Holy Cuteness!!!!!

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)

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......

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)

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...

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....

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

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.

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!!!!

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

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!!!

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

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!

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

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!!

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!

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!

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?

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

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

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!