends my LONG wait.............. :)

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-04T06:03:00.000-07:00

I have really nothing to say this morning other than......What The F@&$!!! Sorry, I'm in a bad mood!!!! LOL! Maybe its hormones...................OR, Maybe its the fact that I am freakin 15 days overdue!!!!! Yep, thats probablly it! LOL! I'm not actually really laughing when I write that anymore either......lol.......ok, that time I did. :)) Alright.....vent session over.......for now!

For Real...No Baby Yet!

2008-08-03T05:49:00.000-07:00

I am now officially 2 weeks overdue!!! LOL! Who Knew I would have this baby in August. I like the sound of an August birthday better anyway. :) Not fond of July in general! lol! It looks like I almost got my wish of waiting for Ransom to return! I figure if she works tomorrow then she is probably in town today so if I needed her at some point past now then she would be available maybe. :) They gave me on Thursday and it ACTUALLY showed me as overdue! FINALLY! I knew I wasn't crazy!! On the down side I was still measuring at 2cm and nothing to show I was any closer than last week or the 3 weeks before that for that matter. :) lol!! I am supposed to see Ransom tomorrow to follow up but I will have to see if I can get in. :) I'll let you know how that goes!

Prayer Request

2008-07-31T05:51:00.000-07:00

Alright, No pregnancy news today. I actually have some very close friends that could use some prayer for any of you who are interested so I thought I would spread the news.
Some of you may know Jamie and Liz and their son Isaac. Liz took Isaac in yesterday to get his iron checked because her grandmother (who was a nurse) said he had some signs of anemia (some coloration things). She asked the pediatrician about it and he sent him in for a test. About an hour or so after the test she recieved a phone call that she needed to come in immediatly to the Drs office. Her pediatrician was not in but another one in the practice got the results and saw need for concern. His red blood count is supposed to be near 11 point something and it was at a 4. They wanted a full CBC done on the bloodwork to see what was going on with the rest of his levels. The results showed that all of his levels were Extremley low and unfortunatly the pediatrician said the results look like Isaac has leukemia. Ughhhh.....It sucks even writting that! Anyway, he was taken to the hospital last night to have a blod transfusion and they are due at Rileys Children Hospital this morning. We are not real sure what thay are to expect in Indy yet but for those of you interested I will try to keep you informed. Thank God I havent had this baby yet because I was able to be up at the hospital with Liz last night before Jamie arrived. Liz seemed to be holding herself together REALLY well for isaacs sake. The poor little boy had No idea what was going on other than he was continually being poked and proded. There are really no words for what, I am sure, they are going through right now so Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers! Isaacs turns 2 tomorrow and I know this isnt what Jamie and Liz thought they would be doing for his birthday. Thank you again!

:-P

2008-07-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Have No new news! :) Just thought I would let you now that!! Lol! Feel free to change your estimates on the size of the baby if you made them before. :) Something tells me its not so small anymore! :/ Your not allowed to guess anything over 10 pounds though, Thats Mean!!!! I think I will go watch "Knocked Up".......I know....its crude....but Soooooooooooooooooooo Freakin Funny!!!!! :)

The Longest Day.......

2008-07-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, Its me, I am still here and still as pregnant as can be. lol. You know its bad when your 5 year old wakes up and puts his hand on your tummy and says "Its still there, huh?" lmao! Today is a better day than yesterday....so far anyway. :) I am pretty sure yesterday was the longest day ever! My hormones must have been out of frickin control cause I thought I might lose my mind. :) Being 7 days past due I am sure didnt help any. :) This baby is going to be well cooked by the time it gets here. I know people say that I am not so big but I am afraid that I am going to have a huge baby if it keeps up. lol. Well, I have nothing really to post about but I thought I would give you all an update. :) If any of you have any ideas of things to do to keep my mind off of being pregnant then let me know! :)

OMG!!!

2008-07-25T06:54:00.000-07:00

My Day Sucks! lol! I wrote this Whole HUGE Post about my miserable false labor last night and it got deleted when I was like 2 sentences away from being done! GRRRRRR..............So....in short..........I went to the hospital last night and ended up coming home cause my body thought it would play a little joke on me. I opted to leave as opposed to being induced but I have now given up the oppurtunity to have Ransom do a water birth since she is going on vacation. I guess I am just going to try the non medicated route with one of the 3 other drs or midwife that are more medical than I would prefer. I'm still a F ing 2cm and 50% effaced after a whole week of contractions! LMAO! I have to laugh or I might punch someone. J/K.......kinda, lol. :) On the Upside I get to go see the XFiles movie tonight :) . LOL! I have to have some sort of something to look forward to. :)

Overdue!!

2008-07-21T07:29:00.000-07:00

I am now officially overdue!!!! Grrr...I know, its only a day, or not even I guess, since yesterday was my due date but it doesnt really matter when you feel like this. LOL!!! I know the baby will come when its ready but if it had consulted me I would have given it the go ahead a while ago. :) I know I could take measures to maybe help things along such as castor oil but part of me still wants to let the baby decide. I would feel awful if I were to induce my own labor and me or the baby wasnt ready. Of course, ask me in a few days and I'll let you know if I still feel the same way. lol. :) Again, part of my urgency is that my Dr is going to be going on vacation at the end of the week so that does worry me abit.....or alot. :) Hopefully I go before that and I wont have to stress about it. :) Then I will be blogging about my lack of sleep, nipple soreness, and crazy emotions. LOL!!! At least then, I will have a beautiful baby to hold and show off with it though. :)
I'll keep you posted! I will try to at least comment before I go into the hospital to give you all a heads up. :) No Guarantees though. :)

Still Pregnant!

2008-07-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Update!!! :) I am still, in fact, pregnant! I know that my official date is not till the 20th but I feel like I am overdue already. This nausea is driving me out of my mind!!!! I know that being done by the end is pretty standard but this seems worse than the first 2 times. It may have something to do with the heat of summer. Grrr.....I'm so not a fan! :)
Anyway, I had a Dr appointment this morning and I am 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced for any of you who know anything about "birthin babies". lol :) Nothing to get too excited about though. I do have to go in in a few minutes and get, yet another, ultrasound but its better to be safe than sorry. The babys heart rate is slower than it should be so we need to make sure everything is ok. I had to get one a week or so ago to check the size of the baby and that turned out fine. It just said the baby was small but growing fine. It did say the estimated due date was August 6th though.......LMAO.............I dont think so!!!!! Good thing they dont go by those. :)
The boys keep asking me when the baby is coming, so I think they are getting excited. Jack has been excited for a while but I think that Asher is just now getting the idea of what is really going on. I just cant wait to find out if this is a boy or a girl! The suspense is killing me!! lol, :)
Alright, I will keep you posted as to what the ultrasound says. I will either post again or just post on the comments. :) Hopefully soon I will actually have a baby to show pictures of. :) Oh, When you comment give me a guess on Girl or Boy and size. Just for fun! :)

Alright, Alright!!!

2008-06-28T06:57:00.000-07:00

I know, I know........I just can't keep up! School has kept me insanely busy so I really do have an actual valid excuse for not blogging this time. :) My semester ended on Wednesday so I am done until after the baby is born. I will start up again in September God willing. The first semester went well and though it was very time consuming I am glad that I put the effort into it. I am sure I will come out of it with and A as long as my final paper gets a decent grade because up until that I had a 97 I think. Anyway....so, thats how that is. :) My semester ended on Wednesday and my computer broke on Tuesday. YAY Me! I had to do my last paper on a friends laptop but now am without mine for a bit. Thank God it was only a day before my class ending. :)

As far as the pregnancy goes....well.....its still going. Lol! I have about 3 weeks left and though that may sound good to anyone else it still seems like an eternity to me. :) Plus who knows, I could go way late making it longer. Grrr... :) I am still feeling nauseated allot, can only eat certain foods and now I getting to the point that its very difficult to sleep because everything hurts. :) Dont you all just want to jump up and get pregnant! LMAO! On the upside the baby stills moves a ton and it is SOOOO much fun to sit and watch my belly. Its totally crazy and is not even close to how my first two moved. They were so mellow and this one is a dancer or something. :) It really does make it worth it! :) We finally have the nursery painted and the furniture that is in there painted. Now all we need is the Amby baby and to find out if its a boy or a girl so that we can get the appropriate color accents. lol! :) We'll have to wait for that obviously! :) I am going to try to go and register this week sometime at Target and figured I would register for both boy and girl stuff and once the baby is born I will have Des go and delete all of the other genders stuff.

Wow, for someone who can't find time to blog I sure am long winded! LOL! :) I am sure there is more to tell but can't seem to think of more right now. :) Hopefully this is enough of an update for now. :)

A Few Updated.....

2008-05-12T17:08:00.001-07:00

I got Jacks 5 yr pictures done (about 3 months late) on a whim the other day so i thought I would share. I wasnt actually expecting to get them done so no one was dressed for pictures or anything but oh well. :) I know Jacks hair is in his face in the one picture. No need for anyone to point it out, thanks. :) Like I said we werent expecting to take pictures. :) How cute is Jack laying on my belly?

Its Official!

2008-05-07T07:12:00.001-07:00

I am a college student! How fast was that?? I know, right! Daniel just mentioned it last Thursday and it took me 4 days to research schools, fill out apps and all the other insane forms, and take entrance exams before being accepted and beginning my first class. I actually wrote my first paper last night. :) So I am officially a student of Argosy University in their undergraduate psychology program. The school actually only focuses on two fields and psychology is one of them. Their Online Psychology program was highly recommended from all of the research that I did and God totally opened the doors for this in a miraculous way. I prayed God would open and shut doors to guide me in where I needed to go and he did so so very is clearly. My first class is Interpersonal Effectiveness (PSY180) and I will be finished with it by the time the baby is born. :)
WooHoo! :) I'll keep you posted on how things are going. :)

Welcome to a new Chapter.......

2008-05-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Look, I didn't wait 3 months to post this time. It was a while but a few weeks is better than 3 months, right? :)

My husband came home the other day with the news that me to return to school and get my degree. For any of you who know me know that I have wanted to go back to school since.....well....since I left in 98. Holy Shit, that was 10 years ago! Omg! Anyway, I'm not sure where they took Daniel and who they replaced him with but I'll keep this guy. LOL! Just Kidding. For real, he wants me to slowly get back into school and get my degree so that he doesn't feel so trapped in his job. I informed him that it may take me 6- 7 yrs and he is fine with that, he just needs to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I am so incredibly excited! I have waited yrs for this and now that I have the support behind me its totally doable. Obviously its doable at a slower pace but slow is better than not at all. Plus the online world has made it possible cause without that it really wouldn't be a reality. I am thinking I can squeeze one 7 week course in before the baby is born and then we will see how it goes after that. :) Anyway, I thought I would share my news! YAY!

