Perhaps we should try something more age appropriate

Stephen received a Batman computer for Christmas. It's a hit. The boys fight over it....alot. Anyway, when you open it up it says, "Batman, online." or something like that. And then it tells you to enter a mission code which is the word BAT and a number for a game you want to play. If you don't enter the right code it says, "Access denied."

This morning, Zachary was playing with it and obviously could not get the right mission code. After several minutes of hearing "Access denied" over and over, I heard Z yell, "NO, YOU DENIED!"

Two months old...

Ok, so Marc-Adam's a few days over 2 months now, but close enough...isn't he cute?? Always free with a smile. And he just seems so wise. He seems to "get" it, know what I mean? Like he knows all about what this world's about. Maybe it's just in my mind...but it just seems like he's so wise and smart that it surprises me when he does things that babies do, like rooting around on something that is NOT going to give him what wants.

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas 2006

Does this make me look fat?

What do you think of my new look? Is it me??

Somebody slap me...

...next time I decide to take all 3 children to the mall (45 minutes away) SEVEN days before Christmas. Seriously.

I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree this Christmas.

I decided that it would be a bright idea to pack up all 3 stooges, I mean, Sweet Boys and haul them (in the rain, I might add) to the mall this past Monday.

The really dumb thing? I wasn't even there to shop.

*sigh* I haven't left the house by myself with the 3 kids since M-A was born. Note to self: things like this should happen in baby steps. Not in big ambitious trips.

My dearest friend, Alison (HI ALISON!!), is in town from Dallas this week to visit her family. We decided to try to meet and I thought the mall with a play area would be a good meeting point. And it would have been, had I not brought all three kids, or had it not been the week before Christmas, or had I been smart enough to know that Zachary would want M&Ms in his ice cream, too.

The whole day was a comedy (I can call it that now) of errors. Starting with the rain and having to park nearly at home and ending with *almost* (and thank God it was *almost*) getting pulled over. And lots and lots of screaming, crying and cleaning up ice cream off the floor in between.

Any ideas as to when this gets better? I thought getting out of the house would solve our "cooped up in the house" issues. But it was much, much worse. Turns out, I had every reason to be very afraid of leaving the house by myself.

It's true

You really can find anything on eBay. I mean, anything.

I was browsing around on eBay, looking for some good deals (did you know you can buy COUPONS on eBay?? why has no one ever told me this?) and I ran across some auctions that made me start looking for weird stuff. Need a 30 lb bag of gummi bears?? No problem. How about 6 lbs of cheese? And this is just weird. And what if you can't get enough Hilary Duff? Now you can have her in your head.

Now I won't feel so weird about selling some of my stuff that I think no one wants. I suppose it's just like a garage sale....someone somewhere will want it.

Help!

I need help.

I've committed to being better about posting on my blog, but I'm afraid that my life is of no interest to anyone but me. So I want to enlist your help.

Tell me what to post about. Give me topics to to think about and post about. Tell me what you want to hear about my life and/or my kids.

I just don't have many thoughts in my head right now beyond who needs to eat or be changed next.

Please help escape from my mommy brain once in a while!

Here's a cute story from lunch this afternoon, though:

Stephen told me he needed to eat all his yogurt and it would go down, down, down to feed Jesus because Jesus was hungry.

I asked him where Jesus was and he told me "In my heart."

That's sweet, honey, but.....

Aw, nevermind.

What child is this?

My sweet Zachary. He doesn't eat any fruit and won't eat most vegetables. It started when he was about a year old....it was a sensory issue. He didn't like the cold wet of the fruit or the mushy of the vegetables. So, I've just kept offering the same things. He doesn't have to eat it, but it's always on his plate. My mantra is that he won't eat it if he never sees it.

A few times over the last few months, he's been getting better. Grudgingly tasting a few bites of various fruits because he saw big brother eating it(Stephen will eat any fruit). He's even eaten a few apple and pear slices. There was dancing the day that happened.

So, the other night, we were having left over chicken and dumplings for dinner. I cooked up some green beans and that was our meal. Zachary doesn't eat chicken and dumplings OR green beans, but that's what was on that night's menu. I plated his dinner and set it down in front of him. He takes one look at and starts whining. That's a common annoyance, I mean, occurence, so I just walked away telling him that this was our dinner. He then pointed to an empty spot on his plate and said, "Salad. SALAD! I NEED SALAD!! NEED SALAD!! SALAD SALAD SALAD!!!!" Dh and I looked at each other and started laughing. WHO was this child? Get the child some lettuce!!

