Party of Five

Finally Ready

2009-06-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

Darrell and I were woken up this morning by our sweet little girl who came into our room and proudly announced, "Daddy I'm ready".

For what you ask?

Well the last 3 or 4 days the conversation in our home has consisted of a mixture of Lianna complaining about her loose tooth bothering her, and Darrell teasing her about pulling it out. However, we promised that we wouldn't do it until she was ready.

So with a proud smile, she climbed into our bed, tissue paper in hand, and waited for Daddy to begin. He reached for some floss and quickly realized it would be difficult to maneuver it around the base of Lianna's tiny tooth. I (the ever resourceful mommy) start digging in my sewing kit for some thread. I suddenly hear Lianna exclaim, "oh!" I turn around and sure enough Darrell has a tooth wrapped in tissue paper in his hand and Lianna proudly displays the new window in her smile.

Of course, I took pictures!

Expanding Horizons

2009-05-21T06:20:00.001-07:00

Even at 31 years old I am still learning new things everyday. Yesterday I had a profound food breakthrough. But before I explain you need some previous history.

See D and I have been trying to eat lighter, healthier, low calorie meals. So we've been trying new recipes and have recently realized that fish purchased in the freezer section at the grocery is not half bad and much more affordable than the market. So a few months ago we tried fiery fish tacos. So Yummy! Except for the key ingredient that I was unable to find. I replaced it with cabbage (I had extra and was trying to use it up), yuck big mistake.

I kept wondering what jicama (was pronouncing it jikahmuh) was and weeks later found myself in Arlington at On The Border. Low and behold there was a salad with salsa that included raw jicama. I ordered it and loved it. I had heard it was much like a cross between an apple and a water chestnut and sure enough... crunch and mildly sweet. Yum!

Fast forward to last weekend when D and I are planning our weekly menu. His parents are coming into town for the long weekend coming up and we wanted to plan some fun things to eat. Fish tacos! That's different. BUT what about the jicama? D is unable to locate it at our nearest Kroger so yesterday I took all three kids to the only other Kroger in town and sure enough right next to the ginger root is a selection of jicamas. Score! I am somewhat surprised by the roundness of this food but trust that it is labeled correctly, purchase my other items and head home. I do of course call Darrell and my MIL to celebrate my find.

Once home I realize I have no idea how to prepare this thing. So I turn to the laptop computer and google it. No less than 47,000 hits. Really? Lots of people know about this thing? Sure enough I locate a video. Perfect! I'm a visual learner. A chef with a strong accent walks me through the process and now I'm set. Saturday we're having fiery fish tacos with jicama. Oh and according to the chef lady I've been pronouncing it wrong all along. It sounds more like 'heekumah'. Oh well.

Easter - long overdue

2009-04-26T18:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Easter was like three weeks ago or something and I'm just now updating my blog with pictures. I'm sorry it's been so neglected. No excuses.

We spent the long weekend in Mississippi with D's Grandmother and Aunts and Uncle. It was lots of fun. The kids L-O-V-E riding the four-wheelers!

Enjoy!

Little Ballerinas

2009-02-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

For those who don't know, Lianna started taking ballet with Gobel's School of Dance in January. For those who know we are on baby step 2 please have no fear... it was important to Lianna's Gram that she got involved in different sports, activities and such when she was old enough. :) Please feel free to hold us accountable though. Anyway, I thought some of you might enjoy seeing our little ballerina practice her dance for the recital they'll be performing in May.

Lianna was actually commenting to me before this class, that she didn't want to go because they were learning a dance and it was hard. :) I explained that if she kept going it was get easier and easier and soon it would be SO easy! She agreed to go, and after class said it was easier. I love having such an agreeable child. God has spoiled me rotten. I know, but then again, I AM his favorite. :D

I believe the teacher called this a jete'

Attitude maybe? Ah! Can't remember them all.

First position
And again the jete'

Mommy.... mommy.... mommy

2009-02-17T14:26:00.000-08:00

I'm sure we all went through this stage, I vaguely remember Lianna doing this for a while, but now Brooks has started into it as well. Ugh! My dad used to say, Allison, you sound like a broken record. Well, my kids don't even know what a record is, but seriously... they sound just like one! The other day in the car went like this:

Brooks: Mommy...

Me: Brooks?

Brooks: Mommy...

Me: Yes sir?

Brooks: Mommy...

Me: I'm listening

Brooks: Mommy...

Me: Is there something you want to tell me Brooks?

Brooks: Mommy...

[pause] (by now I'd just given up)

Brooks: Mommy...

[pause]

Brooks: Mommy...

Canaan likes to play the game too.

One day we'll carry on real conversations with our kids right? At first I think, yeah, that'll be great, but then I remember it'll be conversations about why she can't wear the bikini to the pool party or why he can't smoke stogies until he's 18 or have a motorcycle.

Edited to add images of the kids from the same night this was written. We went out to play just as it was getting dark. It was last minute, so some were dressed more appropriately than other. :)

Notice his fancy belt he borrowed from Lianna, and his socks, but no shoes. Those socks were filthy by the time we came inside.

And My Favorite! He wanted to ride his sisters bike, I told him if he put on some shoes the pedals wouldn't hurt his feet. So... he brought me his boots. No socks or pants! Ha! Like any other momma, I put them on for him, then ran to get the camera.

So Blessed!

2009-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:00

D and I decided the bunk beds my brothers grew up on just wouldn't work for our boys. It was not a set that we could separate out into twins, and even though Canaan was ready for a big boy bed, Brooks was not ready to be on a top bunk. Our wonderful friends blessed us today with these hand-me-down beds and chest of drawers that match the room perfectly. Check it out!

Notice the step stool for Canaan to climb into his big boy bed. And yes, he fell out of it after laying down for maybe 10 min. As I type, D is in the garage piecing together a guard rail.

Pay no attention to the two big kids hiding under the bed. I told them to get out of the picture... this was their solution.

Bummer

2009-02-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

So Lianna didn't get into the Charter school. I really thought, given her personality, and her abilities so far, that she'd do very well there. Alas, God apparently has other plans. Sooo.... unless someone wants to fork over $250 a month for her to attend private school here, she'll be attending the public elementary we are zoned for. D and I were both raised in the public school system. I'm not really knocking our education, but I was hoping to protect my daughter from some of the things we struggled with. I guess, I just want to keep her safe in a little bubble for as long as possible. Is that bad? Is she really ready to face the world, the pressures of fitting in, and the realization that not everyone loves Jesus, at 5 years old?

Uneventful Saturday Update

2009-01-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

According to my sweet Mother In Law, this sort of activity runs in D's family as well. Apparently when he was young, he once pushed the emergency exit door open while shopping with his mother at a department store. Hehe! Oh the joy that must have brought!

Given my new goal of not posting without a picture, I dug up an image of my MIL and Brooks when he was a newborn at the hospital. I was trying to find a picture of Darrell as a boy, but no luck this time.

An Uneventful Saturday... until...

2009-01-18T14:38:00.001-08:00

D was starting to get a little stir crazy, as he often does on Saturday afternoons when we have nothing planned. As I am transitioning Thornton Photography from online ordering to in-person ordering, I've been ordering sample images and told D I needed a large art portfolio bag to carry them in. So off to Hobby Lobby we went. All of us.

On our way there, we drove past our old brown truck. (yes, the one we've been trying to sell for FOREVER). It's now parked in front of Excel Car wash where many drivers by can see it. As we pass it, Lianna pipes up, "Look, there's our truck. It's for sale, but nobody wants it." Ha! She really is a bright girl.

We pull into Hobby Lobby and unload all three kiddos with no problem. As we enter the 'foyer' area Canaan of course hollers "Ah!" a couple of times so he can hear the echo. I grab him as we go through the second set of doors and make a bee line for the shopping carts. Our kids stay as confined as possible in Hobby Lobby. There are just too many breakable objects within reach. Well, as I'm lifting Canaan into the cart I hear Darrell in a panicked voice, "No Brooks! Don't touch that!" Then... Flashing lights and loud noises and of course, tears.

That's right, Brooks had pulled the fire alarm. My little 3 year old, who hates loud noises will never again go near one of the red pull boxes. The manager, thankfully was able to call off the fire department before the trucks arrived. The alarm continued to sound for a good 10 minutes before he was able to enter the correct code to shut it off. My sweet son, apologized most sincerely, and though the manager could have been a bit more forgiving, we'll cut him some slack. I'm pretty sure half the store patrons left within those 10 minutes the alarm was going off. :/

I didn't think it'd be appropriate for me to pull out my camera and photograph the experience, nor was that even in the back of my mind, but I will share a recent image of my baby, who barely escaped a police record. Thank goodness he pulled it at Hobby Lobby and not his Jr. High like his uncle AJ did. :P

Anyone want to share my gum?

Boo!

2008-10-31T18:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

We didn't do the 'trick or treat' thing this year. Last year Lianna helped pass out candy to the other children, before she went out herself, and there were many very scary costumes. Some so scary, that she didn't want to answer the door anymore.

This year we played it safe and attended our church "Harvest Fest". There was a bounce house, hay ride, cake walk, bean bag toss and more. The kids had lots of fun, and collected a cookie jar full of candy. They're set for the next few months now. Here's a picture of our babies just before the fun got started.

Wet Noodles

2008-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

My sweet sister in law recently broke out the wet noodles. The whippin' didn't really hurt (wet noodles hardly can) but the message was clear. More pictures of my niece and nephews. :) Well Carrie these are for you (and Nanna, Gram, Nene, Gina, Janie, GGrandmaT, GGrandmaS, and anyone else who loves my children).

We were outside playing today after naps. Please disregard the no pants no shoes look. We were in the backyard out of the view of the general public.

If you ever have trouble getting natural smiles out of a young child, here's my strategy. Start asking them to make silly faces. Growl, Frown, Cry, Scared etc and pretty soon they're cracking up at them selves and making real smiles instead of forced ones. Here's a snap of Lianna's scary face.

Here Brooks is after stealing Canaan's special blanket. See that mischievous playful grin? Does that look familiar to anyone?

Survival of the locationist?

2008-09-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

So hurricane Ike was no dud like Gustav. He hit hard, and the strength of his winds were felt all the way up here and into north Texas. Thankfully he didn't bring too much rain, but many homes have been damaged from trees being blown over onto houses, car ports, power lines, even cows. That's right... D was telling me a cow on his lease needed to be put down after having a tree fall on it.