As for this pregnancy, I need to post some pics of me, I feel like I am going to POP! I see that counter up there and it says I have 76 days till my approximate due date and I feel so discouraged. I am pretty sure this stomach wont stretch anymore and there isn't anymore room for this baby to dance around like He/She does constantly! :) LOL!

HELP!!!!

2008-04-09T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ok, So have a situation that I could use some advice on. I know some will think its bizarre in general but for those of you who think its a valid question, I would like your input. :) This is my 3rd child as you know an I am really trying to educate myself more about birth. I am obviously into a more natural approach to certain things like breastfeeding, etc... but I have always taken a real liberal approach to birth. Now I say liberal, I always have a birth plan and with the exception of an epidural prefer things pretty natural, but that is a HUGE exception. I decided to do some reading this go round since it will most likely be my last. I wanted to have the best experience possible. Ok, So the Dr I have used to be a home birth midwife so I totally trust her but she was not able to attend Ashers birth. Her Nurse midwife delivered him which was ok but even she will tell you that she is a "medical" midwife and was not willing to do even some of the things I had on my birth plan for Asher which had been approved already by my Dr. I wasn't super impressed with her (though his birth went fine) and wouldn't really prefer her or her bedside manner. Anyway, she (my Dr) is also in a practice with another male Dr that is WAY OLD SCHOOL and someone I would not trust with my delivery. So, here is my delima (I know, finally, right?) I talked to my Dr the other day end explained that I would like a natural, drug free, water birth and she was super into it but when we talked about my due date she realized she would be out of town around then. She also was honest about the fact that her colleagues would probably not be able to give me the birth experience I was looking for. She said we could just play it by ear an see what happens but what happens if she is gone and that old school crazy guy is on call?? I'd rather have my baby at home! I'm not even really super crazy about the midwife in the practice doing it this time(though that would be better than the alternative). So, do I start looking into home birth midwives, do I stick with it and see what happens? I guess there are 2 in the area that are nurse midwives so they accept insurance and HOLY CRAP are they cheaper. If I had known how much cheaper it was to do a home birth I would have planned it from the start. Good lord! I've had 2 good births, I'm not high risk so I cant imagine it would be a big deal. Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. What do you think?

Holy Crap......I know!

2008-04-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

I figure since people keep posting occasionally on this thing I should at least be considerate enough to give an update. :) I am indeed still pregnant, 25 weeks along, and I am also still having a rough go at it. Some days are better than others but it has not been the easiest pregnancy. It hasn't been all bad though and I have to say that I know it will all be worth it in the end. :) This baby moves a TON, much more than my other 2 so its Really fun in that respect. :) We have had 3 ultra sounds but are not finding out the sex of the baby this time. We thought it would be nice to have one surprise. :) So, you all have to wait this time too! lol! I will try to get on top of my game and blog a little more. I do need to post some pics of the kids as well as some maternity pics so I will work on that. :) For now, this is all I have, a short update. :) Hopefully, you'll hear more soon, right now Asher is climbing on me so I must go. LOL:)

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-22T03:36:00.000-08:00

I cant imagine that anyone is actually reading this but if you are then your a person who obviously had faith that I would post again someday! Well, "someday" has come! I cannot even believe its been almost 2 months since I posted last. My laptop is on the fritz and its much more difficult to post when I am confined to an office because the boys come in and get into things they shouldn't and decide to turn it into a playroom. It gets Really old after about 5 minutes and the way my brain works it takes me ALOT longer than 5 minutes to organize my thoughts for a post. I started several but they never formed into anything that was comprehensible. Unless, of course, your a 3 yr old and then I am sure it may have been captivating. Anyway, thats my excuse for now and I hope that eventually people will read this thing again. :) Once I can get my laptop up and running for Internet access then I can post some pictures but until then its just me babbling. :)
Well, as far as life here goes we are all getting ready for Christmas and Jack is more excited than ever. He totally gets it this year so its super fun! For all of you who have not received your Christmas cards yet this year (which would be all of you), be assured that they will arrive but slightly AFTER Christmas. I have not been on top of things this year, but they are all addressed now and ready to go. We'll just call it a new years card this year!
Last, but not least, I do have a little Christmas news for all of you who do not already know. We are going to be having another baby sometime this summer. :) As far as I can tell I am about 10 weeks along and I am loving it just as much as I loved it with my first 2. :) Anyone who knew me while I pregnant with my boys knows how fabulous I feel while I am pregnant. lol! In all honesty, I believe that this time has been worse, I remember with Jack I was sick in the beginning but not this bad. My pregnancy with Asher was NO where near this miserable. I feel like I have had the flu for a month!Oh, and the heartburn....Good Lord! I'm praying it subsides soon because my family is not getting the attention that they need. Anyway that's my story!
I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday!
Merry Christmas!

2007-11-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I was going to wait until I could post some pictures from the weekend to blog, but since I forgot my camera and am waiting on someone who was smart enough to bring theirs to pass some pictures my way, I decided to post them separately. Did that make sense? Anyway.....The weekend was a BLAST! It totally felt like a teenage sleepover, minus the alcohol and the sex talk. :) We spent our first night up till about 4am dying our hair, doing face masks and laughing hysterically over everything. I told you it was just like high school. LOL! I came home and told Daniel that and he looked at me like I was crazy. That, of course, is NOT his idea of a good time. :) The rest of the weekend we spent playing games and talking about everything that you DONT talk about with just anybody. I haven't laughed that hard in Years! It was so refreshing! The only problem with the whole weekend is that is was too short. :) I hope that all the other ladies had as much fun as I did!

Oh, I do have to add that my husband not only had NO problems with the kids but when I came home on Sunday evening my house was clean and he was making dinner. How fabulous is that? So, All in All it was a perfect weekend and I cant wait to do it again. :) Hopefully any of you who weren't able to come this time will be able to do it next time.

Girls Weekend!

2007-11-02T06:49:00.001-07:00

I am SO excited and yet a little nervous about my first weekend away from my kids EVER! The only time that I have been away from Jack was when I went in to have Asher (I wouldnt call that a vacation) and last Thanksgiving when I went to my dads 60th birthday in NC and, of course, then I had Asher with me. So this will be my first night away without children in almost 5 yrs. Holy Cow! I am going up to the lakehouse for the weekend with about 6 other chiks and we are going to do whatever we want! lol! :) Hopefully Asher is not too traumatized, or Daniel for that matter. LOL! I hope that all 3 of the boys make it through the weekend with no ill effects. :) I will give you a full report when I get home. I am hoping to come home refreshed and rid of all the stress that I have stored up. Just a few more hours.............YAY, I think! Its weird how my excitement is mixed with nerves! Thats normal, right? :)

My New Look!

2007-10-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kendrah (Girlscout)I have a whole new look and I LOVE it! Its totally me and what is so funny is Kendrah has never even met me and yet is able to come up with a banner that embodies who I am. Thank God for ALIAS for bringing us together. LOL!
Well, I am hoping that this will help inspire me to blog more because as you can see I have had ABSOLUTELY NO inspiration. I must be going through a dry spell or maybe I am just so busy with the boys that I have no time to think. Yep, I think thats it. :)
I will post some pics of the boys all dressed up tonight. They were both SO cute! Asher was a Crazy Cute Rooster and Jack was a miniature Shrek. :) Asher was all dressed up and yet had NO idea what he was doing. :) Jack is now finally at the age where he knows Exactly what is going on and he is ALL about it! Running from house to house wondering what kind of yumminess is going to come out from behind the next door. Of Course, now I have to spend the next few weeks rationing his daily dose of this sugar mountain. I cant wait for the day that he forgets that we have this huge stash of candy in the cupboard. I give it 3 weeks. :)

More Pictures

2007-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, So here are the pics that I promised! My kids are kind of difficult today (When I say Kind of, I mean, VERY) so I am not going to babble on about the pictures. Arent you lucky! LOL! :) I hope that you all had a great weekend!

Masquerade!

2007-10-01T09:02:00.000-07:00

OK, Well here are the pictures that I promised. Well, sort of. My batteries ran out about 10 minutes after we got to the party so I only really have pics of the scenery. My friends have other pictures that I will post later. :)

So the party was SUPER fun! Amidst the fact that some people did not show up (who needs those people :) ) and unfortunately none of my extended family was there, we had a blast!!! I had no idea what the theme was and so when I was lead to the location and handed something that felt oddly like a wand I wondered what "why do I need a wand?" To my surprise I opened my eyes to see everyone in a masquerade mask while Phantom was playing in the background. It was very surreal! YAY, I had my own masquerade! :) The food was YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY the drinks were plenty and the dancing was the icing on the cake! Whats a good party without good dancing (Thanks Des, Sue W and Sarah K)! All in All it was an incredible evening and I am Sooooooooo thankful to all of you who put so much effort into making it special! So, to my fabulous hubby, and tremendous friends, Des, Sarah, and Liz, I want you all to know that I am Soooo truly blessed to have you in my life and you have made my heart full! I Love you All!
I truly wish that all of you could have been there, maybe at my 40th. :)

We're Vintage Folks!

2007-09-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

I just have to share this because it was so funny! I opened my brothers blog the other day and saw a picture of some Umbro Shorts! DO you guys remember those? I had a few pairs because I was on the Volleyball and basketball team and I wore them for games and practices. Anyway, apparently my brother was looking for some on ebay because his last pair just wore out (Those had to have been at least 15 yrs old). The heading read UMBRO, Shiny soccer shorts, Mens M Vintage! HAHAHAHAHAHA! The clothes that we wore in high school are now considered vintage! Lord I'm getting old!

27, 28, 29........

2007-09-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

Holy Crap! In 7 short days I will be primping for my "SUPER SWANK" 30th birthday party! You're all coming right?
Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE a reason dress up and I LOVE a good party! We are mixing the 2 to celebrate my 30th and I AM SOOOOO EXCITED! I am NOT, however, crazy about the fact that I am turning 30! How did I get here, I sware I was just 21! I appreciate the wisdom that I have gained and would Not Ever want to go back to "my 21 yr old self" but there is just something scary about this specific milestone. It is kinda silly, its really just a number and, after all, I am getting to have a big party to celebrate it! That makes it all worth it! :) I should also be thankful that 30 doesnt mean as much as it used to. Apparently 30 is the new 20, 40 is the new 30, 50 is the new 40, etc.... What does that make a 20 yr old? lol! :)

Next week, I imagine, I will be posting lots of pictures! Arent you excited! Hahaha!