Unfortunately, the only salad we had was more liquid than solid (gross, I know). I hated hearing the words, "I'm sorry, but you can't have salad tonight" come out of my mouth. I won't let that happen again.

Lil' stinker...

Boys....all kinds of...um...weird things fascinate them.

Yesterday, I woke up to a foul smell. Dh had gone to work and everyone in the house was still sleeping. That smell can't be me, I thought. Then I wondered if the dog, who sleeps in a kennel in our room, had a problem some time in the night. I got up and looked and sniffed and didn't notice anything in her kennel.

I left the room to get Marc-Adam and when I came back, I realized how much it stunk. But I still couldn't figure out why...it had to be the dog, but she didn't look all that guilty. I laid down to feed the baby and a few minutes later, Stephen walked in. I asked him if he thought it stunk (wondering if this was all in my head) and he said no. Then he left to get a book and when he walked back in he scrunched up his face and said, "Ewww, it doos (his word for 'does')!" I told him I thought so. He asked why and I told him I thought Jubilee (our dog) had pooped in her cage. I was thoroughly grossed out at the thought....I thought he might be, too. Instead, his eyes lit up and he said, "Can I see??"

Yuck.

Then as I cleaned it all out (it was the dog, she had hidden it in her towels), he proceeded to tell me that Larryboy (from VeggieTales) hates poop and he wasn't going to help me clean it up....it was all I could do to keep from throwing up and this commentary was driving me nuts! So in a *very* proud mommy moment, I yelled at him to just LEAVE!

Immediately after cleaning everything up, Zachary starts walking through the house YELLING, "STINKY! I STINKY!!" *sigh* At some point, we all needed to eat breakfast and at this rate, I wasn't going to be very hungry.

Don't worry, be happy!

Pics of the boys. I have to admit, Marc-Adam spends the majority of his waking hours with that very worried look on his face. You think he knows what he's in for?

In order to keep my pledge and not fall off the wagon 2 days into it, I'm having to post from my parents' house because there's something wrong on my computer. I can't stay logged in to anything. I had some cute pics to post, too. Maybe soon.

I have nothing fun or funny or profound to say. Life is moving at the speed that the holidays bring. I actually got the boys' Christmas presents wrapped this morning, and since they are the only ones we are buying for this year, I guess I'm done! The house is all decorated. I love decorating the tree with the kids. All the ornaments are at their eye level and all on one side of the tree. The rearrange them every once in a while, or start taking all the satin threading ff the satin balls. I love Christmas and I'm so glad the kids are getting to the age that they do, too! And Stephen's getting to the age that he's into some cool things so it's really fun to buy for him.

Tonight we are starting Financial Peace University. I'm really excited about it and hope we can get some good things out of it. We could stand to pay off a little (ahem, maybe a bit more than a little) debt and building up some sort of savings would be a good thing. I just keep thinking that 6 years into being "grown-ups" that we should be better with our money. I'm hoping to meet folks in the same boat as us to make me feel a little better about that.

Oh, Marc-Adam finally gave up a smile. He's so sweet....have I said that, yet?

FINALLY!! And a hello...and a pledge....

Every time I log on to Blogger to post, I check to see if the post pics button will finally work for me...and today it finally did!! Of course, now these pics are kinda old, but I might try to upload our newer pics after I get these posted. I don't want to try to do too much now that I got it to work. I'm afraid I might upset some delicate balance in Blogger. Anyway, THIS is our sweet baby. All these pics were from the hospital, so he's only a few minutes old in the pic of me and Sweet Hubbby and Marc-Adam, a few hours old in the pic of all 5 of us and a few days old in the pic by himself. Please take your time oooh-ing and aaah-ing. :)

So....HELLO! It's been three weeks since I posted. Where.does.the.time.go?? I can't believe my days sometimes...I nurse Marc-Adam, put him down for a nap, feed and/or play with the boys and before I know it, it's time to feed the baby again and then we do it all again. Marc-Adam is 5 weeks today. He's such a sweetie and he's working really hard on getting a smile out...I can tell he's gonna get it any day now. He's doing better at night, but we still have issues with random wakings at random times. Some nights he can go 6 hours, others he'll only go 1.5 or 2. I'm not getting much during the day done. Like I said, before I know it the day's over and I have nothing to show for it. But at least the kids are fed and happy and clean....and most of the time, I am, too.