D and I fared very well. We had no damage to our home or vehicles, and the debris strewn about our yard was nothing 3-4 rakers and a couple hours couldn't handle. We lost power again, but only for... drum roll please... 18 hours! We spent one night without AC and lost none of our food. Our neighbors across the street (and I mean literally) didn't fair so well. They suffered no damage to property, but were without power for 7 days.

Darrell and I did our best to share the electric wealth. My friend from the other side of the street came over to blow dry her hair, another friend came to use the hot water in our shower, we became a store house for 2+ families' of food, and we had anywhere from 1-3 extra families over for dinner for several nights. It was actually fun to cook with friends and visit with neighbors. I was glad to have some quiet nights when all was over, but really enjoyed the fellowship as well.

The good thing that came out of all of this for me was that I realized I'd been relying on the TV way too much. Since the hurricane my children have been sitting in front of the box much less, and have been outside or playing with toys more often. I never was big on allowing them a lot of TV time, but had started relying on Sesame Street to occupy everyone while I tried to dress myself, and the boys.

On a different note: Brooks has bounced back from his surgery completely. He actually GAINED 5 pounds in the first two weeks afterward, and is trying desperately to eat us out of house and home. Doesn't he know we're on a budget?! Oh, I probably neglected to mention that as well, D and I have now been 'Gazelle Intense' for 1 month! Thanks Dave Ramsey!

Hurricane a Commin'!

2008-09-11T18:22:00.000-07:00

We really got away well when Gustav came through. He watered our grass pretty well and cooled things off for a bit. Two days before we, and the rest of our small town, stocked up on water, batteries, and propane. We didn't end up needing any of it. Our lights never even flickered. Now our neighbors across the street lost their power for a few hours, but we were good to go.

Now Hurricane Ike is bearing down on the gulf coast of Texas and all of SE Houston has been evacuated. Schools and businesses are all closed from the coast all the way up to I20 apparently. Lianna doesn't have school in the morning, and all the public schools are closed as well. Many of the evacuees have headed this way and are taking shelter in churches and schools in town.

D said he should be home tomorrow after lunch. Wow! Thanks for the 1/2 day off work Ike! :D

However, there seems to be a bit more panic this time around too. There was a line at the gas stations today around lunch time... it was 6+ cars long by 6:00 this evening. Glad I filled up this morning before things got so hairy.

I wasn't as fortunate with the grocery shopping though. We always do our shopping on Thursdays. I have been going in the mornings while Lianna is at school, but today I was caring for my friend's 8 week old daughter and decided to wait to shop this afternoon. BIG mistake! The whole town was at Kroger this evening. I drove by at 5:00 and the parking lot was FULL. Um, did all 30,000 people decide to go grocery shopping at the same time? I dropped of the kids, and went by myself to get groceries at 6:15. I was in awe as I grabbed one of only two carts left and looked up to notice the line of people waiting to check out. WOW! The line was literally 25+ people long and all lanes were open. I put my cart back, turned around and walked out. I still have not groceries, but am going to go back late tonight, or early in the morning.
What disturbs me is that I may have to go to Walmart simply because they're more likely to be better stocked after experiencing a 'run on the store'.

Glad I found a sitter for the morning... looks like I'll have one more stop to make. Ugh!

Flying Colors

2008-09-04T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well Brooks came out of surgery wonderfully. We arrived at the hospital right at 6:15 a.m. Lianna and Canaan spent the night across the street with their friends. Justin and Heather... Thank you so much for making this way easier on D and I. We are so blessed to have you two for neighbors.
After checking in at the nurses station, Brooks was weighed and measured, then we were shown to a patient room. Here we changed him into his hospital gown (he really didn't want to, but with a little coaxing we got it on). Not long after that a nurse checked his blood pressure and temperature, brought us a little bag of 'goodies' for him to play with, and then we waited. I guess at about 7:00 a nurse came in, gave Brooks a sedative and showed us to the OR holding area.
This is where my stress level and anxiety spiked. I actually had to excuse myself to the ladies room. Brooks was a champ though. We waited there for about an hour. The sedative made him kinda loopy. His eyes were very droopy and he was off balance. A sweet nurse came in and gave him the mouth piece for the anesthesia. It smelled like bubblegum and she explained to Brooks that they'd use it to blow up a balloon. Somehow he got that mixed up and kept talking about blowing bubbles with it. :)
I'm so thankful God brought many familiar faces by that morning. A friend and neighbor from church is a nurse anethesist and happened by while we were in holding. Our next door neighbor's son is a nurse as well, and he actually was the one to carry Brooks off to the OR. The president of the hospital came by as well. His daughter recently graduated high school and was in my bible study for 6 years. We also saw some sweet friends that apparently came by the hospital just to check on us. She was so thoughtful to offer to bring us dinner that night(and it was delicious!)
We waited in the OR waiting for about 30 minutes before the doctor came to give us a report. Everything went smoothly and Brooks was a champ. He said his adenoids were actually growing into his nasal cavity because they were so large. We waited maybe 20 minutes more before a nurse called and said Brooks was calling for me. Imagine me now, bolt out of my chair, leaving purse and bag behind and walk, Speedy Gonzales like, down the hall. I was so glad the nurse chose a quick pace as well (cause I didn't know where I was going).
When I walked in Brooks was crying and coughing and gaging and trying to crawl out of the hospital bed. I scooped him up in my arms, grabbed his blankey from the edge of his bed and sat in the chair a nurse brought for me. I spent the next ten minutes rocking and singing lullabies. Praise God he was consolable. He would cry and pull at his IV at times, but then he'd settle down into my chest and suck his thumb. When he 10 minutes were up, I carried him out of the Recovery Room where I met Darrell (carrying purse and bag... way to go D!) and we went back to the original Patient Room. There, I laid in bed with Brooks, we gave him a sippy cup of water/juice and he downed 1/2 of it in no time. The nurse then said she'd be right back to take out the IV. We hung out there for an hour, watching TV and calling friends and family while Brooks dozed off an on. Then we took our baby home.
He's been eating well and is staying hydrated. After these first two days, the pain should improve and I wont need to wake up at 1:30 a.m. to give him pain meds any more. Please pray he will continue to eat and drink and that I will be creative in finding yummy soft foods he can eat, and that I will be able to find quiet, easy fun things to do to keep him busy during the day. They don't want him running and jumping or over exerting himself for 2 weeks! Yikes! Don't they know what 2 year old kids are like?

You think we should... what?

2008-08-29T06:35:00.000-07:00

My middle child, for as long as I can remember, has always gotten sick so much more easily than his sister and brother and always had really high temps when he was sick. I remember one year, he wasn't even a year old yet, and he started running 105 while we were in Houston visiting family. We took him to an emergency clinic and they couldn't find anything wrong. Ears and throat looked perfectly normal. In the last couple of months Brooks has been to the doctor at least once a month for 'something'. Most recently it was for another fever above 103.5 and some random low grade (101/102) temps off an on for 2-3 weeks. Does that make sense? I mean, he'd run a temp one day, and then be fine, and have a fever again 4 days later. This went on for about 2-3 weeks. His pediatrician noted his large tonsils, and swollen glands and mentioned that she'd made note of similar things happening earlier in the year. But still ears were fine, and no strep in his throat. Another unexplained high temp. Ugh

Well finally, we decided it was time to see an ENT. Don't you love it when nurses and doctors use adjectives? As parents we only ever see our own kids, so we don't have anything really to compare things against. So when we first walked into the nurses office/exam area and she noted that Brooks's tonsils were 'practically kissing back there' I thought... ooooh... that isn't good. We didn't have to wait long for the doctor to come in and give Brooks a once over. While discussing symptoms and asking questions the doctor described Brooks's adenoids using the word 'monstrous'. By this time, it was not a surprise to me that he thought we should have them taken out.

Brooks is 2.5 years old, but he is scheduled for his first surgery on Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30 a.m. I'm sure if you're a mother, I don't have to tell you how incredibly nervous I am. This perfectly qualified anesthesiologist is going to put Brooks under, they will give him an IV, and then our new ENT is going to go down my son's throat and cut out pieces of his body. Then when he wakes up, I've been told to be prepared for some freaking out, screaming, and a child that cant be consoled. My guess is screaming and crying after throat surgery isn't a good thing, so I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for all of this ahead of time.

What scares me the most, is putting myself into his shoes. How do you explain to a 2.5 year old that this doctor is going to take you away into a strange room and give you some silly air to breathe, then cut things out while you're asleep, and I'll be right by his side when you wake up. He's never been to this hospital... he's only seen this doctor and his nurse once, and I'm just not sure what I can do to make anything go more smoothly.

In the end, I know he'll be better for it. If I wasn't certain of that, we wouldn't have scheduled the surgery. He'll be healthier, eat better, probably fill out more, and have more energy after all this is over. Mommy just has to make it through Wednesday morning.

Last Firsts

2008-08-15T06:53:00.001-07:00

We've been experiencing a lot of these with Canaan. Because he is our last child, I've been trying to make a point to really enjoy all of his accomplishments. When he first smiled, I realized that was the last "first smile" we'd ever have. The same when he first sat up, or rolled over (but not in that order). Well Wednesday was a very special day. We experienced our last set of first steps. Canaan finally found the confidence he needed to take his first steps. Any other time we'd tried to encourage this landmark ability, he'd just sit his little bottom down.

Darrell had the grand idea to stand Canaan up about 2-3 feet away, but facing the couch. When he let go of Canaan, instead of sitting, our little boy took 2-3 steps and reached the couch! It was a monumental moment with lots of cheering. We did it several times so Lianna and Brooks could experience it with us. We're all excited, but no one as much as Lianna. She knew we were waiting for Canaan to start walking before we take our family camping trip. It has therefore been scheduled for mid-October, and she cant wait. :D

Will add pictures or video as soon as I can capture this new skill on tape/CF card/or whatever.

Salt and Pepper

2008-08-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

Is your marriage FireProof? D and I has an awesome privilege with a handful of Grace Bible Church ministry leaders to view a special pre-screening of the movie FireProof. It stars Kirk Cameron... remember him?... and was created by this mega church in Georgia and thousands of volunteers. Did you see Facing the Giants? Same church.