"Life of a Girl"

2007-09-21T05:30:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a title to a great book, right? It Is, Its my new book! . "Wait" you say, your not a writer! "When in the heck would you have time to write a book?" Well, Your right, I don't write books and even if I did I would have no time to do it, but apparently my subconscious wants to write a book.....or something like that. :) OK, I will fill you in so all of this makes sense. :)
I woke up yesterday morning and the first thing I thought about was the fact that I needed to blog. I wasn't thinking about what, but I knew I dreamed about something that I was going to blog about. I was actually kinda excited because I had something semi-interesting to blog about. Anyway, I literally went downstairs, grabbed some coffee, (turned on GMA, of course), and immediately went on my laptop to my blog. Just then, I started trying to think about what I was going to post about. "OH Yah, that's right, I was going to post about my book "Life of a Girl". Not only was it published,but people are actually buying it and recognizing me on the street!" Of course this was a fleeting thought before I realized that I'M AN IDIOT and that was my dream, not even close to reality! I felt really stupid and then laughed at myself because it is pretty funny. It was a pretty vivid dream though, I mean, I even titled the book. LOL! OK, so that's my humiliating yet comical story for the day. Please feel free to share if you have your own humiliating story!! :)

Give-A-Way

2007-09-20T05:53:00.000-07:00

Just wanted all of my readers to know that Elizabeth over at The Whole Family is doing a give away for her 2nd blogaversary. She is giving away a 10$ gift card to Target. Who couldnt use that? Stop on by and enter and dont forget to wish her a happy Blogaversary!

Pink, Blue, Orange or Seafoam green, Who the Heck Cares?

2007-09-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

I started thinking the other day (I do that sometimes when my kids are sleeping, haha) about colors and why people get all weird about certain colors for certain genders. I personally, am of the thought that a color is a color, no more, no less, so if my son likes pink then who the hell cares, its just a color, right. I mean, who decided that pink was for girls and blue was for boys? I didnt read it in my bible so I am pretty sure that when we were created God didnt designate colors for males and females. How did we get to where we are today where men dont want their boys wearing pink or coloring with the pink crayon etc...? Who decided pink was girly? And for that matter, why is there a double standard? Why can girls wear whatever color they want but boys shouldnt wear "girly colors"? Girls can play softball and be cool, but a male ballet dancer is assumed gay? HUH? What man wouldnt want to hang out with girls in leotards all day? Anyway, what are your thought and opinions?

Do they get any cuter than this?

2007-09-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

I know I need to blog more and I should blog about something thought provoking but right now your just gonna get to see my adorable boys! I will try to put together some sentences and post something a little more interesting to all of you. Of Course, I think my boys are pretty interesting. :)

Are You Kidding Me?

2007-08-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

Thank God this woman is not my mom! Way to say "I Love You Kids"!

French mom offers 40 reasons not to have kids
Posted: Aug 23rd 2007 7:13AM by Lauren Greschner

People are either going to love the author interviewed in this article or they're going to hate her. Corinne Maier, a French mother of two, has written a book called No Kid: 40 Reasons Not to Have Children. From what the interviewer says about the book, it sounds as though Maier is pretty fierce and truly feels her life was better before kids. In the actual interview though, she seems slightly more humorous (albeit in a dark way).
Maier believes the French Government promotes the idea of family in that country in order to keep the economy running -- more kids equals more consumers to sell goods to after all, and also ups the amount of future earners contributing to the country's pension programs.
But Maier also has plenty of personal reasons not to have kids, 20 of which are listed in the piece. They include:
You will lose touch with your friends.
Your child will kill your desire.
Children sound the death knell of the couple.
You will be duped into thinking there is such a thing as a perfect child.
You will be expected to be a mother before you are a professional or a woman.
Children are dangerous. They will take you to court without a second thought.
Some of the reasons are harsh and some humorous, but I also think that some ring true. Possibly the most shocking thing about the book is that this woman, who lives in a society where having kids is often thought to be the only way a woman can really ever be fulfilled -- and in which those of us who haven't had or don't want children are viewed with pity or scorn -- is willing to admit that she regrets having children.
What do you think, is Maier selfish and crazy or courageous and honest?

This is just beyond my comprehension. I understand that some people dont want children and by NO means think that everyone should have kids, if you dont want them then dont have them, but C'mon, why would you write something like this? Plus this woman has kids, what kind of complexes do you think they are gonna have from this. JMO

Easily Entertained?

2007-08-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

What do you guys do if your stuck in the car for a few minutes waiting for your friends to come out of the store?

Friday evening I went out with my girlfriends to go see "Hairspray" (Which was EXCELLENT by the way) and on the way we stopped to get some candy at Target. I stayed in the car so that we didn't have to park but I got bored very quickly. Fortunately I am easily amused and decided that my camera phone would be useful. Right around the 4th picture or so, I realized, "I'm a HUGE dork" and yet I took several more and laughed hard at myself! lol!

I figured I would post something a little less controversial today. I love a good controversy but balance is good too. :)

Asher Thursday!

2007-08-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

Mom Vs Mom

2007-08-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching Oprah, and it has me thinking about what all of my readers think. Its a panel of Moms, some who stay at home with their children and others who choose to work outside the home. Its really interesting to listen to these women who seem to have such strong opinions and tend to be a bit judgemental. The women who stay at home think its AWFUL for these other women to work and vice versa. I am watching these women just tear each other up and I wondering why these women don't give each other some grace. I have chosen to stay at home with my kids for now but I know that there are lots of women out there who have situations different and may not be able to stay at home or for whatever reason have chosen to work outside the home. I think you really have to have compassion for the women that may have to work because as any mom knows there is SO much guilt that comes with leaving your child or we should just have faith that they are doing what they feel is best whether we agree or not. And for the working moms, I wonder why they think that their decision is any better for their child than having a parent at home with them all day. Something about fostering Independence in their child (that's a load of crap). Isn't it about doing what is best for your kids and that may be different for each family. I think its also about having balance, women cant ignore who they are and Totally immerse themselves in their children and vise versa. What do you guys think?

Good Times!

2007-08-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

With the help of Daniels sisters I have spent the last couple of months planning my mother-n-laws Surprise 60th Birthday Party and today was the big day! Now, everyone knows that I LOVE a party of any sort but I am especially fond of birthday parties because I believe everyone should celebrate the day that they were born. I am NOT of the belief that as you age that you stop having birthday parties! Most people who know me, know this! : ) Ok, back to what I was saying, Everything came together fabulously and when Nancy walked in it was SO satisfying watching her get caught completely off guard and sob into her hands. She was So blessed and truly touched by the fact that this was for her! Apparently she had never had a surprise party before(I had my first one in 3rd grade)! How does someone go 60 yrs and not have a Surprise party? Thats MADNESS! LOL! Anyway, I thought I would post some pics and show you the Fabulous cake that Des made for the occasion. Thanks Des! :)

Oh and if any of you know someone that has Never had a surprise party then GET PLANNING!

Day #4

2007-08-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, its Day #4 for World Breastfeeding week so I decided to post my own nursing picture. I think that people should be aware that nursing does not have to be something that is immodest. I always hear people talking about how they don't like women nursing in public because they don't want to see other women's breasts. Sorry, but I don't really want to show other people my breasts either. Most women nurse discreetly and I think I do a pretty good job of being an example of that. So, although I am probably preaching to the choir and all, lol, I figure if anyone who reads this has a problem with nursing in public.........plthhhhhhhhhh! I'm so mature! :)

History through Pictures!

2007-08-03T14:33:00.000-07:00

I was reading on one of my new favorite blogs today (The Black Breastfeeding Blog) and found the most interesting post showing the Genesis of our breastfeeding culture (or not so breastfeeding culture). I LOVE history so Jennifers post are always like candy to my brain. You really have to check this out. The last picture just cracks me up!!!!!
Click Here!!!

Yes, I know its another breastfeeding post but it is, after all, World Breastfeeding Week! :) Though it is educational, you could learn something new today! lol

World Breastfeeding Week Aug 1-7

2007-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

I figured since it was World Breastfeeding Week then I would post my own story.....everyone else was doing it so I thought I would join in! :) Sorry, I am a little wordy so its a little long. Of course if you know me then you know that I am long winded. lol! Here Goes......

When I found out I was pregnant with my first son (Jack) I was a newlywed of 4 months and COMPLETELY caught off guard. I didn't think much about feeding options really because I assumed that you nursed a little in the beginning and then switched to bottles early on. I am not sure where I got this idea. I grew up in a maternity home and was around babies ALOT, I was even in the delivery room for some but I guess just never paid attn to how they were fed. Anyway, I decided to both breastfeed and bottle feed because I had seen how hard it was for my SIL Elizabeth and wanted to try but kinda figured I might not succeed. By the end of my pregnancy I had really read up and educated myself much more and really had decided that I was going to go for it and Exclusively breastfeed no matter what. That said, inside I was Terrified! I had seen so many of my friends struggle and not be successful. Fortunately I had a Dr who was Very pro breastfeeding and gave anyone who was choosing to nurse their own lactation counselor that we could call at anytime. This gave me a little more confidence that maybe I could do this. Though, I have to admit, I still had a stock pile of formula in my cupboards just in case.
My labor with Jack went pretty smoothly for the most part. I did ask for an epidural when I got to about a 5 or 6 and then delivered Jack about 4 hours later. I had a midwife that immediately placed him on my chest and didn't cut the cord until it stopped pulsating. But after SEVERAL attempts by both the nurses and the midwife to get him to latch were unsuccessful we decided to wait a while. A few hours later the LC came in and tried to get him to latch on. Eventually He did latch on but it was a good 6 hrs after he was born. He nursed like a champ after he figured out what to do and after I fixed the mess that the nurses made by giving him a pacifier in the middle of the night. It took me about 6 hours to get him to latch on again. Apparently they ignored my sign that said "no artificial nipples, I am a breastfed baby". Anyway, everything was fine until I went in for his 1 week checkup and he hadn't gained any weight. I was terrified that I was starving my baby and thought possibly I should be supplementing. Luckily my Dr said to give it another week before doing something as drastic as that. I went to my first LLL meeting and collected a few more phone #s for help or support. A week and half after Jack was born I realized the struggle that women have with nursing. It became EXTREMELY painful. My letdown hurt, I felt nauseated, and sore wasn't even a valid word to describe how my nipples felt. Side note: I am not a woman who perseveres, I mean, I am one of those who gives up whenever anything gets hard. Its not something I am proud of but it is definitely true! :) The cabinet with the formula in it was looking SO tempting and yet I couldn't stand to look at this little baby, whose life was in my hands, and not do the VERY best thing I could do for him, no matter what pain it caused me. Over the next 11 weeks I used every phone # and person of support that I had and we made it through the hard part (Kudos to my hubby, who never said, "Just give him the formula" in a time of frustration). It was by no means easy but it was worth it for my baby. I not only succeeded but never gave Jack a drop of that formula. It all expired eventually and we threw it out. :) I NEVER thought I would nurse past one yr because I thought it was gross and, well, basically because I was 1) polluted by society's views and 2) not educated at all about breastfeeding. I never remember making a decision to go past a yr I just remember thinking, how would I even wean him now, he's still a baby! He nursed till he was 2 and a half and I was 6 months pregnant with my second. Nursing Asher (# 2) was somewhat easier in the beginning but still had about 3 weeks of "God I don't think I can do this" kinda pain. He is still nursing strong at 20 months and figure he doesn't have plans of weaning himself anytime soon. I may have to help him eventually. LOL! :)

Another Day, Another Worry!