Now for my pledge. I hate that I've let my blog-self go. So my goal is to post at least every other day (I was going to try every day, but I figured that wasn't terribly realistic) for 30 days. Hopefully that will get me in to a habit. Anyone care to hold me accountable??:)

I'm also going to try to keep up with other people's blogs more...including commenting. The first few weeks after M-A was born there would be times that I would go several days without even turning the computer on, so I just got out of the habit. But it's something I enjoy, so I'm going to try to make more time for that (while I ignore the ever growing pile of laundry in the corner).

*sigh* It's good to be back!

Marc-Adam...

Marc-Adam is such a dream. He hardly cries unless he's hungry, naked or cold (who can blame him?) and he has the sweetest expressions and noises--even his cry is sweet! We're still feeding every 3 hours or so around the clock so I haven't gotten more than 2 hours of sleep at a time since 2 nights before he was born. But he's worth it.

The boys are in love. The first few days, Zachary could've taken him or left him, but he has since warmed up and now he and Stephen fight over him. Zachary calls him "Ad-mom"...somehow in his brain that sounds like Marc-Adam! :) Stephen is in love, and is a better big brother to BOTH his brothers than I ever could have imagined. He loves "watching" Marc-Adam while I step out of the room or go to the bathroom. "Mom, just leave Marc-Adam here for a minute and you go in the other room."

So, I hope I can find more time to catch up on all the blogs I read, but with all my troops leaving me on my own next week, I highly doubt that that will happen in the very near future.

And then there were three...

I am so proud and overjoyed to announce the birth of our third blessing and Sweet Boy, Marc-Adam Garrison.

Marc-Adam joined our family (and took us all by surprise) on October 26 weighing 6 pounds, 8ounces at 18 inces long. We had a c-section scheduled for Nov 2 (he was due Nov 11), but he decided he didn't want to wait that long (or maybe he didn't want to share a birth month with his brother) and I went into labor early last Thursday morning. I was in denial for several hours about it being labor, but my mom and Sweet Hubby bullied me into calling the doctor who told me to go to the hospital. He was born by c-section later that day.

He's got a head full of hair and is so very expressive. He makes the sweetest faces and noises and smells.so.good. Stephen and Zachary are in love, although it took Zachary a little while to warm up to him. They now fight over who gets to hold him and they cover him with kisses. He fits right into our life and our hearts. Even though I've done this twice before, I still can't believe that something I only laid eyes on 6 days ago has already brought so much joy to my life.

I can't seem to post pictures (nothing happens when I click the "add image" button) but maybe I could get my cousins to post some for me and then I can link to them (Kelli, ksl, care to help me with that?).

I can't wait to get to know him more and to show him off!!

Yeah, I know....

I've lost your interest, haven't I? Not posting much and my little blog has become boring. I don't know why...I just haven't been spending much time on the computer. Too busy fluffing the nest, I guess. Exactly 2 weeks from this very moment that I type this, my littlest boy will be in the process of being born (or just a few minutes old). That's so exciting to think about and yet still so abstract.

So here's what's been going on with me. Last weekend I went out shopping with my mom and grandma (*waving* Hi, Mom!!). Grandma paid for a yummy lunch at one of my FAVORITE places to eat (Sweet Tomatoes) and Mom paid for me to get a desperately needed haircut. I had a great day spending time with them and getting out for a day. Little did I know that Sweet Hubby was working his little tail off at home....cleaning.my.entire.house! My house was frightening. Dirty, messy, cluttered....it was terrible. And I just haven't had the energy or strength to do anything about it. I cried about it because I was so overwhelmed and BEGGED for a maid. I wasn't sure how I was going to clean the entire thing (with the two Sweet Tornadoes following behind me) before the baby came. So he left the kids with my dad (Hi, Dad!) and went home and spent the entire day cleaning and surprised me with it. It really is clean. Not just the "It'll do because I don't want to do it" clean. But for real...couldn't (and wouldn't) have done it better myself! I feel like a brand new woman and I've been working MY little tail off trying to keep it that way for at least the next 2 weeks.

After much drama and anxiety, we finally have a new car seat. We weren't sure we were going to have anything to bring this child home in and Target was giving me panic attacks about it. But we have one and it is now ready and waiting in the van. I have the sneaky suspicion that we're beginning to look like a clown car when we go places....

Two cute stories about the Sweet Boys and the things they say...

They found a new pack of stickers they wanted to play with the other day. Zachary loves stickers. Loves them! So I opened the new pack and handed over a sheet. He promptly covered his entire upper body in the entire sheet of stickers. I quickly whipped out the camera...to which he quickly flashed his best smile and said, "CHEERS!" It's 'cheese', honey. Saying "Cheers" too much could get Mommy in trouble....