FireProof is going to be an awesome outreach tool, and an awesome way to open the door to conversations with friends and neighbors about Christ and his design for marriage. I'm so stoked about this... it's a great movie, the acting, well... there's been better, but it's great given ALL the cast were volunteers. All time favorite quote from the movie goes something like this... Being fireproof doesn't mean you'll never experience a fire, but that you'll be prepared for it when it comes.

This movie really does a great job on touching on real problems people experience, real sins people have to work through and real variety of advice you get from friends, both good and bad. It's a fight, but it is SO worth fighting! And this movie is SO worth seeing! It opens in theatres on September 26th.

What does this movie have to do with salt and pepper? You'll have to watch it to see. :D

Duplicate

2008-08-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

I posted these on my business blog because, technically it was a 'shoot'. However, the client never paid, and the little girl photographed is mine. (wait, can I be my own client?) :) I took Lianna out Saturday morning because I wanted to remember her at 4 years old. I think I'm going to try to do this with all my kids. For every birthday we'll go somewhere fun and funky and try something new or just be together and take pictures. Just me and her/him. Well I dressed Lianna in a fun sassy outfit, and we went to the SFA parking garage! Ha! Like I said... something different. :D

My apologies to those who frequent my photog blog as well... these will be a repeat for you.

Now back to watching the olympics! I'm SO addicted.

New Additions

2008-08-06T06:16:00.001-07:00

I'm so thrilled to announce that today, my brother and sister-in-law are in the hospital. :D Seems like an odd thing to say, but they're due to have their first child, a girl, within a few hours. This will be my very first neice (I have no nephews either) so I'm excited to be an aunt, and excited that Lianna, Brooks, and Canaan will have a cousin! They do however live in California, so we wont be seeing them much this year, but, there has been much talk of a move to Texas within the next year. Congratulations AJ and Stephanie, and welcome Audrey Marcella!

Open Mouth Insert Foot

2008-08-03T20:02:00.001-07:00

For once, I'm not the one with the foot hanging out, but have been the recipient of a mouth+foot moment. Tonight D and I dressed up a little and went to church for the SOS Banquet. We enjoyed a crazy weekend where 8+ young men camped out on our living room floor for two nights. Lianna L-O-V-E-D it! I think she felt like the miraculously adopted 8+ big brothers. :D

Anyway, they closed the weekend with a banquet. D put on a nice button up collared shirt and I donned my most favorite baby doll dress. I call it that because it's very fitted around the chest, with lots of roushing (ok, have no idea how to spell that word but that's not the point) but it gives me a lovely full chested look. ;) The skirt poofs a little and hits me just below the knee, to hide a bit of a post baby pooch I'm still carrying.

An acquaintance approaches me (I really don't even know her name) at a table where I'm trying to keep my children occupied while we wait for dinner to be served and congratulates me. Um... thanks? She asks, is there something I should be congratulating you for? I say, um... no. Don't think so. Her response? Well... congratulations on looking so cute in that pretty dress. OMG! That conversation didn't just happen did it? I'm so mortified!

Wait... it gets worse.

Thirty minutes later, I'm waiting in line to get food for the children and a better acquaintance. One whose name I DO know, greets me in line and asks how I've been feeling. Confused, I say I've been great. Then she reaches out... oh yeah... you know where this is going... and pats my stomach and says she didn't know I was expecting. AAAAaaaaahhhh! I'm Not!

The rest of the evening is a depressing blur of replaying events over and over in my head, and snapping at my children for most anything. Ugh! I don't think I can ever wear my favorite dress again.

For a visual: I SO do NOT look pregnant!

Impromptu Silliness

2008-07-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

I was preparing to snap a couple pictures for my neighbor for her Join the Journey entry that she and her son wrote, but while I waited on them to come over, I took advantage of the pretty light and photographed my 3 favorite subjects again.

Pictures from the royal gala

2008-07-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Things really went well, except for one little girl missing out on the pinata. I really should have gone out there and organized our dragon slaying a little more. As it was, he was half dead by the time I made it outside, and poor "B" missed out on all the fun cause she was in the little princess's room. Otherwise, everything went relatively smoothly. Only the dragon was slayed, no other injuries to knights, princesses, or parent by-standers. The cake looked pretty good considering it was home made, and transitions between activities went smoothly. Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

A little lopsided, but very yummy. ;)

Ever wonder what girls would do if they ever waiting on boys? Why primp and twirl of course.

Happy birthday to Lianna!

Mmmmm... strawberry cake and ice cream.

Thanks "E" , I love Barbies!

Oooh, what could it be?
Look Mommy! Whitley got me a pink sleeping bag!

Fun was had by all. I'm exhausted, but already starting to think about January when Brooks turns three... hmmmm airplanes maybe?

Party Preparations...

2008-07-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

So Saturday is the big day. The Thornton home will be transformed into a castle and filled with lots of princesses and knights. D and I have been busy making swords and shields for the event. I'm going to attempt my first castle cake and hope it looks something like this and this put together. I'll do my best to put someone in charge of a camera so parts of the day will be recorded. Wish me luck, oh and pray only the dragon is slayed, and no princesses. ;)

Bed Buddies

2008-07-09T11:42:00.000-07:00

If you'll remember back a couple weeks ago, I posted about the trouble I was having with Brooks climbing into bed with his baby brother. Click here for a review. Well last night I was in the shower when D popped in and said Brooks was asleep in Canaan's bed. Nothing out of the ordinary... until he started to describe to me how they were laying. He said, "imagine them laying on their backs, bottoms together with their feet intertwined." My first thought, "You HAVE to get the camera!" (I'm sopping wet with shaving cream on my legs or I would have done it) So when I finally dry off he's laying in the bed camera in hand. When he turns it around for me to see... well, here's the image. Isn't this just the sweetest thing ever?!?

Time flies when you're busy

2008-06-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's almost July, and I haven't posted since Canaan's birthday!?! Man, I'm behind! Well I do have good reason.

*Caution Big huge run-on story ahead*

Lianna went home with Nanna after Canaan's birthday, so the next week I toted the boys to Houston to go get her. On our way home Wednesday, Brooks started throwing up. By Friday he was feeling much better, but by then Lianna, Darrell and I were puking. Canaan was the only one who escaped the bug. My mother had also texted me early Friday morning about 5:30 a.m. (I know the time because I was up listening to D puke) to tell me my grandmother had passed away. She was 85 and lived a full life and was in ill health the last 3 years or so. Is it terrible that I was actually relieved when she told me? I was so glad for her to be in a better place, with a new body. She now knows who she is and all her memories back. Anyway two days later, we've recovered from the bug and D leaves for Missouri with the church youth group for 5 days. Meanwhile, I travel to Shreveport to pick up my sister, and brother who are flying in for our grandmother's funeral and take them (and the children) to Houston. We spend a few days there visiting family and eating at yummy restaurants. When we come home my sister starts puking. Ugh! Are you kidding me? D gets back from Missouri the next day, and thankfully my sister is well enough to fly home as scheduled. The whole family takes the trip to Shreveport to see them off on Friday evening. Saturday brings a photo shoot (see the "do over" post in my business blog) and a birthday party. I then have the rest of the weekend to decompress. Ahhhh. We have a good 3 or 4 days of our normal routine before Brooks starts to run fever. It's not that high (101... remember Brooks is my 103/104 kid) so D and I decide to continue with our plans for date night Thursday. We celebrate our anniversary in Lufkin with dinner and a movie. But I must mention, I got roses (18 beautiful red ones) for the first time in a long long time. The last time I got flowers was for my birthday back before Lianna was born. I felt very loved and very special. We arrive home that night and Brooks had thrown up and was running 103.8. Ugh! See what I mean!?! Friday I take him to the doctor and well, now it's Sunday night, and he's improved, but not better. The other two have fared much better, Canaan only has the crud, no fever; and Lianna has had some low grade fevers but no crud. Go figure! I hope you guys have had a much better month of June. I feel like most of mine was spent in the car, cleaning puke, or being under quarantine.

Firsts

2008-06-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

First Haircut -

On June 7, 2008 Canaan received his first haircut. I had just woken him from a nap so he was still a little sleepy when our famous "kitchen beautician" began her work. He did great! Darrell's mom held Canaan in her lap so D could tend to our other guests, and I could snap pictures. Here are the highlights.

Dude! I just woke up, what is Miss Chris doing, and why is everyone looking at me?

Doesn't he look handsome!?! I'm not sure if the look of shock is from realizing he'll never look like my baby again, or realizing that Daddy got a fancy new (to him) camera off EBay, so essentially mom has two now. :D Ha!

First Birthday Cake -

I got all creative and made this cute little caterpillar cake for Canaan's birthday. I know, no big surprise to those of you who've seen my flip - flop and choo choo train cakes. I thought a caterpillar was fitting given Canaan's preferred mode of transportation up until he was 11 months old. I did however completely forget to take a picture. Imagine a bunt cake cut in half, and then shifted and put back together to make a long "S" (or caterpillar) shape. Then coated in green icing and some random orange and red designs. It probably could have been prettier, but it certainly tasted good. Canaan seemed to like it too!

Notice the match used for a candle. Yeah... after 10 minutes of searching for birthday candles I KNOW I have, I gave up, and agreed to use a match as D suggested.

The whole hand approach. He actually did just stick one finger in the icing at first, but one taste was all it took and he started in with all four fingers.

Oh yeah... this is the life!

So happy!

Happy Birthday Baby!

2008-06-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well my little boy turned one on Tuesday, June 3rd. At first it doesn't seem like a big deal... after all we've celebrated 1st birthdays twice before. However, Canaan's is different. I'm experiencing this sweet sadness along with the joy of seeing him learn and grow. See, he's my last baby (God willing ;D) and so this is essentially my last first birthday, until we have grand kids, but that's not happening soon... I mean really, Lianna's not even 4 yet.

To fuel these emotions a little more, I've agreed to have Canaan's hair cut for the first time on Saturday. See according to Darrell, Canaan came out needing a hair cut. I've held him off for a year now, but the deal was, we weren't going to cut his hair until he was at least one, and well, now he's one. As most of you mothers know, after that first haircut the baby in them just seems to dissapear. Those sweet baby curls never come back (or are never allowed to because before they can it's haircut time again). I suffered through this last summer with Brooks, but he was almost 18 months old. The difference is, he was born almost completely bald, and hardly had any hair until he was a year old, while his brother had a head full of dark hair at birth.