2007-07-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

I was watching Good Morning America this morning (Alot of my posts start like that, don't they? lol) and I was very saddened when I heard Robin Roberts announce that she had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was trying to talk while very evidently holding back tears and it made me really sad for her and her family. Then, just as I was thinking, "I wonder if there is alot of cancer history in her family?" she says that there is NO family history. Apparently 80% of cancer patients today have NO family history. WHAT! I always took comfort in the fact that we really didn't have much family history of cancer. Of course, then I start thinking of all the things that give out carcinogens and the probable reasons why we all seem to be doomed to get cancer someday! I just made the switch to 7th Generation diapers and now I feel like I need to clean out my house of all the crap cleaners, detergents, plastics etc.... . I may sound crazy but now that I have children that count on me, not only to be there for them but also to keep them safe from harm, I just don't take this stuff as lightly as I did before. Does anyone know what are cancer rates are now in comparison to what they were back in the day when we exposed ourselves to less of this stuff. Just wondering. Thanks for listening to me ramble about my worries! :)

And the winner is.......

2007-07-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Jennifer over at Managing The Motherload! She is the winner to my Pampered Chef Summer Giveaway! I used to a random number generator to choose so it was completely fair! Hopefully I will win something myself since I spent hrs of my life signing up for almost 500 giveaways! lol! Its amazing the lengths that we will go to win things! :) There is just something fun about it! I have to say that it was fun to be able to check out all the other fun blogs out there!
Oh, I also wanted to give a Shout Out to one of my new favorite blogs. Confessions of a S-A-H-Mom is just starting out but its like reading a day out of my life every time I bring it up. :) Check it out!

Dog Days of Summer Give Away

2007-07-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

So, I am hoppin on the band wagon of the HUGE give away that Shannon over at Rocks in my Dryer started! I mean HUGE! There is great assortment of things that you can win and all you have to do is comment. You have got to check it out!! (Click me to get free stuff :) )

I am doing my part in the giveaway by offering an assortment of Pampered Chef products. There are 2 Seasons Best cookbooks, a pair of bamboo tongs, a set of Grilling Recipe Cards (15) and sample of the Southwestern Seasoning Mix. All you have to do is comment (before Friday July 27 a2 12am) to enter yourself and I will randomly pick a winner on Friday. I cant say when the winner will be posted for sure but it will be posted by Friday @ 11:59pm. I will ship to Us and Canada. Good Luck!

Amazing Love

2007-07-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

I was watching GMA this morning and they were doing a segment to advertise their "PRIMTIME" tonight and I needed to talk to someone about it because its a subject I love diving into. Well, no one was around to talk to so I decided to blog about it. :)
So there is a Primetime special on this evening following a 15 yr old girls journey as she places her baby into the arms of another family to raise. Watching the segment this morning stirred up alot of emotions because I grew up in the middle of situations like this and I sincerely hope that this special shows what an incredible, sacrificial love that is behind adoption. For those of you who dont know I spent years, as a teen, living in a maternity home (Father Heart) where my mother was the "house mom" as well as the case worker, etc.. There were girls ranging in age from 13 to 30 and all had different plans. None of them were ever persuaded to do anything other than look at both options ahead of them, parenting and placing. I have been with lots of teens as they go through the process of choosing what is best for their baby and then watched them mature overnight as they actually have to follow through. It is one of the most Amazing, yet gut wrenching, things to watch a 15 year old girl place her baby into the arms of another woman, entrusting her with her most precious possession. It drives me out of my mind when I hear women say, "I dont know how someone gives their baby away, I could never do that". They act like its some selfish act and these girls deserve more respect than that! Its one of the most selfless acts that a mother could ever do and I wish people saw it that way as opposed to the thoughtless way that people choose to view it. I mean, c'mon, if a girl (especially this day in age) actually decides to go through her pregnancy and give another family a gift that they are not able to have on their own. That sounds pretty incredible to me, selfish isnt the word that comes to mind. :) Anyway, another soapbox of mine! Anyway, you should all watch tonight, hopefully it portrays it well and shows the heart behind these amazing girls, whether they go through with it or not. Do any of you have any first hand experience with any of this or been near it at all? What are your opinions?

I'm a Rockin Blogger!

2007-07-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have just received my first blogger award! My SIL and best friend Elizabeth (I am sure her nomination wasn't biased, lol), @ The Whole Family nominated me for a Rockin Blogger Award and I am ready to accept. Its funny, I think her motivation for my specific nomination was to get me to post more because I am kind of a slacker sometimes. Lets see if I can live up to my award. :)

Ok, So, I guess I am supposed to nominate 5 others but Elizabeth already nominated some of my favorites and I only have enough time in day to check a few so I am nominating less than the required amount. I hope I dont lose my award for that. lol. Anyway, here goes...

1) I have to give my first to my friend Kendrah, who blogs like No other! She keeps up several different blogs, holds down a job, coaches basketball AND has a social life! I discovered her through our mutual love and obsession for ALIAS and she is SO devoted that that ALIAS blog, one yr after the Series premier, is still going strong! That's Devotion and She rocks! I don't care if you don't like Alias, just go to read her stuff. :) Lets Talk Alias.

2)Jenny, The Bride Helper, is my second choice. She is a friend and a local wedding and event planner. She always has something insightful to say or something controversial, both work for me! (You would have been #1 if you would have gotten your nose peirced with me....J/k...lol)

3)Jenn is another Alias junkie who I met through our mutual obsession but I have come to enjoy reading her blog as well, which is full of pictures of her Adorable daughter Rachel, and she ALWAYS has something posted that makes me laugh. Thanks Jenn..... Birdie Two Shoes

4)This last one goes to my friend Sarah who is just getting this because she finally caved and opened up a My Space and actually posted her first blog. I am just proud of her for making the effort to follow in our footsteps. LOL. Life is Good

Oh, that Steven......

2007-07-17T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, Its late and though I really should be in bed, because Jack has been throwing up all day and Asher has been less than an "independent" child, I am up to feed my Steven Colbert addiction. :) I like The Daily Show, but "The Colbert Report" is so inanely funny that I ALWAYS know that I can get a good 20 minutes of pure laughter out of it. Its like the release I need at the end of my days filled with crying, fighting, whining, poop, etc... , or in the middle of it for that matter. :)Ooooohhhh, its just So funny! Anyway, if anyone is interested in becoming a part of the Colbert Nation just click here, or at least do it to read the contract because its funny. :)

Tell me Yours....

2007-07-16T07:05:00.001-07:00

So, all this talk of piercings, tattoos, etc has gotten me thinking of other peoples tattoo choices. I mean, since a tattoo is so permanent whatever people get is typically pretty special so I wonder what people have chosen to get and why or if you don't have one, what would you get if you were to get one? I have comedy/tragedy masks on my ankle which I wanted for 6 years before I actually got them and they are obviously representative of my love for theatre. I have had my tattoo for about 8 years and still love it! Does anyone have one that they wish that they didn't?
Tell me all about your tattoos! LOL! :)

Vacation pictures

2007-07-06T07:40:00.000-07:00

I told you that I would post some pictures from vacation and I am actually doing it. :) I am actually blogging three times in one week! Holy Cow, its like a record or something. lol! Check out Jacks first catch! How Cute, Ay?

In other news........I just overcame my fear and got my nose pierced. The thought of a needle going through my nose seemed too painful but my desire for a nose piercing become larger than my fear apparently and I just closed my eyes and did it. Its Super cute and I am SO glad that its over! :)

Sling Give-A-Way

2007-07-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!! Hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday!

I just thought i would let anyone interested know that My SIL is having a Solarveil Sling givaway on her blog. All you have to do is to click here and sign up in the drawing. She will be picking the winner in the morning. Good Luck!!! :)

Back and Hopefully Better!

2007-07-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I am now officially unemployed! For those of you who don't know, I gave my 2 weeks at the studio due to some childcare issues. Des, who was co-oping with me got another job so therefore making it not as beneficial to continue on with the studio. Although I LOVED it I really believe that this is best for my family. Jack was having a really hard time with e working and I couldn't seem to keep up with things here. Anyway, it feels nice to be able to concentrate on the the kids for the summer and I should be able to blog more. :)

We just got back from vacation in Michigan so there was a reason why I wasn't blogging (this time anyway). :) It was SO relaxing, I am always bummed to have to get back into the daily hubbub of reality. It makes me want to spend more time at our lake house, at least before it sells anyway.

OH, Jack had his first experience of being in a wedding 2 weeks ago and, Holy Crap, he was ADORABLE!!! Ryan & Lauren made good on their promise to have Jack in their wedding someday and I had a slight fear that he would freeze but he did an Incredible job!! He did everything exactly as he was instructed. The flower girl walked down with him and threw flower petals in peoples face. That was a trip! lol! He had a great time dancing the night away with the help of the Red 40 in his Shirley Temple. He was running around in circles on the dance floor like a dog chasing his tail. LOL They really should take that stuff off the market. :) He did eventually pass out on the floor while cuddling with Daniel, which explains the picture of the 2 laying on the floor. :). On another note, wasn't Lauren Beautiful!

OK, Enough rambling, I will post vacation pictures soon and hopefully I will blog more faithfully now that I have some time at home. I trust that you will all remind me if I should start to slack! LOL!

Tact, A Lost Art?