Stephen's apparently hearing impaired and I had no idea....he was staying with his papa the day Sweet Hubby was earning brownie points and he and Z were watching a movie. Papa was in the other room and Stephen hollered to him that he couldn't hear the TV. Papa told him they could hear it because he was in the other room and he could hear it. Stephen told him he couldn't and Papa asked why. To which Stephen replied, "My ears are too small!" Poor kid....genetics suck, don't they?

I'll try to be better about posting...my life just isn't that interesting. I figure it'll get a lot more exciting in a couple weeks...

Of Elephants, Show and Tell and Being Homeless

You know the saying "a memory like an elephant"? I have no idea what that means. But if the elephant's have an impressive, almost absurd memory, then Stephen fits that description.

Last night in the car, he was almost dozing off and looked at me and said, "Mom, you remember when we did Show and Tell?"

"Um, no." Wracking my brain trying to think of when he did show and tell since he doesn't go to school. Church? The day he went with my mother-in-law to the school she worked at (in February)? I can't think of anything...

"And Zachary slept in the Pack'n'Play and I slept with you."

"What?"

"What's it called? Show and Tell?"

DING! goes my lightbulb!

"Oh, you mean the HO-TEL!"

"Yeah, yeah...the hotel...we stayed at a hotel."

But I'm still trying to think of the last time we stayed at a hotel. Over a year at least. Then he starts talking about his Auntie Alison and the stairs and how she gave him a banana.

"What??"

"And we watched Playhouse Disney! Remember, Mom?"

"No, sweetie, I don't." When did we see Alison while we were staying in a hotel....and why does he remember watching TV?

DING! goes the other lightbulb!

"OHHHH! You mean when we stayed at Auntie Alison's apartment. That wasn't a hotel, that was where Alison lived."

"Yeah, yeah....we stayed with her because we didn't have a home."

WHAT?!?!

"No, sweetie, we had a home, it was just really far away so Auntie Alison let us stay at her home."

This whole scenario had to be a year and a half ago. He was 2. I don't remember half the details of that weekend. But Sweet Hubby is telling me that he's right. He did watch Playhouse Disney and Alison gave him a banana. Not to mention that the whole conversation was kind of random. There was no purpose in that walk down memory lane...I guess it just crossed his mind as he was dozing off.

Makes me worried about what he'll remember about me and his childhood....

That hurts...

I was sitting here yesterday, catching up on reading blogs. I was almost done and Stephen was sitting on the bed behind me. I turned around to talk to him, then turned back to the computer. Just as I turned back, Stephen fell off the bed. He landed flat on his stomach (and the side of his face) and just laid there for a second. He started to cry so I scooped him up and held him for a minute. He calmly and quietly slid off my lap and started to walk out of the room. I asked him where he was going and he said he wanted to lay in his bed. I finished up reading the blog I was reading and went in to check on him. I crawled into his bed next to him and asked if he was okay and he told me that his head hurt. I told him that I bet it did after falling like that. He looked at me with this puppy dog look and those big green eyes and said, "You were supposed to catch me."

Ouch.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things I'm Looking Forward to After the Baby is Born

I have exactly 6 weeks until we meet our littlest Sweet Boy. I can't wait to meet him. I can't wait to touch him, smell him, stroke his hair. So here's a list of some of the things I'm looking forward to.

1. Donuts!! Ok, some of the things I'm looking forward to aren't deep. You have no idea what I would give for some Dunkin' Donuts (KEP, ksl....it's your fault!).

2. Introducing Stephen to the baby...seeing him hold him and kiss him. He's just so stinkin' excited. He talks to the baby everyday and kisses him goodnight and good morning. He keeps close tabs on my growth and reminds me periodically how big I'm getting. While loving on my belly one day, he stroked it and softly said, "Big fat tummy."

3. Seeing if the baby has hair. For some reason this has always been the first thing on my mind after the birth of our children. The first thing out of my mouth when Stephen was born wasn't "Is he okay?" "How big is he?", etc....it was "Does he have hair?" I had no idea I was so concerned with that until his birth!

4. Seeing Sweet Hubby with our third child. He's just so sweet with our babies. I love watching him with them.

5. Being able to roll over in bed without a huge production.

6. Being able to get up without a huge production.

7. Being able to walk without a huge production.

8. Not having to prick my fingers everyday.

9. Not having to think through every morsel of food I put in my mouth.

10. Being able to cuddle and hold close my two older boys...the belly is just crampin' my style these days. I have no lap for them to crawl up and cuddle in.