Brooks' first hair-cut... May 31st, 2007

A recent photo of my sweet Canaan. I'll post his haircut pictures over the weekend.

Oh and for those of you who are concerned about my one year old having a "high and tight" (the only haircut D knows how to do); I'm having a professional come over to cut Canaan's. He's too young for the military look in my opinion. We'll do clean cut, with a little length on top I think. :)

It's so hard when they're so sweet

2008-05-20T11:54:00.000-07:00

For the past week or so, during nap time and bed time, D and I have been having a small problem with Brooks and Canaan playing in bed. I love that my boys are old enough now to play together, and that they enjoy each other. I honestly don't mind if they want to talk and laugh even after they've been tucked in. However, a problem arises when Brooks docent stay in his bed. On several occasions this is what we come to find when checking on them after bedtime.

Darrell even found them laying down together one morning (we seriously think they may have stayed the night in there together), though usually Brooks just climbs in there early in the morning to play. It's so sweet, yet, against the rules! I'm torn not knowing what to do... so today, I just decided to take a picture! Ha!

PS. for those that don't know, Brooks sleeps in a bottom bunk in the same room. He apparently just loves climbing into the crib to be with his little brother.

Can I Brag a Little?

2008-05-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I've suspected this for a while, but now I'm just sure of it. I have the best husband in the entire world. If any of you know my man, you know he is goofy, funny, and loves to tease. If you know him well, you know he enjoys being a father and loves to spend time with his family. If you know him as well as I do, you know he's not one to back down from a challenge (not the peer pressure kind, but the kind where he is challenged to grow and become a better man) and he's always ALWAYS there if someone needs help.

I was further blessed within the last few weeks because he willingly took all three kids over the weekend while I went out of town, not once, but twice! That's right, and to top it off, on one of those occasions he even took a 1/2 day off work to boot! You have to admit not many men will do that, and most of those that do, well, they often recruit help in one form or another. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not belittling those men that do call their moms and ask if he and the kids can come over for dinner while their wives are away; I'm just saying, my man willingly took on the responsibility with no help what-so-ever!

Pretty good huh? Ha! It gets better! When I returned from my most recent trip away, I came home to a floor that had been vacuumed. Um, no, Lianna isn't big enough to do that yet, MUST have been my hubby! Wait! Wait! It gets better still. He then proceeded to tell me that the kitchen had been swept and mopped as well! Oh My God! Really!? Seriously!?

I love my husband. I really do. He really and truly supports me in all I aspire to do and become. *sigh*

Forever 18

2008-05-17T20:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took 3 beautiful 18 year old young women with me to Houston. That's right!... another fun trip for me full of fun restaurants and shopping. You see, these lovely young women have a special place in my heart. They have been in my youth group bible study since they were in the 8th grade. They are now seniors in high school and about to test out their wings in this great big world. So, we naturally needed to celebrate this wonderful transition in their lives. We drove to Houston, stayed in a 4 star hotel, ate at the Taste of Texas (and yes...we all ordered steaks and finished them!), shopped Memorial City Mall all day on Saturday and jammed to the radio all the way home. While shopping we hit places like Fossil, Guess, Express, Forever 21 and Dillard's (we did stop in New York and Co and Ann Taylor Loft for me). Nothing I can think of will make a 30 year old woman feel 18 again, like spending the weekend with 3 sassy 18 year olds.

Alas I forgot my camera. I know, I'm a photographer, but if you know me, you pretty much know, I never have my camera with me (unless I've got a shoot scheduled). I will post pictures as soon as I get them from my girls. :)

Lesson for the Day

2008-04-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

How to remove melted plastic Walmart bag/bread bag from your glass top stove:

Step 1 : With great haste remove the Walmart bag containing loafs of bread.
Step 2: Check loafs of bread for holes.
2a: If you find a large hole: slip loaf of bread into a old emptied bread bag.
2b: If you find a small hole: use wide roll of masking tape to cover the hole.
2c: If no holes are found, you're luckier than I was.
Step 3: Allow plastic to dry for 4 days and use other three burners until you think of how to remove it.
Step 4: Try peeling plastic bag remnants off stove. (if plastic remains, see step 5)
Step 5: Try scraping plastic off with thin plastic spatula. (if plastic remains, see step 6)
Step 6: Use a sharp metal wood chisel you find in husbands garage to carefully scrape up the remains, without scratching glass surface.
Step 7: If 6 is still no help, you're worse off than I was, just go buy a new stove.

*Above all else, make a mental note to warn husband BEFORE he puts groceries down on counter and glass top stove, that the stove is still hot.

Front Yard Fun

2008-04-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

My children love playing in the front yard. It's true, our back yard is great. There is a new swing set/slide/fort back there, as well as shovels for digging, dump trucks for pushing and a lawn mower in case someone wants to help daddy mow. However, in the front yard, there is a greater chance of seeing the children across the street. Lianna and Brooks love their neighbor friends. They seem to have the best toys too. Though they might argue that our toys are more fun. You know, the grass is always greener...

Here are some fun snaps of our evening together last week:

Mommies' night out!

2008-04-19T18:51:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from being away from my husband and children for 30 hours and I loved every second of it! Don't get me wrong, I missed them, but it was so great to miss them for a while. I went to Houston for a weekend of shopping with 3 other mommies.

It took a while for Kelly, Heather, Jenny and I to stop pointing out all the yellow buses, construction equipment and big trucks, but after about an hour were were speaking like normal civilized adults again. Upon arriving in Houston we checked into our hotel with minimal unloading of luggage. The four of us carried on adult conversation over dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe, and spoke in complete sentences with only an occasional interruption from the waitress. We actually spent 2.5 hours at the restaurant just taking our time and enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other better. We then went back to the hotel and prepared only ourselves for bed.

In the morning we woke up when we were ready, and didn't rush to prepare breakfast or change diapers. We ate at this wonderful little bistro-like place that serves breakfast and lunch in central Houston, called Tiny Boxwoods. It was fabulous! We ate outside on the patio and had things like fresh fruit yogurt parfait, sausage spinach quiche and orange julius. Okay, yeah, so Jenny knows the chef and had the inside scoop, but I'm so glad she told us of this little diamond of a place. The next 6 hours were dedicated to nothing but shopping. We each had our own agenda and didn't have to stop unless we wanted a break. We tried on clothes in dressing rooms, all by ourselves. Imagine! No strollers or children, and still no diapers to change. As Jenny would say, "it was fabulous!"

It's so rare that moms are able to get away from being a mom, and a wife for a while, but it's so important. I was able to just be a woman for a while and enjoy time with friends and take care of only myself. I came home refreshed and ready to take on all the family tasks that I do on a normal daily basis. My attitude and perspective however had drastically improved. I think from now on, this will be an annual event (bi-annual if we can talk our hubbies into it.) :P

Spring is in the air

2008-04-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

We have a new addition to our family. No we're not pregnant, and no we didnt buy another dog/cat/other . However we found a Mocking bird's nest in a bush outside my and Darrell's bedroom window. It's low enough to the ground that we can see in it, and the kids and I have been watching to see when the baby birds hatch. Friday afternoon we saw one baby bird poke his little head up. My neighbor, Heather, happened to have her camera handy (as I rarely do) and took a great shot of the newest member of our neighborhood. Isn't he/she adorable!

Another sweet capture my friend, Heather, took of our two kiddoes. This was taken at Mother's Day Out, back in February at the Valentine's party. Lianna love's her friend Hudson.

Simple Pleasures

2008-04-04T11:10:00.001-07:00

There are little things a stay at home mom indulges in. I honestly believe we all have we need them in order to keep our sanity and prevent losing ourselves in the midst of serving our families. Here are a few of mine:

Home-made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough - that's right, when I bake cookies I rarely bake ALL the dough. I like to have a spoonful or so in the middle of the day.

Blue Bell Ice cream - I'll admit it. I'm a complete ice cream snob. If it's not bluebell or from some special creamery like Marble Slab, I probably wont eat it. I savor the stuff. It's smooth and creamy and best enjoyed after 8:00p.m. when children are in bed and you don't have to share it.

Lay's Potato Chips dipped in sour cream - no extra spice or flavor... just plain full fat sour cream.

Bubble Baths - I haven't partaken in this luxury in quite a while, and I miss it so, but when we upgrade to a larger home you'd better believe I'm upgrading to a better tub. One that is better suited for laying in it.

Nap time - This quiet alone time seems to be fading, but I'm hanging on to it for dear life. Lianna is napping only 1-1.5 hours these days, but it's enough to allow me some silence to work, pray, or relax in.

I recently was introduced to these new tortilla chips last Wednesday. These may be added to my luxury list soon too. You've got to try Tia Rosa MegaThin tortilla chips. They are da bom diggity!

Hmmm... I'd better find some new non-food luxuries. Four of the six are some kind of food. If my mom is right, now that I'm thirty I'll start having to work harder at keeping weight off. I'm not nursing much anymore either, so I have no excuse for extra calories.

My Inchworm

2008-04-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

My sweet husband went to the trouble of converting this video so I can show off my littlest baby to all of you. It's amazing how God creates us all so completely different from those around us. Canaan has been different since birth, and continues to prove over and over that he his not like his brother or his sister. Contrary to how they crawled (up on all four) Canaan has decided that he's got his own style. Enjoy!

You know you're a mother of boys if...

2008-03-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

Have you run across this FWD yet? You know, the one with all the images of boys doing crazy, hilarious, and dangerous things. If you haven't, it's hilarious. Well, I decided after 3 days this week, I'm able to make a list of my own. That's right, all this happened within three days time.

You are the mother of boys if:

You feel like you're constantly making food or snacks because the little boy is ALWAYS hungry.
You're having to practically force your son to eat because he all of a sudden doesn't want the snacks/food you've fixed for him.
You constantly turn around to find your son on the chair or table reaching for something that is "off-limits."
You find your son putting magnets, computer plugs (one prong kind) into his nose, mouth and ears.
You run from the back room to see why your daughter is screaming to find both children laying on the floor watching T.V. and your sons fingers are intertwined with your daughter's hair as he tugs and grins with every elicited scream.
You have to dry your son off from his daily splash in the toilet where he was trying to flush the shampoo bottles down the hole.
You come out of the shower to find your son (and daughter) sitting in a pile of powdered formula. Entire can ($30) completely emptied onto the floor and the dog is happily licking it up.