2007-06-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

So, as I have been trying to round up volunteers to help create, what will be, my mothers memorial gardens I am finding that some people around here never learned about a little something called "Tact". I have had a few really great people willing to carry on my moms memory and totally into helping but unfortunately I have had more than that be downright rude (well, IMO its rude). For Example, I asked one couple (friends of my mother) and the husband kinda seemed annoyed that I was asking and quickly said No, he had some things going on. The wife never responded so I asked her if she was interested and she said "ME, No Way, not my thing!" Her tone was pretty adamant about how this was TRULY not her thing. I wanted to say, "NO, your right, its not your thing, its my moms thing and we were wanting to see if you could take a little time out of your day and help out. " This is unfortunately just one example, I could go on but you get the idea. What ever happened to people, at least, being polite about saying no? Like "OH, I would LOVE to, I really loved your mom but we are really busy next weekend with some things and since this is so last minute we just don't think that we could do it" (said in a sympathetic & apologetic tone). Maybe its because I am from the South but I would Way rather hear that. I notice the lack of tact allot more here in the Midwest and I wonder if its a culture thing or maybe I am just older and more aware. Plus with this specific issue, we are dealing with my deceased mother you would think people would be abit more compassionate in their tone (God forbid they actually volunteer. lol).
OH, and Thank you SOOOOOOO much to all those who have volunteered!! I appreciate it more than you know!!!! You All Rock!

In Memory of Mom

2007-06-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Well, my computer is down for a bit due to a broken adapter but my husband has graciously allowed me to use his computer. :) LOL!
I am in the midst of trying to organize volenteers for my mothers memorial gardens at her last place of employment (somewhat of a halfway house for mentally ill women) My mom had a heart as big as Texas and she Loved what she did, which was helping others. She always wanted the ladies to be able to have a little retreat outside of the home that they could escape to for some down time. She always talked of making the backyard into some tranquil gardens but as a non profit agency it was a little hard to fund. Well, thanks to all of the donations that were given in her memory and honor, Greenwich House and all volenteers are about to make my moms dream a reality. My mom would love to see this and I SOOOO wish that she could! If anyone is interested in helping please let me know because we have LOTS of space for volenteers. :)

Kind of on the same topic, I am wondering if anyone has any experience or can relate at all. I always thought that it would get easier as time went on not having my mom and I am not finding this to be true at all. In fact it seems to get worse. I think in the beginning I must have been kind of numb just because it was such a long road and we were finally at the end. But now it seems like I have a good cry at LEAST once a week. I cant seem to make this void go away. YOu know when you get really sad or frustrated or pissed off or SUPER happy or giddy or your kids do something really cute or gross, etc... and you just want to call your mom and tell her about it(because God knows no one else will sit and talk to your baby on the phone for 10 minues when they arent really saying anything or listen to you tell boring stories of what that same child did today and actually be as interested as you are in telling it)? Anyway, I get that all the time and I cant call her anymore. It just Sucks!! Anyway, sorry for being a downer, I just wonder when it gets better or if it ever does? Ughhhh....now I'm crying again! Good Lord, sometimes being a girl is so frustrating! :)
I do have to say thanks to my SIL and best friend Elizabeth (and John for marrying her) because now that I cant call my mom I just call E and make her listen to all that stuff and she does it happily (I think). lol! Thanks, Love You.

2007-05-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I am normaally bugging you with pictures of my kids but since I work at a studio I thought, "Why not get some pictures of myself?" I am the one always taking pictures in my family so we have LOTS of the kids and hubby but not so much me. Plus, Daniel has my senior picture hanging in the office and I thought he needed an update. Hey netta and Sara, do you recognize the 4th pose? Do you remember when I used to always have you take this pse of me back in the day. I can just hear me saying, "hey take a picture of me like this so it looks like I'm walking." LOL, Oh it makes me laugh just thinking about it! :)

Jacks BooBoo

2007-05-14T21:09:00.000-07:00

I cant stop myself from laughing out loud Every time I see this picture! I know that most of you have seen this on my brothers blog but had to post it on my own. Jack was showing Daniel and I the booboo on his finger trying to convince us that he needed a band aid. He was somewhat unhappy that we got the camera out instead of a band aid hence the look on his face. How Perfect is every aspect of that picture! LMAO! I just cant enough of it. Its just so stinkin funny.

OK, on a similar topic, how cute is his hair? I just think its so cute with his long bangs. (we are trying to grow them out to match the back which isn't long) He looks like a little rugby player. :) That said, We either get people who love it or hate it and was wondering what others thought (not that that will change it, just wondering). :)

A little history....

2007-05-09T07:10:00.000-07:00

"The bottles were designed with a integral glass tube, and a stopper. Attached to the glass tube there was a length of Indian rubber tubing, which ended with a bone mouth shield and a rubber teat. This design of bottle was impossible to keep clean and even though openly condemned by much of the medical profession of the time, continued to sell well into the 1920's. Much of this popularity was attributed to the fact that the baby could be left unattended to feed, even before the baby was old enough to hold the bottle. "

I was at work the other day and saw something that made me somewhat disturbed. It was a bottle that had a very long tube attached to it with a nipple at the end. THe child was able to eat while laying down without having to be held. I was taken back to something I had learned while doing research on the history of the bottle. One of the first bottles invented was coined "The Murder Bottle" or "The Death Bottle" because it had a tube that connected to the nipple that carried bacteria and typically caused sickness or death. I know that we obviously have better ways of cleaning and sanitizing now but it seems that people will do anything to not have to hold your child while feeding. I think if its an option then it is just too tempting. THe thing I thought was really astounding in this short article was that even after knowing the high risks mothers still chose to use this bottle into the 1920s because of the ease of being able to feed your child without holding them. What a sacrifice to have some free time! This is one of the things that when I spoke of bonding (in the comments on last post) I was referring to. A mother that nurses has no other option but to hold and cuddle their child while feeding whereas so many times (not all) with bottle feeding we get lazy and want to prop the bottle and have the child eat alone. I cant tell you how sad it makes me when I see a 3 month old feeding herself a bottle. Why are we trying ot make our kids SOOOO independent so early??? These are babies that DEPEND on our love and physical touch in order ot grow into functioning children and adults. I AM NOT saying that moms that bottle feed do not love their children!!!!!!! I think that women who choose never to attempt to breastfeed can still have that bond with their baby but I think it just takes a little more work. Babies are born with the instinct to immediately want to lay against their mother and nurse. THey have just been through a traumatic experience and lots of times they are wheeled off poked and given some unattached plastic nipple. Sounds comforting and cozy to me.

Anyway, as I have said MANY times before I think that formula is a Great invention but I think it is WAY overused. There are women who for one reason or another ( medication, medical conditions or even death) are not able to nurse and formula is something that is great to have in those situations. I just think too many woman use it because of simple convenience or because they just arent as educated and dont know. That is why I am so passionate about women being educated about this stuff and not relying solely on what their Drs say. I could go on but I will spare you all :)

2007-04-30T05:19:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't been much of a blogger lately. I actually have somewhat of a valid excuse this time. I have been down and out with the flu for the past 2 weeks. Who knew that influenza was such a big ordeal? I think I am finally getting back to functioning at 100% though. We went to the lakehouse this weekend and it was SOOO Realaxing! Exactly what we all needed! I am sure that I have got something more intersting and contraversial to talk about but I am going to have to think about it and post in a few hours. Let me get my my controversial juices flowing. :) I will post in a little bit. Maybe I will post some pictures. :)

"Dont point your finger at CRAZYPeople!"

2007-04-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

Girl Interupted has got such a plethera of great lines to chooses from when speaking about crazy people. If you havent seen it then go RIGHT NOW and rent it! Go....seriously, right now!!! ANyway, I was trying to help someone the other day with a dilema concerning a friend and she was talking about how she couldnt talk sense to her because she ONLY understood her own perspective and refused to listen to anyone elses. Then I started thinking about all the times that I have come into contact with people like this who I spend my time trying to resolve things with them on a rational level and we just end up where we started. The title line went through my head and I realized that, maybe, there is no point in trying to rationalize with an irrational person. You cant expect logic and reason from a person who doesnt function on that level. So, my question is this...What do you do with these situations? Do they get a free pass and are allowed to act and speak as they please because no one wants to deal with their irrational behavior or do we address it? And if we address it, how the heck do you do it??

This little piggy...

2007-03-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

I know its a picture of feet but its cute isn't it?? I LOVE being able to do fun creative things with my kids pictures on my down time at work.
Anyway, with so much time at work I am slacking on Easter prep. Is it earlier this year than normal because it feels like it has really snuck up on me. Man, I cant believe we're already in spring!

Uhh... quick question, I have been seeing allot on the news about MSG and its huge effects on our bodies and health. I also see that it is in allot of infant formula. What the heck, first of all why are they putting it in there and why do people feed this to their babies? I have never given my kids formula so I don't really know,but do moms know what they put in this crap. I think I would probably just assume since its FDA approved then it was OK but the more I hear and read I fear we are trusting too much!

5 Years Down!

2007-03-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

OK, I am sorry that I have been such a slacker with my blogging. This part time job hasn't been so part time lately. We are in the middle of a re staffing at work and so Des and I have been working alot. Its alot of work and surprisingly extremely tiring but I actually and REALLY enjoying it. You never know what to expect on any given day so it keeps things new and exciting. :)
Anyway, in other news, Daniel and I celebrated our 5th anniversary on Friday! YAY! I cant believe that its been that long. I guess it doesn't seem so long in the scheme of things but I remember before I was married thinking that 5 years was a long time. It really has gone super fast and really has been good. I guess time flies when your having fun. :) Plus, we've got 2 adorable boys to show for it. :)

Happy Birthday Mom!

2007-03-02T05:44:00.000-08:00

57 yrs ago today a little girl was born and given the name of Sara Lynn. She was a blessing to So many throughout her 55 years. She did so much with what she was given. She was dealt a crappy hand in life but she made the most of it. She made lots of mistakes and had her issues but she was such an inspiration to me because she always made a point to admit her shortcomings and teach me something through them rather than deny them and allow pride to stunt any future personal growth. She always taught me to put others before myself not just in thought but in everyday actions. She is the reason that I have the compassionate heart that I do and she always reminded me to protect that character quality within myself. She was SO diligent in praying for her children and I can truly see the fruit of it today. She was a truly amazing woman that was taken from us too soon but I know that she is in heaven dancing so I can take comfort in that. :)
I could go on and on but unfortunately children and work call. Does anyone have any favorite memories that they want to share?

Holy Cuteness!!!!!