11. Nursing another baby....it's easy to forget how special it is to snuggle up with a newborn to nurse. To doze off only to wake up to find that the baby has happily dozed off, too. To see that little milk-drunk look on his face and that little bit of milk-drool at the corner of his mouth. *sigh*

12. Frappucinos.

13. Being the mom of 3 boys. THREE BOYS! Three beautiful boys. How cool is that? If you had asked me 5 years ago what I thought of having 3 boys, I would have said that I could not have boys....I wouldn't know what to do with them and boys have cooties. God knows me better than I know myself. What would my life be without these sweet, dirty, smelly, wild little boys?

Don't let the screen door hit you on the butt...

Stephen's had it. He's moving out.

Or so he says.

While I was making breakfast one morning last week, Stephen came in and asked if they could have breakfast in the living room (something their daddy lets them do when he's home). I told him no (I probably could have been a bit nicer in the way I answered...I was in a foul mood that morning). He huffed and puffed a bit and came back in....

"MOM! I am moving OUT!"

"Really? Where do you think you're going to go?"

"Nonny and Poppy's." (My in-laws)

"Do you think they'll treat you better than we do?"

"Yes."

"I'm sure they would."

And we left it at that. I would have helped him pack his bag, but I guess he decided he liked it well enough here to stay. He hasn't brought it up since.

I remember

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more rememberances.

I guess I was lucky that day. I was in a little "bubble" that was the baby room at the day school I worked at. We had no access to TV or radio. Just a bunch of baby and lullaby CDs. I played with and loved on those babies ("my" babies) that morning just like any other. I didn't watch all the horror that was to come that day as it unfolded.

It wasn't until a mom came in late to drop off her daughter and said that two planes had hit the World Trade Centers. At that point, that was all she knew. None of us had any idea what that meant. Was it a freak accident? Was something wrong with these planes or air traffic control? It was just so weird.

A little bit later, someone came in and told us the rest. The towers fell...the pentagon on fire....a plane in a field. What was happening? I needed to get in front of a TV. And I needed to talk to Sweet Hubby. I was worried because we lived in a town with a major college. What if colleges were next? But I was a bit thankful that Sweet Hubby worked where he did because he was in and out of all sorts of small towns all day long. I tried to feel safe and secure.

And I hugged those babies. Oh, how I hugged those babies. The day was just like any other for them...they ate, they laughed, they slept, they played. They trusted us to keep them safe. They couldn't have any idea. I just wanted to wrap them all up in bundles and go hide somewhere until their mamas could come and hug them and protect them.

Then I went home. I listened to the local country station on the way home. It was no longer playing any music. It was just a constant feed from a news station. I kept thinking that this had to be some kind of awful nightmare or prank. This couldn't really be happening. Then for the first time that day, sometime around 3pm, I sat in front of a TV. It was all so sickeningly real. I couldn't even wrap my mind around it.

The rest is a blur. I don't remember Sweet Hubby coming home or eating dinner. I do remember Sweet Hubby coming to get me at some point in the middle of the night telling me to turn the TV off and come to bed. I couldn't pull myself away from it. Like a bad car accident, as they say.

One year later, I sat in church praying. For the victims, for their families, for the government, for the safety of everyone else, and for my unborn child. I rubbed my belly and thought of our baby that would be born in 4 more months and I wondered how in the world was I going to protect him from the kind of atrocities that happened just a year before? How would I explain that to him when he got to be 5, 6, 10 and we were honoring the anniversary of the attacks? Thankfully, he's not quite 4 today. He's still in a world where the worst that can happen is a thunderstorm in the middle of the night. And he still thinks that Dad is a hero that can fix anything. One day I hope to do justice to the truths of 9/11 for my children. About the horror that some people can bring on their fellow man. About the hope of a nation coming together...not shaken at the scariest time in our generation. About how for every zealot that is willing to fly a plane into a building, there is another person praying, giving blood, sending supplies, donating money, walking in to fiery and falling buildings to save one more life. That there is hope beyond trials. And that we can't ever forget. We can't let it become a line in a history textbook. If we forget and move past 9/11/01 then we forget what we are really capable of. We forget about true hope and heroism. We forget about what it means to be one nation under God.

We just can't forget.

So I remember.

Three meme

Thanks to ksl for tagging me. I did this before with the Sweet Boys, but have never done my own!!