The View this Morning....

2008-03-07T07:13:00.000-08:00

... from my backdoor...

...and from my front door.

It started getting heavier.

Then it really started coming down.

Only one kid was brave enough to go out in it. Well, maybe Canaan would have been, but I didnt ask him. ;) Brooks stayed warm in the house and just stared out the windows.

This is the second year in a row we've had snow. Last year it was late as well. It snowed the Saturday before Easter, this year it was the Friday before Spring Break. I hear Dallas is getting 2-4 inches. We're only 3 hours north of Houston, so this is definately strange, but welcome, weather. So fun!

streptococcus in the throatus

2008-03-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

After a weekend of sleepless nights, fever and shining flashlights in throats, I was relieved to see Lianna diagnosted with strep throat. The doctor thought I was strange for smiling after she told me my daughter was sick. I had to explain that I knew she was ill, and was relieved to know I'd been wise and brought her in. There's a balance a parent must find in letting your child fight through little colds and sore throats by themselves, and knowing when it's bad enough to go to the doctor for treatment. I chose wisely yesterday. :)

So far the rest of the children are fairing well. We think we might have contained it to our daughter only. It will take a day or two to be sure, as Darrell is showing signs of illness now. We are all under quarentine (except Darrell who must continue to earn a paycheck) until tomorrow, provided Lianna stays fever free.

On a completely different note, my 9 month old son still refuses to crawl. I admit, I have not pushed him very hard, okay, okay, I havent encouraged him at all. :D He has recently found an alternate mode of transportation though. He now can roll himself from one side of the living area to the other, and has once rolled himself into a corner of his sister's closet. It's quite amusing actually. Here's to baby #3 may he take as long as he pleases to crawl, walk, and run!

Avoiding the Dishes yet again

2008-02-26T19:56:00.001-08:00

It's amazing how long you can distract yourself on the internet. Mmmmm... Don't I look yummy? Ha!

The Search is Over

2008-02-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

Back in December, our family had the difficult task of having to find a new physician. Our previous one was a member of our church, hunted with Darrell, had children the same age as ours, and his wife was a friend of mine. We were so sad to see them move, for so many reasons. Darrell and I decided our next physician should have many of the same qualities our previous one had.

Same Day Appointments
Family Physician (could see us all)
Short wait (20 min. or less)
Friendly staff and nurses
Encouraged phone consultations with nurse
Friendly
Doesn't prescribe antibiotics for everything

We thought we'd found our doctor. He was great, but had a longer wait than I really preferred. I thought I could deal with that, since he had all the other qualities. I was wrong.

Wednesday night Brooks started running a fever and by 4:00 am it was 103.9. Thursday morning I called our doctor to make an appointment. The good news was that Lianna was at Mother's Day Out, so I'd only have to take the two boys with me. The bad news was our doctor's partner was out sick so our normal 1 hour wait, would be even longer, and there was no appointment open for the morning.

Darrell and I made the decision to try another doctor. My time is just way too important to wait all day in the doctor's office. I called a pediatrician and she was able to get me in within two hours. I arrived 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork. I was in the exam room with both boys by our scheduled appointment time, and was walking out to my car within an hour. The pediatrician was great with Brooks, and though she suspected he had Strep she didn't just automatically prescribe antibiotics. She ran a test (in office!) and it came back negative. Go figure! He didnt need antibiotics afterall. She encouraged me to call and visit with her nurse if I had any questions, and gave me some instructions for Motrin to keep Brooks's fever down and reduce the inflamation in his throat. I was sold!

I asked the receptionist if I could make an appointment for his two year check up. In doing this, I realized the doctor had set aside special days specifically for well-child-checkups. What a concept! The well children, will not be in the waiting room with sick children. I'm telling you, I'm so excited to have a doctor who values my time, and my children's health, enough to arrange her schedule accordingly.

Ewwwwww!

2008-02-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

I've been a mother for three and a half years now. You'd think having three children within that time would give me ample preparation for the gross things in my life. I've potty trained my daughter, and changed multiple diapers between two sons that continue to wear them. We've been through stomach viruses where there was both puke and diarreah. (okay, yeah, that was bad... as an infant lianna once was in here johnny jump up and her diaper leaked, loose stool ran down her leg. When I immerged from the shower I found her jumping in her own waste that was in turn being mushed into my carpet.)

After typing all that out I realize this wasnt so bad, but I was surprised none the less. Today, in effort to make life easier on the sitter tonight (her first time with our kids) and an effort to make Saturday less busy, I decided to bathe all three children, at the same time, by myself. Other than getting a little (okay, a lot) wet, and the nice surprise I was given, it went fairly well.

Everyone is scrubbed and I decide to remove Canaan from all the chaos. He's most likely to get knocked over by an older sibling, and once dry, he doesn't wander too far from where I place him. I wrap up his chunky dripping body in a warm towel and carry him to his room. I remove a diaper from the drawer and a wipe from the container on the dresser. As I begin to unwrap the towel, I find a nice pile of poo that he'd left just for me. Ugh, I wipe his bottom and reach for the diaper with my right hand while holding his two feet with my left. I feel him strain against my left hand, and turning to scold him for trying to wriggle out of my grasp, I realize that wasnt the reason for his straining at all. He was evidently not finished giving me my surprise. Ewwwww! At least it's all being caught in his towel, and it's fairly solid enough to dump in the toilet afterward. I do a little "heeby jeeby" dance, laugh at him, and once I think he's finished I carefully wad up the towel and quickly put a clean diaper on him, in case he still isnt finished.

I return to the bathroom,towel in hand, where Lianna and Brooks are throwing buckets of water on each other, and of course little of it is staying in the tub. I mop up what I can with a handy towel (not the poopy one), and dump my "gift" into the toilet, then flush it away. The rest of the children are dried and dressed with only minimal naked running up and down the hall.

The story of my crazy life. Now there's a title for a blog..."Mi Vida Loca". Dont worry, I'm not changing the name of mine again.

An Adventurous Spirit... Well Sort Of

2008-02-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

I dont know about you, but I dont consider myself very adventurous. I have no desire to climb a mountain, or explore the ocean or my refrigerator for that matter. (That would be really scary!) When I go to a restaurant I usually order the same thing. I know what I like and I dont venture far from that security. I rarely branch out and try something new, and usually only after I've seen or heard how great it is.

Ever since Canaan was about 4 months old, I've been eating oatmeal for breakfast. You can imagine the mundane feeling I get every morning when I heat the milk for my oatmeal. Having the same thing for breakfast can be utterly boring and drive a person insane. I only do it for Canaan.

When I was growing up my mother always served oatmeal with honey drizzled over it, or a scoop of brown sugar on top. My favorite has always been the latter. Yum! Every now and then, I'm surprised by a little brown sugar crisp in my spoonful if I didnt mix it up completely. Double yum!

As you can imagine, after a just a month of mornings like this, one can get pretty tired of oatmeal. I was discussing this morning regiment of oatmeal with a friend of mine, who has oatmeal every Saturday morning. She told me she always serves hers with cinnamon and sugar. Hmmmm.... interesting.

Oh, but I'm not that adventurous am I? This is new.... what if I dont like it? What if it makes it harder to eat the whole bowl? All these questions fill my head with doubt, but oh, how I long for something different in the morning.

On Monday morning, I did it. Instead of pulling out the bag of brown sugar, I mixed some white sugar with cinnamon. It wasnt bad. It was pretty good. I was able to finish my entire bowl and enjoyed it. But I havent gone back again. It's kinda sad really. I want variety, but I like what I eat. Oh well... I guess I can choose my misery or not. Maybe one day, I'll try apples.

Something UnExpected

2008-01-31T06:21:00.000-08:00

Almost every afternoon about 3:30 you'll find my children at the kitchen table eating a snack. I typically give the children two or three options to choose from. Their options were cheese and crackers or oranges. They wanted both. :) Anyway, yesterday, we had a bit of a suprise as the inside of their chosen fruit was revealed.

Just take a look for yourself!

And for those who wonder... yes... we ate the entire thing (I did taste it first before serving it to the kiddos), and it tasted just like an orange should.

The Apprentice

2008-01-29T06:18:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Lianna received (from her Aunt Carrie) a Fisher Price Camera. She has been busy taking pictures and is constantly asking us to "fix it" because she's constantly filling up the memory capacity on this thing. It only holds 48 images alone. Darrell is on the hunt for an SD card we can use to allow her more images. I thought you might like to see some of her recent work.

Playing with creative angles already

Look at the curves, and lines... very pleasing to the eye

She's showing some interest in different architectures as well.

Portrait work seems to be a favorite though. Here's our neighbor and a favorite playmate of hers.

A portrait of Canaan, though I hope she learned from this one. Sometimes the flash can blow out a subject if used too close.

Mental Note...

2008-01-17T19:07:00.001-08:00

Don't tell Lianna anything good is going to happen until just before it does. She'll ask questions incessantly until it's time.

Last week on Friday a good friend and client of mine came over to pick up her maternity pictures. She stayed and visited a while before taking off and I mentioned to her that Darrell's mom would be coming on Thursday to get the kids for the long MLK weekend. Lianna happened to be in the room when I mentioned this and turned to me with huge eyes and asked... "what did you say mommy?"

I thought to myself, oh no, now I've done it. I told her that her Nana was coming to get her in 6 days. That means little to a three year old, who for the next 6 days asked, "Is Nana coming today?" Finally, Thursday arrived and the questions changed. All day today I heard, "When is Nana coming?"

She arrived tonight at 6:00 and life continued as normal. Until I mentioned to my Mother In Law that I bought some cute footie pajamas for Lianna off www.oldnavy.com. Lianna once again was in earshot. So I explain to her that the UPS man (you know the one who brings us boxes) will bring your pink teddy bear pajamas in a couple of days. Just before bed she asks, "where are my pink teddy bear pajamas mommy?" Ugh. Here we go again!

Interesting isnt it

2008-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

I got curious the other day, and decided to dig up some pictures of all my babies from when they were around 6 months old. I decided after this that I really needed to organize my personal photos in a different way. I had a terrible time finding one of Lianna.

Here's what I found... it's amazing how God can use the genes from the same two people and make 3 completely different children.