2007-02-19T13:44:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little of a picture-aholic but how can you not be with cuteness like this staring at you all the time!

Ughhh....its just SO cute! I went in to get my free 8x10 at Picture People because I needed a close up for Jacks room but they were rude and wouldnt take me so I ended up going down to work and having Des take his pictures so that she could get some practice. Now, How fabulous are theses pictures?!?! Good job Des!

I Love Greys....Greys, Greys Greys! (said in the tone of Ron Burgendy)

2007-02-15T19:18:00.000-08:00

Ughhhh....though it tortures me and pulls at my heartstrings I just cant get enough of that show!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!! So, if you didn't see it tonight and are planning to watch it later Don't Read This!!!
So, They cant kill Meredith...I mean...its called Greys Anatomy, As in Meredith Grey!! So though they did a convincing job at making me doubt this I have to think that in the end she will come through...BUT, they did refer to the next episode as the "Devastating" conclusion. I mean, technically wasn't she kinda already pretty much gone at the end of this one? Anyway, whatever happens..this is great drama and great writing!
I just have to ask, does anyone else watch Alex from Greys and just continually see a foreign guy named Mossimo trying to gain the affections of Jennifer Lopez (The Wedding Planner). Des and I may be the only ones but I had to ask! :)

Here we go......

2007-02-12T05:18:00.000-08:00

I am officially finished with training at work and now I have to try to apply everything that I have been taught, Ha! It was MUCH more en depth than I thought it would be. I guess it makes sense, your learning how to be a photographer basically but I think I underestimated how hard that would be. All that said, I am excited about it all. :) We have to take pictures of models for about 2 weeks to see if we know what we are doing so if any of you want your pictures taken come on down! :)

Aren't my boys cute?? I got Jacks 4 yr pictures taken the other day and as I watched my boss try to pose them and actually get Jack to smile(he HATES having his pictures taken) I realized how difficult this job would be. I just hope that all kids aren't as difficult as mine! lol! She did get some good pics in spite of all of it! Let me also say what a benefit free pictures are for someone, like myself, who is obsessed with pictures! This job will definitely come in handy! :)

Feb 6th- Happy Birthday Jack (and Ronald Reagan)

2007-02-07T04:53:00.000-08:00

Jack and Xander @ 3 months

Jack and Mommy at 2 1/2 months

Holy Cow, Time moves SO much faster as you get older or Maybe its just after you have kids, I dont know. Anyway I cant figure out how 4 years have past since I gave birth to my first little miracle. Jack was a Huge surprise to Daniel and I, we werent quite expecting to have a baby so soon after we got married but 11 months later we realized that God had a better plan for us in the form of Jack Carter. I'm so glad that God has a better plan for us than we have for ourselves! If we had waited the 2 years that we had planned then my mom would never had been able to meet any of my children and I never would have seen the ultimate joy in her eyes when she held Jack for the first time or witness how she she LOVED to spoil all her grandchildren. As I look back, there are SO many blessings in having him when we did. One of many is how he teaches me to be a better wife and mother and is constantly challenging me to smooth out my rough edges. The fact that EVERYTHING we do is teaching them something is very daunting and challenges you to step up! Anyway, I am So very grateful for that 7lb 4 oz blessing that God gave us 4 years ago yesterday and the bigger he gets the bigger the blessing he is! Do any other parents ever feel like they are going to explode because they love their kids so much. Its Really Crazy, who knew?! :)

Sorry the pictures are when he was 2-3 months but, for some reason I dont have any newborn pics on my computer. We must not have been digital yet. :)

Blah,blah, blah...

2007-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

I have some fun news to share! I will be starting my first day at work tomorrow. :O A few weeks ago as Desiree and I were getting our sons pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids we were offered a job by the manager. It was somewhat flippant but she gave us applications as we left. The more we talked about it the more doable it sounded. The clincher was being able to co-op with the kids if we had to work during the day. One of us could watch the kids when the other worked. Plus, they train you in photography and how fun is that? :) So we decided to put our apps in and leave it up to God. Well our interview was Tuesday and we start training tomorrow. Yay! I'll let you know how it goes but so far I am excited. I have moments of being overwhelmed because I remember how difficult it is to work and do everything else that is involved in being a mom. But, I feel like God laid this in our laps and so I am going to trust that our family will all work together to make it a bit easier.
On a Whole different level, Des and I went to see "Catch and Release" last night and it seeing Jen onscreen again was So fun! I know, I'm a dork but I really love my Stars and Jennifer is just so refreshing to watch! :) Anyway, it was a Great movie and you should ALL see it! Also, since we're on the subject, I just have to rave about Greys Anatomy! Any of you who don't watch it are missing out because....., well......, just because its one of the best shows on TV! ( I am sure all of you are going to watch it simply because of that review :) )The writers know how to make me cry every stinkin episode. Ughh, the issues they bring up always hit so close to home. It seems kinda therapeutic. LOL :)
Oh, went to IKEA today and LOVED it! I think ALL stores should have child care while you shop. Why hasn't that caught on??? :) Anyway, It really was fun, the food was great, super cheap and they even had children's tables, plates, etc.... They had everything you could imagine and it was just overall a fun shopping experience. Its like a one stop shop for decorating and furnishing a house. Have any of you ever been there?

I'm not crazy....

2007-01-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

So, I watched an incredible Dr Phil the other day. He had All the Sears Drs on to answer moms and dads parenting questions. It was So nice to hear Dr Phil call them the Gold standard on child rearing advice. I mean, I already knew that but now everyone elses who watches knows. :) Anyway, I was talking to my sil(sister n law) yesterday and she was remarking about how she had read on someones elses blog that they were glad that they didn't bring up attachment parenting at all because it comes with such a negative stigma. Now, this is where I get confused. I notice when I talk to alot of people (friends and strangers) about Sears or AP they look at me like I am some crazy hippie who doesn't know what I am talking about, or they just tune me out because they think its extreme. What I am wondering is why this whole Sears and AP style parenting comes with such a negative stigma? Whats funny is that alot of the same people who tune me out are those people who probably, without knowing it, are attachment parenters. But because no one listens they wouldn't know that. Attachment parenting is just about listening to your childs needs and responding to them. Obviously, there is more involved but that is what I feel it is in a nutshell. I was asking Des yesterday what she thought made people tune out or whatever and the only think she could think of was the fact that I go to La Leche League and some may have a misconception about the people there. So, then you have the stigma to LLL. I guess since I think its important to nurse my child and I need a chance to socialize with other moms a couple times a month then I am a hippie who lets my kid run my life. OK, that may be extreme but I'm venting! :) That's another thing, people think its odd that I am so passionate about certain parenting things and breastfeeding. Shouldn't you be passionate about things that you feel are good for your children? If you really believe in something don't you want to share it? Isn't that what we do with our faith, why not with other things we believe. How are we going to educate people about this stuff if just sit around with our hands folded on our laps. I am SO glad that people were willing to educate me so that I could make an educated decision about what to do with my own children. Anyway, I just wonder what people really think when they hear Dr Sears or attachment parenting and if anyone has any other insight into this. Sorry if I am being repetitive or rambling but this post took about 2 hours to write this morning because with my kids its hard to just sit down and do something uninterrupted. I got it done though! :)

Public Apology

2007-01-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a public apology to someone that was offended by one of my postings. I know we offend people sometimes by our views and opinions but my wording and something specific was hurtful and was brought to my attention this evening so I thought I would let her know that I was sorry. What better way to do it then here, where the offense took place.
I few weeks ago we were discussing Public vs Private schools and I made a comment about how my sister n law felt about them. It was brought to my attention that I was misrepresenting what she felt and what I said was hurtful to her. SO, since I am not a fan of hurting peoples feelings and like for any unrest to be resolved I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart! I also would like to amend what I said about her feelings on private schools. She does not think that they should all be shut down but simply prefers that her children go to a public school. I knew that she was passionate about that and was not accurate in what I thought her feelings toward private schools were. Again, Missy, I am very sorry!
Isn't it great to have the opportunity to humble myself in front of friends, family and God and I don't even have to leave my couch! :) Thank goodness for blogs and laptops! LOL
Missy, I hope that you read this and know that I truly am sorry and that you are family and that you are loved and accepted.

2007-01-09T06:54:00.000-08:00

I dont have much to blog about but I figured I would just because I had a few minutes. I had to put up Ashers 1 yr pics just becasue I think hes cute! :) I am a little biased.

On a totally random thought, Jennifers new movie comes out on the 26th! YAY! Its a girls night out to see "Catch and Release". Whos in?

Yah, I dont have anything else to say really so this is officially the most pointless post as of yet. Well, with the exception of my adorable 1 yr old. :)

Happy New Year!!!!

2007-01-02T07:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2007! I hope that everyone had a Great New Years and that everyone is looking forward to 07. I am recouping from our new years bash. Des and I threw a a party here at our house and it was a blast!!! John and Elizabeth were here visiting which made my new year complete! We had about 15 or so people over and we broke in Daniels new Karaoke system. I cant even tell you how much fun we had, or at least I had! I will have to put on a clip pf all of us chicks singing! We danced a little, drank a little (or a lot), sang a little and hung out. There were some people upstairs watching the History channel or something.......lol.....party on! HaHaHa! As long as everyone was having fun. :) Anyway, it was by far my best New Years to date.....until next year! :)
Sara, girl, we still have to sing "Downtown" and Des, I still want to see you do "Walk like an Egyptian". Anyway, I hope that everyone is recovered and back up and running for work today! Did anyone else do anything special?

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you on this special day! I am just sitting beside my tree that is all lit up with presents all around and stockings full. Christmas carols are playing and I am waiting for the rest of my family to awake. :) I still have a hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve. I guess I am still a kid at heart! Anyway, I wanted to wish everyone a VERY Merry Christmas and dont forget why we are celebrating today. God gave us incredible gift in the form of his son! Now, I am sure that it wasnt on Dec25th exactly but I think its a good enough day to remeber it! :) Go have fun with your friends and families!

My Baby is One!!!

2006-12-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Can you beleive it? Asher is one now. His birthday was actually December 7th so sorry for the delay in the post but we were on a roll talking about breastfeeding, vaccinations, etc... :). Anyway, he is So super cute it just makes me want to pee my pants. He is full on walking now. It took him a bit longer than Jack but he is So different from Jack in every other aspect too. He is so adorable toddling around the house. He gets excited and tries to go fast and then totally takes a spill. But he is resiliant and gets right back up and trudges on. :)
I cant wait for Christmas! Jack is going to be SO fun this year now that he fully can grasp what is going on and Asher will actually be able to play with his toys. Of course now, I am going to have to deal with the whole sharing thing. FUN!! Since we have had Asher Jack has all of the sudden taken an interest in baby toys. Sibling rivalry!
Oh, Jack is in his first Christmas program at church on Sunday! I am so excited and you can be sure that I will post some pictures! YAY!! Ok, enough of my ramblings. Thanks for listening!