Three nicknames--Alligirl, "Al", mama

Three people that make me laugh--Stephen, Zachary, Mike Rowe (from Dirty Jobs on Discovery)

Three things that I love--my God, my family, my sleep (pretty much in that order, too)

Three things I hate--rude people in public places, little girls dressing too "sexy", obnoxious children (well, it's not the kids I hate, it's how the parents handle them)

Three things I don't understand--how I can be running out of room to breathe and eat and I still have 9 weeks to go in this pregnancy! how a child can eat nothing but a handful of raisins and a peanut butter sandwich ALL day long, why people always ask me if we're going to try to for a girl on number 4 (um, can I get done cooking this one first?)

Three things on my floor-- a plate, a magazine, a toy block

Three things I am doing right now--this, watching Fox news, listening to Stephen during his "quiet" time

Three things I can do--I've recently remembered that I can sing and that I like it, same for playing handbells (I started doing both at church last week), understand the gibberish of my nearly 2 year old

Three ways to describe my personality--sarcastic, silly, cautious

Three favorite foods--oh, this is not a good time for me to be thinking about this...hmm...just three? Cinammon rolls, barbecue, onion rings

Three foods I do not like--chinese food, cabbage, salsa

Three beverages I drink regularly--water, milk, diet Barq's

Three shows I watch--LOST, House, Dirty Jobs

Ok, my turn to tag...hmmm...I can only tag 2 (everyone else that reads this has already done it) Stephanie at Adventures in Babywearing and My LaughterThoughts.

Wordless Wednesday

It is Wednesday, right? Well, I can't leave these pics without explanation...this is how we make pudding. Put all ingredients in a gallon zip-top bag and let the little ones shake, hit, kick, throw, etc. the bag around till it's ready to empty into a bowl. This time I let Stephen lick the bag. Five wipes, a clean shirt and some clean underwear later, he was good as new!

Bad boys, bad boys, whatchya gonna do?

I felt like I was in an episode of Cops this weekend. For some reason, when they have Cops in Texas, they only show the dirtiest, grubbiest, toothless people they can find....and our experience was no different.

Sweet Hubby and I had planned a nice relaxing morning on Saturday since my folks had the kids Friday night. That was interrupted at 8:20am when the neighbor came to ask about the tree limb (from her tree) that had fallen in our yard. *sigh* That's fine, I needed to get up and eat soon anyway. So we get dressed and head out to the van. When we walked out of the garage, we saw two trucks parked kinda funny at the corner (we live in the middle of three houses on our block, so they were just one house over). Sweet Hubby wondered aloud if they had had a wreck and then he got in the van. I stood and stared (I'm not sure why) for a second and then someone started hollering and screaming. I got in the van and we pulled out and started driving by. Sweet Hubby yells, "They're fighting!"

I thought he meant the two guys were fighting....no....two grown women were in the middle of the road POUNDING on each other. I got out my cell phone to call the police and Sweet Hubby pulled on to the street they were on. I got out just long enough to yell "We're calling the cops!" so they wouldn't kill each other right then and there. I talked to dispatch for a minute and finally one of the couples drove off. The other couple stayed and were hollering at us. Sweet Hubby kept the window cracked just enough to hear what they were saying. They were obviously very drunk. At. 9am. in. the. morning. We wanted to keep them there till the cops showed up. They kept yelling at us to go follow the other people....um, yeah....not my job. He was steadily pulling stuff (empty beer cans and such) out the cab of his truck and throwing them in the bed. Sweet Hubby thinks he wanted us to go follow the other people so he could throw it all away without us seeing. Finally the guy pulls a KNIFE out of his truck. I start yelling at dispatch, "He's got a knife, he's got a knife!" Thankfully, Sweet Hubby had the car in drive the whole time and we could've quickly driven off at any point. But he never approached us with it.

Just then the cops show up. *huge.sigh.of.relief* We pull off to our neighbor's driveway and hang out just in case the police want to talk to us. We watched as they pulled out another knife, more open cans and bottles of alcohol (including a large bottle of whiskey that was half empty) and what, from a distance, looked like some kind of crack pipe...but that could've been my adrenaline-drunk imagination. Finally, the female cop comes to talk to us. During our conversation with her, dispatch came over the radio and said that the guy's license expired in April of '05 and he had no insurance. The cop said they were going to take both of them in. We have no idea what ever happened to the other couple and why they decided to have a Smackdown in the middle of the road to begin with.

So AFTER all this, we heard a bit more gossip about the winners that we encountered. The guy has been in jail and prison several times and has had his license suspended before for DWI. Apparently, the woman was about 30 years his junior and had recently taken to prostituting around town. Nice. I thought she was much older than she is. Must be all the lovely habits she's taken to over the last few years.