My Big Boy's Birthday

2008-01-13T18:43:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, January 12, 2008 my oldest son turned two. We decided exactly one week earlier, to celebrate by have a choo choo party. I thought for sure that'd be enough time to throw a little party for a two-year-old together. There's not a whole lot of entertaining that needs to happen, and I just needed to come up with some party favors and a cake. Easy right? Right.

Well, things didnt quite go as planned this week. (they never do, and I should have known better) I wasnt able to do our grocery shopping on Thursday night as is our usual routine, so Darrell and I decided to put it off until Friday night.

*Mistake #1* Never shop for the party the night before.

It would be alright though, D would be home by 5:30 we'd have dinner, go to the store and be back by 7:30 to put the kids to bed. That would have been fine, except, I forgot to take the meat out for dinner and it wasnt defrosted. To make meat patties for hamburgers, that's an important step I missed. Ugh.

Darrell doesnt get home until 6:00. We leave by 6:30, run by a party store before it closes and they have nothing I need. Ugh again! So we decide fast food is the answer. We decide where to eat, but our order is skipped and we dont get our food for 20 minutes or so. We are comped some dessert, but dont get out of there until 7:30. Double Ugh.

We now have two choices. I can go to the store myself after first dropping D and the kids off at home so he can put them to bed at a decent hour, or we can all go and just get to bed late. We decide on the latter.

Mistake #2 Dont put the kids to bed late the night before a party.

The kids dont get to bed until 9:30 and I am not able to start working on the cake until 10:00p.m. The good news is, it's a frozen pound cake, no baking required. Darrell and I finally make it to bed by midnight.

Mistake #3 Dont decide not to set the alarm the morning of the party.

The kids sleep in and wake up about 8:00 a.m. The party is in two hours. Darrell goes to run a quick errand, and pick up some supplies we forgot the night before. While he's gone, I feed the children and get them all dressed. He returns by 9:30 a.m. Everyone is ready to go... except me. I'm still in my PJs. I rush through a shower and throw on some clothes. Darrell loads up the kids and we carefully load the cake and party favors etc. in the car. I'm running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Darrell is cool as a cucumber. Wow! He's normally frustrated when we run this late, I'm impressed!

Cake... check

Icecream .... check

Favors.... check

Diaper bag.... check

"you got the keys to the church?" I ask... "yes" he replies

Camera bag.... crud!

I literally run into the house, grab the camera bag and run back to the car.

Darrell says, "Allison, relax we dont have that much setting up to do." I look at the clock, look at him and say, honey, it's 10:10, the party was supposed to start 10 minutes ago."

"What!?! I thought it was at 10:30! You mean we're late to our own birthday party!?!" He exclaims.

Mistake #3 Dont assume your husband knows what time the party starts. Be sure and tell him.

We arrive at the church and thankfully no one is waiting on us. As we get out of the van D realizes he in fact does not have the keys. Ugh.

Mistake #4 Always double check to make sure you have the keys.

Thankfully, a friend arrives shortly after and unlocks the door for us. The party starts and all is well. The children enjoy themselves, the adults visit and the rest of the day glides along smoothly.

Here are some pictures:

Maybe it's just me...

2008-01-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

or maybe it's because I'm a photographer, but wherever I go, I always see thing that would be great to photograph. My dad and I were actually just talking about this when he last came to visit. He and my brother were discussing a smallish tree they say along some railroad tracks and how cool the "leading lines" would look when photographed. I do this kind of thing ALL the time. Whenever I'm driving I see awesome barns, fields, fences and roads where I'd love to photograph someone. Not only that but when I'm shopping I see all the cute clothes, boots, scarves, hats and I do the same thing. If I bought everything I wanted to dress my children in (or anyone elses kids for that matter) I'd be broke.

I was at Hobby Lobby today looking for party supplies for Brooks. He's turning 2 tomorrow and we're having a Choo Choo party. I found a big fat nothing for the party, but I did find these beautiful Asian paper parasols that I really really wanted to buy. Why? Did I think Lianna needed a paper parasol for protecting her fair skin from the harsh winter sunlight? Um... no... but it would be so so fun to photograph her with it. Ugh. Maybe it's just me.

The Secret Keeper

2008-01-08T14:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, so first things first. I apologize to all my readers out there (all 5 of you) ;) for not posting as often. I promise to do better in the future. *pinkie swear*

I just love being in trusted with a secret. I love knowing that someone has enough faith in me not to blab my mouth to anyone until they're ready. Usually these secrets aren't bad, I would go into depression if someone expected me to carry the weight of their affair on my shoulders for example. But if you have good news, that you aren't ready to share... I'm your gal! Ha!

For example... I've known about several pregnancies before they were announced. I've known about a new job opportunity and acceptance before it was public, and other fun things like that.

However, if you try to play a game of Mafia with me, I will inevitably ruin it. I'm awful at lying about myself. I've outed the name of one of my children (we usually wait till they're born) unintentionally and practically outed myself when I was early early pregnant with baby #3. It was actually a friend teasing me about being pregnant (having no clue that I really was) and my face said it all! Oops.

So by all means, continue to share your secrets with me. Just don't expect me to be able to keep a secret from you. Ha!

Conversations with a 3 year old

2007-12-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

Friday - 11:55 a.m. Dec. 7, 2007

Here's a recap of an "in car" conversation.
Me: Lianna we're going to "the green restaurant" (aka: Cotton Patch) for lunch.
Her: Yipee! The Green Restaurant is my favorite.
Me: Brooks, do you want to eat grilled cheese or chicken.
Him: Tzeeeez
Her: Mommy, Brooks is a boy, he doesn't eat Giiiirrrrl Cheese, he eats Boy Cheese!
Me: Ha! Sweet Love... it's Grrriillled Cheese, not Giiirrrl Cheese.

Friday - 6:15 p.m. Dec. 7, 2007

Lianna just arrived home from purchasing our Christmas tree with daddy. We proceed to trim the trunk and put it up in the living room. Everyone steps back and looks at our newly acquired (yet still undecorated) tree.
Daddy: Well, what do you think?
Lianna: Where are all the presents?
Mommy: Well Honey, they don't just appear once the tree is up.

Saturday - (every hour or so) Dec. 8, 2007

Lianna: Mommy? When are we going to put lights on our tree?
Me: Maybe tonight if we have time.

Sunday - (every hour or so) Dec. 9, 2007

Lianna: Mommy? Can we put lights on our tree now?
Me: No honey, we have to wait until we can ALL do it together.

Monday - 11:45 a.m. Dec. 10, 2007

My sister calls from Vegas. Her phone conversation with Lianna:
Lianna: We have a new Christmas tree! I really love it!
[proceeds to hug the tree]
[pause]
Lianna: It's very poky, like a pine cone.
[pause]
Lianna: No there's no presents under it, only water.

Change of Plan

2007-12-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

Well, for the last two days, I've been trying to get a picture of our new truck, but with the time change, Darrell always gets home after dark. I will eventually post pics of the trucks for you, but until then I thought I'd share some of the out takes from our own family photo shoot.

I knew automatically that I wanted to do something with all of us wearing jeans and boots. We were trying to find a time that we could all go out around sunset and do this. I'd arranged for a friend to take the pics and we were set. We nixed the idea a couple of days ahead of time. It was going to just be too hard with nap times and driving to the location I wanted. Darrell suggested we do them out in Mississippi. Perfect! I know the exact location I want to use, and it's literally a short walk from grandma's house. His aunt (who lives next door to grandma) graciously agreed to press the shutter button for me so I wouldnt be running back and forth with a timer.

Not really as easy as you'd think. I really think next year, I'm going to talk to Darrell about having them done by a professional (one that isnt me). The majority of images looked like these.

Truck For Sale

2007-12-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Anyone want to buy a used truck? We have one for sale. :D She's been with Darrell and I for 8 1/2 wonderful years. She was my first big purchase as a married woman and ever! She's been so good to us. This ol' truck faithfully hauled wood, pine needles, lumber, furniture, and children the entire time we owned her. She's been a good truck. Here lately though, she's been getting pretty tired. She uses more gas and oil and sometimes needs to be sweet talked into starting on cold mornings. I'm sure she'll make some high school kid very happy one day, but for us, it's time to say goodbye. I'm sorry I can't say I'll miss her. Frankly we need something with a back seat, something with better gas mileage, and something that will start every time the key turns. I'm excited to say, we purchased her last weekend. She's a transplant from Mississippi. Her previous owner was a woman, and told me in confidence that this baby performs best when driven by a woman. ;) Darrell said she was so happy to be sporting her new Texas tags yesterday. She sure is puuurty. Here's hoping she'll be as faithful as the one before.

Out with the OLD

In with the NEW

Gross things...

2007-11-21T21:14:00.000-08:00

my husband does.

1. Picks up and kills roaches with his bare hands.

Okay, so that's just one, there are many others but I don't want this to be an embarrassment for him. Oh and don't get me wrong... I adore him for rescuing me from these disgusting freaks of nature. He is my hero when it comes to any kind of creepy crawly. I spotted an extremely large sized roach on our end table tonight and instead of proceeding to locate a shoe in order to smash is, he instead reached over and just grabbed it off the table. That act alone sent shivers down my spine, and I retreated to the other room saying "ewww, ewww, ewww" the whole way.

Titles

2007-11-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

On a rare night out tonight, Darrell and I sat on a bench in a restaurant and listened to group after group being called to their tables. We sat around, people watching while he patiently listened as I grumbled about how hungry I was.

At one point the hostess announced "Smith, party of five, your table is now available" and I looked at Darrell and said, you know, that's what we are now. Well, not NOW, we're on a date without kids, but as a family... we're now a party of five. Has a nice ring to it doesn't it. Then I said, "Duh! I totally should have called my blog "Party of Five". So much catchier and shorter than the current title. He just laughed and smiled with an expression that communicated a mix between, "man I married a goofy woman" and "sure honey whatever you think". Oh well.. what's in a name... right?

What do you think? Would "Party of Five" be better or am I goofy for thinking the title of my blog is really that big of a deal, or that anyone would really give a hoot one way or the other.