Oh Brother

2006-12-20T06:32:00.000-08:00

I am sure that everyone has seen this on the news but I had to post about it because it just makes me SO angry!! I am so outraged by the new "Left Behind" video game! If any of you haven't heard about it, its a new game that is apparently set "post rapture" and your goal, I guess, is to kill non Christians. Huh????? Who put this thing out on the market. Is this what we have representing Christianity? Apparently if you kill a christian accidentally then you lose some life but you can earn it back again by praying. How Nice. If this was out in the market and it was Muslims killing Christians it would be an outrage. Who is buying this and who is defending it??? I don't even have words for this! Gee, I wonder why people have such strong feelings on Christians? Could it be the stupid people who always come out of the woodwork to represent us. I sware we aren't all like this!

Boobies on a Plane!

2006-12-06T15:08:00.000-08:00

Ok, Well it seems that we all have our opinions on breastfeeding and parenting! THe 130 or so comments racked up pretty fast, and all from a post about my family pisture! LOL :) So, this is somewhat in conjunction with that whole topic. I was watching Dr Phil the other day and it was about Home schooling vs public/private schooling. THese people were getting really pissed off at some of these home schoolers because they didnt agree with it. As I was watching it I started to wonder Why these people care who is home schooled and who is sent to school away from home? I have someone in my extended family (who obviously does not read this blog :))who gets Very passionate about the fact that children should ONLY be sent to Public school. Who the heck cares!!!!! Its kind of similiar to the question that I asked in my comments in my last post about why my pediatrician cares if my son is still nursing at night or if I choose to co sleep. As long as we are not neglecting our children why do people care what parenting style we choose. I know alot of people that do not choose to co sleep but that doesnt mean that I think that they are a bad parent. I understand if people want to share their opinions, I am ALL for that because I think that we need to be educated about other views, but this, my way or no way, thing is crap. Anybody got any thoughts?

Family Pictures

2006-11-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

We have ALL been battling the flu this week and it has NOT been fun! Its So sad to see your kids in pain and unable to help. Its especially hard to watch your 11 month throwing up. This is the first time that Jack has been this sick either but he handled it pretty good considering. Its a good thing because its hard to do much when both mom and dad are sick as well.
So, now that we are all "flu free" we decided to get our fall family pictures taken. They took some time because we had a hard time getting Asher to smile at the right times and look into the camera but in the end they turned out pretty good I think.
Hey did you guys see that news report about tha lady who got kicked off of a plane for nursing her baby? What the hell is that about?? Ughh, that really pisses me off!

FINALLY!!

2006-11-09T19:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, Okay, Okay, I know I am a little late for putting up the Halloween pictures but my camera was not cooperating. Arent they Adorable though!(Jack was a little pictured out in the family one) Just for clarification, Asher was a Kaola and Jack was Dr Shepard from Greys. It was SOO cute. When people would say "Oh, what a cute Dr!" He would say, "I'm Dr Mc Dweemy from Gweys Anatomy" Thats My Boy!!!! :) Anyway, They had a great time, or Jack did anyway but I am sure that Asher enjoyed his stroller ride.
Oh, Speaking of Greys Anatomy, I just cant get enough of that show!! LOVE IT!!!

Thank You little town!

2006-10-19T08:58:00.000-07:00

I have been told by several that used to live in the small town of Valparaiso that it is No place they want to live because they just cant seem to find happiness here. Some have gone so far as to say that there is a "spiritual oppression" over the city. LOL! Now, I can understand that some people will find their nitch in other places so I get that. Now the "spiritual oppresion" thing I have a hard time swallowing, but whatever. Have those people ever been to Houston? ANyway, I am feeling pretty content in my life as of now. I mean, my freinds and family keep moving away from me and I still have some pretty big goals I would like to acheive but overall this season of my life is good. I was talking to my sister in law the other day on the phone and I suddenly realized how grateful I am to be in a place where I have Lots of people around me that are like minded. Now, I know that most people surround themselves with people that are similiar in values, beleifs and lifestyles but I realize as I talk to Elizabeth in some places those people are MUCH harder to find. Now, I am not talking politics and religion nesasarilly though sometimes that is a natural side effect. At this stage in my life my values in raising children are my big soap box issues because that is what I spend my time doing. All of the people that I spend my time with (for the most part) parent simaliarly to Daniel and I. We try to give our children the very best we can emotionally and nutritionaly and realize that for a season in our lives we have to be a little less selfish with our time as well as our bodies. Breastfeeding and attatchment parenting are a few examples. All of this seems natural to me. Instead of ignoring my natural instincs as a mother I feel I should listen to the cries and needs of my children and at the same time grow in becoming a less selfish person. (I think that is whay we have kids :) ) Anyway, I notice the more I talk to Elizabeth in Rocky Mount, she is having a hard time finding people on the same page as she is. Breastfeeding alone is much less common it seems and I think when they saw her wear Zachery in a sling they must have thought she was from Africa. HaHa! Even down to simple things like nutrition. Their church secretary called her extremley health conscious because she didnt want her 3 yr old having Pepsi in Sunday School. LOL! Who gives someone elses 3 yr old Pepsi?? Isnt that something you would leave to a Parent to decide.
Wow, I said all that really just to say thank you to my small town and all of the people that surround me in my life here. Oh, and Thanks for continuing to check my blog even though I am completly lame and cant post more than once or twice a month! :) Thanks for sticking with me!

Happy Birthday to me!

2006-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

This is my final year that I will be able to say that I am a 20 something. This time next year I will be saying goodbye to my 20s and entering the adult world of the 30s. :) For all you out there who have already crossed over, I am not saying you're old but there is that stigma that just makes you feel a bit older than everyone else. I think we should just stop counting because it gets too depressing. :) BUT, that said, I hear (or at least Oprah says) that the 40s are the new 20s so that would make me like a teenager or something! :) (not that I would want to go back there either) So I guess 29 isnt so bad but it does seem ALOT older than 28 for some reason. Ok, I'm rambling, I'll Shutup! :)
You might ask what I did to celebrate my 29th birthday? Well, Desiree and I took a road trip to attend our friend Birdies baby shower. For any of you who dont know we met Birdie on the Lets Talk Alias blog and, along with some others, have become friends via blogging. Today we got to meet our blogger friend in the flesh and got to shower her with baby gifts for her new spy baby girl! It was a fabulous road trip filled with loud music and groovin in the car and the shower was a Blast!! Thanks Jen! I will post pictures later once Des downloads them. I hope that you all had a great weekend as well!!

How does life take up so much time?

2006-09-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

I know I have been MIA for a while. It seems every time I get a chance to do anything frivolous my kids get wind of it and make sure my attention is on them. Actually, I have been trying to focus on my boys as much as I can because I have been watching my neice Mady ( who is 7 months old)3 days a week and it takes a bit of my time away from them. The Pampered Chef is keeping me busy because I am trying to get into a groove of some sort. I am still working out some kinks with that. I have a Pampered Chef Bridal Shower on Sunday, which has been keeping me up at night because this isnt just some show, its someones bridal shower. That is something this couple (or the bride at least) will remember forever! Thats alot of Pressure! :)Anyway, I will let you know how that goes! UMMmmmmmm, what else is going on...Oh yes, the lakehouse is So nice now! Daniel has done Such a good job (with the help of lots of friends) remodeling. We had a Great labor day weekend with Levi and Family and Des and Family. It was So great to get to see my brother and sister-n-law and get to spend time with my neice and nephew. Ughh, my neice Afton is SOOO adorable, I could Eat her!! :) Cedar is So funny, he is So animated and its so Leviesque. LOL!
Ok, well its late and I am losing my thoughts quickly. Hope you like Ashers 9 month shots. Isnt he Such a little man?!

Those silly little rich people

2006-08-29T06:54:00.000-07:00

OK, So I went to the Aberdeen subdivision garage sale a few weekends ago and although I found a few gold mines I had to sit back and laugh at alot of the residents. The very first garage sale (KEY WORD: GARAGE SALE) I ventured into I saw a box labeled "Nursery Ensemble" 325$. HAHAHAHHA!!! Who goes to a garage sale planning to spend that on a crib set!! LOL! She was selling her onesies for 2.50 each. Yes, onesies, plain Carter omesies. Apparently because she lives in an upscale neighborhood her baby clothes rise in value after her kids wear them! LOL! My next stop I found a table of toys and kids goodies. I saw a brand new Aqua Doodle still in the box. YOu could tell it was a bit older because the box was faded but it hadnt ever been opened. She was asking 10$ for it, but as I picked it up I saw another garage sale sticker that read 8$. It was evidently from another garage sale and I am sure that these people paid 8 bucks for it out of someone elses garage. I figured since she bought it for 8 I would offer 7, the lady looked at me like I was crazy and said "These things go for 15 at ToysRus". OK, First of all, I'm not at ToysRus I'm in your garage, second of all there is a sticker here that says 8$. (OK, I didnt actually verbalize the first part) She got really flustered "Oh that was supposed to be taken off"! Yah, I figured that lady! She opted not to take my 7 and acted like I was going to give her 10. She was appauled that I wasnt going to buy it. It was the principal of the thing. I HATE it when people tell you how much they bought stuff for when you make them an offer. I know how much stuff is for in the store but your selling it at a garage sale!!!!! If you want to make money off something sell it on Ebay! ANyway, thats my rant. I guess I should also say that not everyone was quite so arrogant. The good sales did outweigh the "Boutique" priced sales. One guy told me I could have anything I wanted for free, he just wanted to get rid of it. I got some good childrens learning games for Jack there. Ever play Hi-Ho-CherryO? :)

The long awaited lake house

2006-08-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

We are the proud owners of a house on a lake! Something that my husband has been wanting since, well, not sure how long, but probablly long before he met me. After a long weekend waiting for the previous owners to get out we finally moved what little furniture we have for the place in on Saturday evening. Daniel, being Daniel (and Ryan) ripped out the kitchen first thing. It wouldnt be any fun for him if there wasnt a project involved! :) Desiree and I gutted one of the bedrooms that was in SERIOUS need of a makeover!! I'm not into Peach and Grey floral wallpaper with bright peach lacy curtains! I know it sounds lovely but its just not my style. If any of you are interested in the curtains though mabe we could salvage them. HA! We had a little time left over to relax in the hot tub and take the jet skis out but next time we need to reserve more time for that! I will try to get some good pics this weekend and post some. Des had some of her and I in the hot tub but we ended up looking like a couple so I opted not to post that! LOL!