So, I hope that some good can come of this nasty situation. I hope that because we were in the "right" place at the "right" time to break this up and get these drunkards put away for a little while that we were able to save them (or some other innocent person, for that matter) from themselves.

It's so weird and kinda scary that this all happened just 20 yards or so from our front door. Where can you go these days?

Infinite Blessings

I know this may seem like an obvious topic to some. And I guess it is to me, as well, but for some reason I just feel like I should blog about it....perhaps someone else needs to hear this....

I've always believed that if I and my family seek God's will and stay in His will, that things will always work out. One of the ways that we seek and stay in God's will is me staying at home with the Sweet Boys. There have been many times that we've discussed me going back to work (and I've even applied to places, with no call backs) because the money crunch just gets so tiring and frustrating. It gets exhausting when for several months in a row, we're just not sure if we'll be able to make ends meet. It gets scary when we have to use credit for normal, everyday things such as gas and groceries. But somehow, we always make it. And just when things get really tight, somehow, from somewhere, we get money we weren't expecting. Or our credit card companies give us a break for a month (that really has happened a couple times over the last couple of years).

Take for instance, last month, Sweet Hubby had a small bonus included in his paycheck that we didn't even know he was getting. And this month, we had an unexpected expense of $90 (which is HUGE in our house) when I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and had to pay for the test strips and lancets. I was sort of panicked about it...where could we skim off the rest of the month....groceries? Yeah, right. Gas, maybe, but that meant that the boys and I would be housebound for the month since there's nothing to do in our town. Then, yesterday, we get two checks in the mail. For real. Two checks totaling $70....now, granted, we were expecting those checks. But we've been expecting them for weeks. And it could have been another couple of weeks, at least, before we got them. But we got them now, just when we needed them. I've also been keeping a little girl after school. Her mom and I agreed on $25/week for the first few weeks. She paid me yesterday for last week and when I looked at the check, it said $45. I questioned her on it and she said it was because I kept the girl all day last Monday. The thought never even crossed my mind that I should be paid more for that full day. She could've paid me the $25 and I wouldn't have thought twice about it. But every little bit helps.

So, let's review. I had to pay an extra $90 last week for my diabetes supplies. Then yesterday we get money we weren't expecting...totalling $90.

What's funny about all this (to me, at least) is that we're better off now than we ever have been. I stay at home, we own our own home, and we have a vehicle that fits our needs and 2 children and we have everything we need and a few things we don't. Before we had kids, we both worked and somehow, the ends didn't always meet then, either. But, I believe, the Lord is continuing to bless us because we're making the sacrifices to stay in His will. We wait for His answers to prayers. We stay put even when we get anxious or things get hard because we know it's what is right for us and when it's time for a change, God will make a way.

Things aren't always easy. But we always have/get what we need and I never cease to be amazed at how He provides for us, in so many ways besides financial. I'm always in awe. Especially, when it seems (to my little brain) that we don't deserve what we have. But I guess that's how God works....

We are so blessed.

Are my hormones thinking for me??

Maybe someone can give me some perspective on this.

I, generally, have never cared what people thought of me. If I did, I wouldn't have made half the decisions I made for myself or my children. But for some reason, this situation has really been bothering me tonight...and I've been stewing over it ever since I heard about it.

A little background--I was in choir all through high school and my director was probably the one teacher who made an impact on me. I had her for 4 years and at one point for my senior year, I had her for 3 classes.

I also got engaged to Sweet Hubby my senior year. I know, I know...I was young, barely 18, but I've always been more mature and when you know, you know, right? At one point, my choir teacher pulled me to the side and said "I want you to prove everyone wrong and go to college." First, who's everyone? and second, why do I care to prove them wrong....unless they care to pay my bills...but I digress...

Fast forward to today. I haven't seen her in nearly six years (none of which I spent in college). I threw a party for my best friend and her new baby...a sort of "Baby Debut" because we couldn't throw her a shower and this was probably going to be the only chance for this set of people to see her and her new baby for a while. The choir teacher was invited (Best Friend had Choir Teacher, too, and they were fairly close). It was great to see Choir Teacher again....I got to introduce her to the Sweet Boys and share with her the great news of the next Sweet Boy.

Later in the afternoon, Sweet Hubby had/overheard this conversation between Choir Teacher and Best Friend's mom:

BF's Mom: Alli and "Sweet Hubby" are living in (insert name of our very small town here)....I don't even think they have a theater there.
Sweet Hubby: No, we have a theater, it just has one screen, though.
(BF's Mom and Choir Teacher walk away)
Choir Teacher: They must have a drive-in.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but does anyone else get the insinuation? I'm guessing it's because I'm getting ready to have 3 kids under 4.