Girls Night Out

2007-11-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

I just love nights where a handful of women escape the confines of our homes, can gather around food, and share stories of motherhood and wifehood (not sure if that's even a word, but it totally should be). Tonight we celebrated a friend's 31st birthday. We all got a little treat and escaped our normal evening routines for some "girl talk". It was refreshing to just laugh, share and remember that we are not alone in the awesome challenge of raising godly children. Some of us have bigger tasks than others (dependent on child temperament) but we all struggle, and sharing stories, struggles, ideas, and just getting to know each other a little more intimately is so encouraging (or scary, some of my friends are way trashier than I am! Ha!). I think it's bed time, I'm got a little too happy with the punctuation in that last sentence. I think the sugar from my cheesecake is finally being introduced into my blood.

It's a Nasty Job

2007-11-08T20:44:00.000-08:00

.... but I'd rather do it, than pay someone else. Ha! We just finished another long night of making sausage. At least it's forcing me to keep my kitchen clean.

Next time Darrell shoots a deer, I hope he considers the week ahead, and whether or not we have the time to do all this over again, or the money to pay someone else to do it.

We've tried some of the sausage already (just fried it in a pan). Yum!

Yum!

2007-11-07T21:23:00.001-08:00

Remember that deer Darrell killed on Saturday? He (and some pig from somewhere) were ground into sausage meat tonight. It's late, no details, but had to post, cause it's NaBloPoMo. :D

Two Sick Boys

2007-11-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

When you're day starts with coughing and puke, you just know it's not going to get much better. Brooks and Canaan have had a cold for a few days now. No fever, just that coughing with snotty nose and all around whineyness. This morning Brooks was coughing so much he puked. Not just once, but 3 times. Canaan has had the same thing, but instead of the puking, I started to suspect an ear infection. He was fussing when I cleaned out his ears with a Q-tip yesterday evening.

So I call the doctor. Our normal family doctor wasn't in today. He's actually moving away come December, so I decided it was a good time to try someone new. Dr. Davis had only one opening. Of course, given the way my morning went, the one open slot would be smack in the middle of nap time. *GROAN* Oh well, better than tomorrow when you have two sick whining kids.

Mistake 1 - Thinking it'd be better to go today and not tomorrow. (with no fever and possibly a mild ear infection... would one day really matter?)

Mistake 2 - Going today when there's no time to find a sitter for Lianna, and therefore taking all 3 kids with me.

Mistake 3 - Not taking anything to keep the kids occupied in case this new waiting room didn't have any toys.

It really wasn't THAT bad. It could always be worse right? I wake up the children 45 min after I put them down. We arrive shortly after 2:00. I begin unbuckling both Lianna and Brooks and the latter has another coughing fit. He eventually gags, throws up, and I look for anything to halfway wipe him up before we finish unloading. Oh good, a fast food napkin. That should suffice. We manage to get inside the doctors office without anyone running away, or heading for the street. While filling out paperwork inside (cause it's a new doctor) I try to keep my children from knocking over the fish aquarium in the corner, or coughing on the other people patiently waiting with us. About 20 minutes into our wait, I start to smell a stench coming from my older son's direction. I wait about 5 more minutes hoping we'll be called in to see the doctor soon. No such luck. I ask the receptionist and the directs me to an empty exam room. When I finish changing we follow the nurse. She proceeds to weigh Brooks and gestures towards a new examining room. After taking Canaan out of his car seat the nurse walks out of the room and heads to the baby scale where we're to weigh him. I quickly decide better to shut the two big kids in the exam room, than have them running around the office getting into who knows what. Wow! Canaan has gained 2 pounds in one month! Back to the exam room and both children are alive, and haven't broken anything.

In hopes to shorten an already long story, I'll just sum up mine and Dr. Davis's conversation. He exams the boys, says they have a viral chest cold, and I was indeed correct in thinking Canaan had an ear infection. He prescribes the necessary meds and the children and I head out to pay our bill. I manage to barely keep Brooks from dialing a long distance call on one of their office phones, keep Lianna from putting on a strange cowboy hat found on a bench, and wipe both sets of sticky fingers. (Dr. Davis was wise enough to give both big kids their lollipops early so he and I could discuss his diagnosis and treatment for both boys) I was pleasantly surprised when the receptionist said they were only going to charge me one copay when both boys were seen. Thank God for the little things. I took everyone home and put the boys to bed. Another blessing, they both went back to sleep and finished their naps. *Sigh* What a day.

It's that time of year again

2007-11-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Oh yes, I've decided to do what I can to make up for the lost time. It's gotta count for something right?

Not only is it NaBloPoMo, it's also hunting season. I knew it was coming, he warned me, but I still found myself unprepared. So Saturday morning is the big day. I have a shoot at 11am and he says "that's perfect! I'll go in the morning before your shoot, and in the evening after! Thanks for working that out just right honey. " *GRIN*

Saturday morning arrives and I awake, alone in our bed. My son walks in (the one who can walk ;) ) and says "daddy". I just tell him daddy's gone hunting and pull him into bed with me for a little company. He eventually gets restless, and we head to the kitchen for some breakfast. While going about our morning routine, I get a phone call. It goes something like this:

He says: Good morning

I say: Hey handsome

He says: How are you?

I say: good, how are you?

He says: I'm Reeeallly good

I say: You didn't did you? On the first day? Wow... um... you remember I have a shoot right?

He says: It was an 8 point. I knew it'd have to be a good one if I was going to get in trouble with you.

I say: So you're still going to be back at 10 am right? I gotta get ready for the shoot.

He says: I don't know, I'll try, but we still gotta clean and dress it.

10:00 comes and goes. I end up taking the kids to him while he finishes up. I go on to my shoot and when I return he's still there. I will admit that he's still there mainly because I took both sets of keys with me, but can you blame me? The morning was SO NOT going as planned.

Ah, the life of a hunter's wife.

In The Know

2007-11-05T18:49:00.001-08:00

Are you? I guess I'm not as much as I thought I was. Wow! Did you know November was NaBloPoMo? I mean... how do you even pronounce that? I'm already 4 days behind. How will I ever make up for this? Do you think posting twice in a day will make up for the lost time? Thank goodness I have a friend who is or I would never be!

Molding

2007-10-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Everyday I realize more and more, how God is using my children to shape me into the woman He wants me to become. Before my children were born I prayed for diligence. Diligence I felt I needed to do all the tasks I should have been doing instead of whatever else I found to do that was more fun. Now that 5 people live in this little 1400 sq foot house I have a lot of that diligence. Once baby #3 was born, something inside me clicked. The wall started to close in on me, and I decided I wanted a new house. After some soul searching, I realized it was because I didn't want to clean the one I had. Ha! Well, now that I'm a little more organized around here, I find it utterly frustrating to have dishes in the sink or small toys on the floor. I hate stepping around couch pillows that are strewn about the carpet. I have always had a love affair with a newly made bed. I love to slip into bed and barely disturb the covers. Not because I hated to make the bed, but because I loved the feeling of the crisp sheets tucked in around me. So tell me... why did God provide me with a husband who hates having the sheets tucked in? Hmmmm? He will purposefully climb into bed, and pull the sheets out so that they are loose around him. Who in their right mind!?! Well, I should be thankful that he is considerate enough to let me climb into our newly made bed first, so I can enjoy it for just a few minutes. Inevitably before long, he's pulling and tugging and undoing all that brings me joy! God is molding me right?

What Have I Done!?!

2007-09-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

I went to a wedding last night. While I was there I was talking with an older couple who attends our church. Their daughter and her husband are friends of ours and he's even our family doctor. Anyway, while talking breifly with this older woman I totally and completely saw my friend in her. Does that make sense? The way she laughed, the intonation in her voice, something about her smile even was so very much like her daughter (my friend). I really started thinking about how much we become like our parents. My sister will often tell me "oh, you soooo sounded like Dad just then!"

We have such an influence on our children. They pick up even little things in our humor or how we talk and laugh. They learn EVERYTHING from us! I'm really starting to wonder what God was thinking when he intrusted my 3 children to someone as irresponsible and sinful as me.

Funny example: Every morning for the past 2 years I pour milk in two sippy cups. I pull out the yellow cup and matching lid, and the purple cup and it's lid and begin to assemble them. After pouring milk in each I decide just for fun to mix match the tops. That should be fun and silly right? Wrong! My sweet easy-going daughter flips out! No Mommy! That's wrong! It doesnt match! That one doesnt go there! I dont want that top! I want the match!

What!?! You've got to be kidding me! Who would have thought something as simple as always matching sippy cup tops would cause an (excuse my french) anal retentiveness in a 3 year old. Dear Lord, what have I done!?! I made a mental note that day to do more mix matching in the future.

I now have to remind myself that I do not want my daughter to be like me. I want her to be BETTER than me. I dont want her to start dating in 7th grade. I don't want her to french kiss for the first time in 8th grade. I want her to know God and live a life that honors him from way earlier than college! I want her to know that it's good to go against the grain, to love God and NOT wear what everyone else is wearing, NOT talk like everyone else is talking, and NOT go where everyone else is going. I dont want her to be so dependent on the acceptance of others that she gives in to peer pressure so she'll feel like the belongs. Please God, let her NOT be like me!

Nothing Important

2007-09-18T18:52:00.001-07:00

Do you ever feel like you just don't have anything important to say? I have been racking my brain for the last few days, thinking about what I should blog about... I mean, it's been like weeks since I posted. Sometimes it's just better to leap and hope to God something good comes out.

Hey! That's not a bad analogy. Have you ever noticed that in your life?

When I look back at all the times God did something cool in my life, it's when I just decided to take a leap and trust that He'd provide a soft landing. It wasn't that long ago that Darrell and I were just barely making ends meet (ummm... like yesterday... ha!). I'm actually referring back to when we only had one kid, and I was pregnant with #2. We had a nice new Ford Escape, but it came with a pretty hefty car note, among other loans, but that was the big one we knew we could get out from under. We prayed for a while and just hoped the money would come or that it'd just work out somehow. Finally, we decided we couldn't make another payment and drove around town looking for anything we could switch it even for. We were expecting some junker since we needed to trade it in, as well as have the dealership pay off our existing loan, and still have some credit for a car of some sort. We looked all around Nacogdoches and had pretty much settled on a Ford Taurus that was kinda worn out, but worked well and would get me around town. Darrell thought it best to drive down to Lufkin just to see if there was anything else there. We drove up to the first place we saw and thought to ourselves, there's no way they'd have anything junky enough that we could afford it. They had some really nice, gently used vehicles. We got out and looked around, just in case and spied this Toyota Sienna off to the side. It didn't have a sticker on the window, but Darrell figured out through their number system (I'm still not sure I understand how, but whatever, guys get this stuff) that they were offering over 8K for it. There was no way we could afford to spend that much and still pay off the remaining balance on our Escape. A sales man stopped us on our way out (as they always do) and asked if he could help us. We told him straight up, we need to trade this Escape even for something, loan and all. He said... well... how about that Sienna over there. Ha! Next thing we knew, we were emptying out our car, and driving off into life with no car note. Ahhhhh! It was the sweetest 30 minute drive home ever.