Me......with bangs

2006-08-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ok, Asher is just an added bonus. I just happened to be holding him when Des was taking my picture but he is stinkin cute so I figured you wouldnt mind! OK, so this is my new look. I have people tried to convince me for years to get bangs but it seemed like to big of a commitment. The period when I was growing them out when I was 11 must have scarred me. :) Well, on Monday when Des was getting her hair cut, she and my sister-n-law convinced me. So, for the first time in 17 years I have bangs. What do ya think?

Happy Birthday

2006-08-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

Ok, you are all going to laugh but August 9th never passes wihtout me remembering Melanie Griffiths birthday. After spending 7 years gaining as much information possible about the woman you cant help but not acknowledge their birthday. For any of you who dont know when I was 14 I became facsinated with Melanie (kinda bizarre, I know) but anyone who knew me, knew just as much as I did because it was always the topic of conversation. Sorry Guys!! HAHAH I even made my class at school pray for her every morning! ( I went to a christian school) I still pray for her when I think of it!
So, Happy 49th birthday Mealnie!!

New and Improved!

2006-08-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my Fabulous friend Kendrah (also known as Girlscout) I have a new look for my blog! Isnt it so ME! She did it with no help from me all the way in Seattle. Ok, well I did tell her about my Melanie obsession! Remember that?? HAHAHAH! Good TImes!!! Anyway, Thanks Kendrah, I love it!

UPDATE!!!!!!

2006-08-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Well, after lots of phonecalls, faxes, headaches, and chest pains we finally have an update on our real estate disaster. THe GREAT news is that we got the lake house after all. We actually get to close next week! :) YAY and YAY! You would assume that since we got the house we must have been able to close on the apt. but that is not the case. We are Still having to have the apt rezoned, which means Lots of time and money. We asked the buyers to find a new lender (we even offered 5 grand off) but they refused. THey had a meeting the other day to discuss if they wanted to wait this out. THey decided it was a good time to ask for more money. WHAT??? THese people are Frickin MORANS!! Long story short they asked for about 3 thousand dollars some of which they are claiming is lost income. LOST INCOME??? That doesnt even make sense???? If they walk away and dont buy the place they are going to have to wait alot longer to get some income out of a place. PLUS, they are the ones that are choosing to make this drag out. All they have to do is find a different lender and this wouldnt even be an issue! UGh, Anyway, at this point we dont care if these guys walk or not. We luckily got the Lake house on a 3 year land contract so we really have 3 years to sell our other property. So thats our update. God is good and He is totally in this. Thanks for all your prayers!

The Idiocy of Americans!

2006-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

I dont know if Idiocy is a word but it fits so I am going to use it! I was reading an article this morning on AOL about the new BabyTalk magazine cover. Apparently lots of people are Outraged because they have a picture of a baby nursing at her mothers breast. (click here for the article) Its obviously NOT Xrated but just a picture of a nursing baby. Its funny to hear peoples responses because people are talking about how they shredded it when they received it and how this is Filth! LMAO!!! OK thats just hysterical. Are people REALLY that ignorant???? The article itself leaned towards supporting breasfeeding but reading the reactions and comments of people just made my blood boil! I cant tell you how I would LOVE to get stuck in a room with one of these ladies and talk to her! We put Nudityy and Crap all over TV but people are offended when they see a mother nourishing her baby? HUH? OK so THEN, I decide to read some of the things people have posted and the First one I read says this.......
"FIRST OF ALL SHAME ON ALL OF YOU DISGUSTING PEOPLE SAYING THAT IT IS OKAY TO BREAT FEED.HOW DARE YOU?IT IS WRONG THAT IS WHY WE HAVE BABY FORMULA AT STORES.IT IS DISGUTING TO SEE THE ANIMALISTIC THINGS THAT WE DO HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.AS AN AMERICAN AND A WOMAN,MOTHER,TEACHER I BELIEVE THAT THE RITUAL OF BREAT FEEDING HAS BEEN REPLACED BY WHAT IS NOW TRADITIONAL BABY FEEDING (BOTTLE).I ALSO HAVE A BIG ISSUE WITH CHILDREN BEING DIAPER CHANGED IN FRONT OF ME.NEITHER I NOR MY KIDS WANT TO SEE A CHILD WITH FECES ALL OVER HIM BEING CHANGED BY A MOTHER FIDDLING WITH A CLEANING PAD AROUND HIS PENIS.THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!"
IS this woman Serious?????????? Thats HYSTERICAL!!!!! I'm serious, I couldnt stop laughing!! Of course part of me was appauled but I think its the most idiotic thing I have read....um....ever maybe!
I REALLY dont understand the argument for people who think women shouldnt nurse their babies (in public or at all). I understand people may not want to see a boob flaling (how do you spell that?) around but I have Never seen a woman nurse in public without trying to be as modest as possible. Obviously you have your exceptions as you do with everything in life but overall most woman arent going to flash their breasts for everone to see! I could go on for a VERY long tome about the reasons I agree with Nursing but I figured I would see if any of you had ever heard ANY arguments against it that made any sense or if any of you have any personal issues with it.
OK, thanks for taking part in my rant!! Fire away!

Caution, Road Blocks Ahead

2006-07-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

UGhhh, why does buying and selling a house always have to be so stressfull!! We are scheduled to close on the apt building on Aug 3rd but apparently that may not be happening which means we will not be closing on the lake house on the 8th. So, for those of you who dont know, the apt building we own has had 3 apt in it for like 25 years and a TON of different owners meaning it has been sold several times. All of the sudden though the county is saying that it isnt zoned to be a multi family home it is still zoned to be a single family residence. Therefor the people buying it cannot get their financing. Hence, we cant sell it without it being Re zoned which takes 50 bucks, some paperwork and a signature but that signature takes almost 2 months to aquire. The county says that it could have been zoned correctly at one time but no one recorded it. So, my question is why is this OUR problem???? Why do we have to deal with something they have let go for 25 years????? Our realtor gave us a lawyer to contact who may be able to clear this up, for a big wad of cash, of course. He supposeldly is working on it but wont return our phone calls. I am sure he is working REALLY hard for us! Wow! I sound Really negative. I know God has a plan and I am trusting Him but its still frustrating and I need to vent or I will explode!

The Lake House

2006-07-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging but summer seems to be keeping me pretty busy! This whole Pampered Chef thing, though its not moving very fast is taking alot of time that I used to spend doing things like blogging. Plus we have just purchased a lake house about an hour from here (well we close early August) so I am trying to find furnishings etc.. I cant wait to be able to get in there and decorate and then Do Nothing! Just sit on a boat and drink some beer!!! Sounds nice, doesnt it?? So when any of you come visit we can go to the lake house and stay! Anyway, I will write more soon! I am sure when fall comes so will more blogging!

Meet Xander....

2006-07-10T18:42:00.000-07:00

What may look like an ordinary orange foam star to most is Jacks new friend (or replacment cousin)Xander. Xander goes EVERYWHERE with us. Jack takes care of him, gives him naps and baths. Makes sure that he is fed and dressed. He actually has quite a story about him. He apparently has 3 bedrooms, 2 TVs (one Snow White and one Scooby Doo), One blue bed with a pink pillow and one monster bed with a scooby pillow. I'm not sure where he is getting all of this but it sure is funny to watch him. He is very attatched to this little star. He left it at the Church property where we had a picnic on Sunday and I had to tell him a bazillion times that we would get it tomorrow but that Jesus would watch over him while he slept. The first thing he said when he woke up this morning was "Can we go get Xander now" :) Its So fun to watch his imagination grow as well as how he is dealing with his cousins moving away. I would imagine its very theraputic or something! :)

Tears for Charlie

2006-06-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

Call me a dork, but I dont care. I have to post something in honor of the BEST morning show host on TV ever!! You just cant get any better than Charlie GIbson. :) I have had an odd obbsession with Charlie since I was like 14. I wont even let people turn on the TODAY show in my house. HaHa! Not sure where my loyalty to him comes from, well, I guess I do but I wont get into that. Isnt he someone you would want to be your brother, uncle, dad, grandpa, etc....? I'm glad we havent lost him for good but doing World News Tonight isnt quite as Fun as GMA. You dont really get to see the lighter side of him, he's going to have to be all Peter Jennings and serious. Oh Well, its something. Its really funny when I think about it. I grew up always hating that my parents had to watch World News Tonight every evening. I remeber thinking it was SO boring. But now I am going to do the same thing, I gotta have my Charlie fix! :)
ANyway, Good Luck Charlie, We love you! :)

More Pictures

2006-06-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

I cant help it, I Love pictures and I love my kids so you guys have to deal with the reprocutions of that! :) But, Isnt Asher adorable? It took him all of 5 min to get his pictures taken. It has always taken about 45 minutes to get 3 pictures out of Jack. One of their many differences!

OH, We are getting our new car today! WooHooo!!! Our Lease is up and so we are going from one Oddesey to another. I looked at the Quest and some SUVs but when it comes down to it, as much as I would like to be "cool" and drive around in an SUV its just not practical. Plus, after having an Oddessey, there is just nothing better, imo. Really, I'm destined to have a mini van because I spent years saying I would NEVER have one. Someday I will learn, Never say Never! :)

My Boys!

2006-06-13T05:47:00.000-07:00

How fun are little boys! Summer is here and not being a summer person myself I typiclly dont stay outside much but this year seems to be different. Jack is old enough now to really PLAY outside. In past years he would go outside and lay down on his little slide and talk to his imaginary friends. Of course I guess his HUGE play set helps too. Anyway, I have really enjoyed it this year so far. Its So bizarre what a little man Jack is and how much fun he is to play with!
Oh, on another note I took Jack to see CARS yesterday, Anyone else seen it? Great Movie, it kept me entertained and Jack loved it! Also saw The Break Up with Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, Very Funny!!! Sorry this post is so random, not much going on here but wanted to post something.

Our Local Park

2006-05-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

Just had to brag a bit on my hubby and his latest project. He spent LOTS of time and energy building this Monstrosity of a play set. Jack and all of his friends LOVE it and it helps keep me sane since they play outside alot more. It took a while to get Jack to go down the slide but now he is a pro! Bring your kids and come play! :)