Now we're looking at having to replace another vehicle. No, we still have no car note, but Darrell's '93 F150 has seen much better days. We bought it used in '99 shortly after we were married. We'd love to find ourselves another truck, possibly with 4 doors and a back seat that will fit our family. I know, I know... good luck! Oh but I didn't tell you the best part, we're hoping to find one we can afford to pay cash for. Ha! Now that's asking a lot of God! :D

Ephesians 3:20-21
20Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Selfish Me

2007-09-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

I feel like my children unintentionally but constantly remind of how selfish I am:

1. I find myself frustrated when my children are hanging on the computer chair and playing with the CDs and other paraphernalia (now there's a $5 word) on the desk.

2. I find myself upset that they wont be quiet while I'm watching an "grown-up" show like the news, or "Friends" reruns.

3. I get mad when wont stay out of the kitchen cabinets, my bedroom, the bathroom and other places that are off limits when I'm resting on the couch.

4. I rarely seem to have a peaceful moment alone. Even if I sneak off to the bathroom I have little feet pattering on the cold tile before I can finish. If I think to lock the door, I have at least one child crying or whining on the other side the whole time.

When I take the time to think about these many situations, I find that it's my own selfishness that brings about the frustration. Helloooooo... if you weren't on the computer, and were playing with your children instead... you wouldn't be experiencing problem #1. The same theory applies to #2 as well, why not watch a kid friendly show (again) and quit being so stinkin selfish, or just turn the TV off and go outside and again, problem solved. #3 occurs mostly when I don't get off my lazy bum. I need to remember I'm not a single college kid who can just lay around all day. My time is precious, why waste it laying around, spend it with your kids woman! You only have 2 more years before the oldest is in school full time. (oh wow, just typing it out is scary). And, well #4, I guess that's just the life of a mommy. Hopefully as they get older, they'll decide to stay out, and give me at least a moment's peace.

Waterbabies

2007-08-30T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm determined not to post about all the awful things that happen in my life... so I havent posted in a few days and refuse to talk about how my son dropped the dome top of my cake plate on the the kitchen floor where it shattered into pieces. Instead I thought I'd tell you about how my children LOVE water. (playing in it that is) Yesterday our neighbor was washing something out in the back of his truck. This created a nice long trail of water down the street. My son who must have a water magnet imbedded in his body, immediately found it, sat down, and started splashing. Oh well... my daughter thought it looked like fun and decided to walk up and down stomping and splashing as big as she could. This was repeated this evening when I decided to run the sprinker after noticing the grass crunch under my feet.

However, Wednesday morning we drove to a neighboring town to enjoy a "splash pad". My daughter was aprehensive at first, but warmed up to the water raining down on her. My son (the one with the water magnet) flipped out. He wouldnt go near the water, and pannicked any time I went near it as well. Weird huh.

The End of My Rope

2007-08-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days? If you're a parent, surely you have. Today was one of them for me. You know the days when you feel like all you do is raise your voice, spank, and change diapers. Maybe it was because we stayed home today. The furthest from the house I got, was down the street and back while my daughter rode her bicycle. I feel like after lunch it just went down hill. I had to say things 3+ times to get anyone to pay attention, listen or obey, and even then it didn't always work.

I called my husband before he even came home and warned him. I told him " I'm done, as soon as you get home. I will heat your dinner, or whatever, but I will no longer deal with the children. " He kinda laughed, but when I heard the front door open 20 min later I went into the computer room and shut the door. I plan to stay in here until after bed time.

I love my children, I really do. I've been reminding myself this for the last few hours. I feel like my actions don't always communicate this love, but disciplining them is a form of love too right? I just wish I didn't have to do it all stinking day! Tomorrow's bound to be better.

Insect Repellent

2007-08-17T19:10:00.001-07:00

I've recently decided to just carry insect repellent with me everywhere. Apparently, all the insects have decided to attack me and my love ones this week.

Roaches going after my children, ants intruding in my kitchen, and wasps attacking me personally. Yup, that's right. Thursday morning when walking back out to the car to get Canaan, I unintentionally disturbed a nest of red wasps. I was stung once in the calf on my left leg. Thankfully no one else was injured and the sting really wasn't as bad as I'd remembered them being as a child. I actually thought it felt more like a pinch at first. My friend, whose house I was visiting, and whose pool I was mooching, graciously provided me with some Benedryl and I continued to swim and enjoy the morning with my children. The rest of the day I'd all but forgotten about my morning insect attack.

Friday morning I awoke with my left leg on fire. Okay, not really on fire, but it was red, swollen, throbbing and painful to walk on. As the day wore on, I kept thinking it would get better, oh no, just got worse and worse. By 2:00 in the afternoon I called the "on call" doctor and he said it may be infected. He told me to start taking an Antihistamine every 6 hours and called in an Antibiotic for me. I've been instructed to ice the leg, and keep it elevated.

What's with all the bugs and their recent cruelty to me an my loved ones!?! What did I ever do to them?!?

Invasion

2007-08-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else experiencing an increase of insects invading their home?
I know I'm not what you'd consider a clean freak, but I have found the need after adding one more body (even though it's a small one) to our home, to stay on top of things. I don't usually let my dishes sit in the sink for more than 24 hours. I'll admit they occasionally sit over night, but by morning, I'm dying to get them in the dishwasher. Recent events however have caused me to increase my dish duty drastically.
Over the last few days, ants have been invading my kitchen. I cant leave dishes in the sink for more than a couple of hours or a trail of ants appear from behind my cabinets. Argh! Darrell even sprayed behind the sink and up the wall last night, and he informed me this morning that he had to spray a second time because we aparently have bug spray proof ants. That's right, it took two applications before the ants would stay away. The good thing is, the spray also kills roaches and he was able to discard of three dead bodies before Brooks woke up. Thank goodness too, he seems to be doing much better today. I'm hoping we may be able to avoid therapy afterall.

Attack, Rescue, Therapy

2007-08-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

This morning I was in Lianna's room helping her get ready when I heard Brooks start to cry. At first I didn't pay much attention. He often cries when he's frustrated that a toy isn't doing what he wants it to do. After a few seconds I realized, this was a "new" cry. (which is odd because he's 19 months old) I thought I'd heard them all.

I'm tired cry

I'm hungry cry

I'm frustrated cry

I'm mad cause she stole my toy cry

What could this new cry be? I bolt into the living room to find my little boy being backed against the wall by a humongous cockroach. I quickly rush to his aid, scooping him into my arms and we run back to the safety of Lianna's room. After gathering some courage I bring Brooks back into the living room so he can watch me squash is attacker with my preferred weapon, my peach colored flip flop. I then take him in my arms once again while I get a paper towel and he helps me dispose of the body. I wanted to show him that even though I'm terrified too, we can beat these things because we're like a million times their size. I think it's too late though, I think he's traumatized. We may need to seek professional help. After returning from the swimming pool this afternoon, he refused to get off the couch and walk to his room until I came and took his hand, even then he walked on his tip toes.

Apparently Darrell was right (go ahead, put it on the calendar dear). I have now instilled my own fears into my children. Next thing I know he will be afraid of snakes, rats, heights, wont want to swing very fast or high, or go on roller coasters. Dear Lord... what have I done?!?

In The Beginning

2007-08-13T19:12:00.000-07:00

It started with just the two of us. So in love, full of life and ready to start a family. My greatest fear? That it was never meant to be. Boy was I ever wrong. After a year of trying we conceived and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. After enjoying her for nine months, we decided another would be twice as fun. It didn't take long at all this time, we were pregnant again almost immediately. We gave birth to a son. Oh how grand and glorious. A boy and a girl, 18 months apart. It was perfect. We might even be finished, but we weren't sure. Either way, we were going to wait a while before having #3.

Or so we thought.

Eight months later, we're pregnant again. My new motto became "God has a plan." I continuously reminded myself that He wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle. Our second little boy was born June 3, 2007. For six weeks I was the mother of 3 children under 3 years old. It's wild, we have our moments of chaos, but it really isn't as hard as I'd imagined.

We really are a full house, me, him, and our three beautiful babies. Life is glorious, and I feel so full. Full of love, full of life, full of adventure. This is where I plan to share all our adventures. From one day to the next, you never know what will happen when you're caring for 3 children so close in age.

Party of Five

Finally Ready

Expanding Horizons

Easter - long overdue

Little Ballerinas

Mommy.... mommy.... mommy

So Blessed!

Bummer

Uneventful Saturday *Update*

An Uneventful Saturday... until...

Boo!

Wet Noodles

Survival of the locationist?

Hurricane a Commin'!

Flying Colors

You think we should... what?

Last Firsts

Salt and Pepper

Duplicate

New Additions

Open Mouth Insert Foot

Impromptu Silliness

Pictures from the royal gala

Party Preparations...

Bed Buddies

Time flies when you're busy

Firsts

Happy Birthday Baby!

It's so hard when they're so sweet

Can I Brag a Little?

Forever 18

Lesson for the Day

Front Yard Fun

Mommies' night out!

Spring is in the air

Simple Pleasures

My Inchworm

You know you're a mother of boys if...

The View this Morning....

streptococcus in the throatus

Avoiding the Dishes yet again

The Search is Over

Ewwwwww!

An Adventurous Spirit... Well Sort Of

Something UnExpected

The Apprentice

Mental Note...

Interesting isnt it

My Big Boy's Birthday

Maybe it's just me...

The Secret Keeper

Conversations with a 3 year old

Change of Plan

Truck For Sale

Gross things...

Titles

Girls Night Out

It's a Nasty Job

Yum!

Two Sick Boys

It's that time of year again

In The Know

Molding

What Have I Done!?!

Nothing Important

Selfish Me

Waterbabies

The End of My Rope

Insect Repellent

Invasion

Attack, Rescue, Therapy

In The Beginning

Uneventful Saturday Update