I've been simmering and stewing over this ever since he told me about it. Here are two women I really respect and they're talking about me like I'm some white trash slut who doesn't know what causes babies and that I got myself knocked up in the back seat of a car at a drive-in movie. Am I reading too much in to this?? Am I being too sensitive? WHY do I care what they think? I know Choir Teacher doesn't think I've amounted to much because I didn't go out there and get a degree and a career, but so what? Frankly, I feel like my time and energy have been better invested in my children. I'm passionate about staying at home with them and while a college education couldn't have hurt (and might possibly have even helped) in raising them, I don't feel like I've missed out on much except some school loan debt. College isn't for everyone. And I can see how college was just not in God's plan for me....not yet, at least.

Chances are it could be at least another 6 years before I see this woman again. So, WHY do I care? I haven't been able to let this go and that fact just irritates me more than the comments. Would anyone else be bothered by this? Am I being hormonal? Am I not just as good as my college-educated, working mom counterpart?? I KNOW that my place is at home with my kids. I can't imagine having to go to work every morning and leaving my precious babies in the hands of another person. So why does this bother me??

*sigh* Any comments would be welcome. I just need some perspective on this and the most I can get out of Sweet Hubby (who feels really bad for telling me) is "You shouldn't let it bother you." Thanks, hon.

Take my word for it

So, for some reason (that maybe someone can explain to me) I haven't been able to attach pictures to my blog for a while. But I reeeeaaaallllly want to talk about the project we just completed. Problem is, talking about it just doesn't do it justice. But here goes....and as soon as Blogger will let me post a pic (or someone can tell me how to fix this problem) I will post the pictures.

Except for the very first two months of his life, Stephen has always had an unfinished room. And the room he's had for the last year or so was actually quite pitiful and tacky. The walls were a yellowish white color (called "Popcorn"). The windows didn't have blinds, butroomo darkening shades that were crooked so we had to tape them to the walls so they would actually darken the room. He slept on a mattress and boxspring on the floor (the transition from a toddler bed). When we moved him to a twin bed, we bought him red sheets because we had expected to eventually do his room in a Texan/red white and blue theme. The blanket he had on his bed was just one that we had that my mother in law had given me...it was a quilt with white, light blues, greens and purples. His pillow case was sage green. He also had his old toddler bed in his room in the corner where all some of his books "lived" and that's also where he read them. He had a glider rocker and ottoman in there as well that has been in his room since his first nursery. His lamp had a natural would base with a yellow crescent moon pull and a blue check shade. He had LOTS of little random knick-knacks that we have gathered for one reason or another over the last 3.5 years. A few cowboys (for his future Texan room that never happened), 3 piggy banks, a funny decorative lamp, a memo board, a couple of baseballs from games we had gone to, a couple of decorative lunch boxes with superheros on them, etc.... The only reason I let myself get away with this mish mash of tackiness is that I figured he didn't really care. And he didn't. All he really needed was a comfy bed to lay in with a blanket. All he really needed was a space to call his own and his own place to be alone. And he had that. He never cared what it looked like. But it bothered me nonetheless.

The whole point of me describing (in painful detail) the contents of his room is that now it is all NEW! He got a new coat of paint, new bedding with curtains to match, a cool new lamp, and a great "tent" (that to me actually looks a bit like a manger, but it's still GREAT) where he can play and read or do whatever he wants. All the little knick-knack-y things that were there and didn't match are gone or put away somewhere else. He's got blinds. He's got a frame that sits up off the floor like a real bed! The walls are a camo style green with a bold orange stripe running horizontally. The comforter is reversible with camo on one side and a green plaid with a bit of orange running through it. The sheets are orange and the curtains are a different green plaid that matches the bedskirt. His lamp doesn't give off much light, but is kind of a brushed silver color (very modern looking). His tent that his daddy and grandfather built is also orange with a few throw pillows in there for comfort. The switchplates are black and he has a black S hanging above his bed.

The room is SO cool! It looks like a boy's room. We'll eventually move Z in there with him and I think they'll love it. Stephen loves it already and ever since we finished the room he's included "God, thank you for my new room" in his nightly prayers. He also tries to show it off to anyone who crosses the threshold of our house.

I'm so proud. I want the whole house to be that cool.

If you are still reading, thanks for letting me bore you with that. I'm really excited....now Z's next in line...his room isn't quite as bad, but it's never really been finished either. Or how 'bout the master bedroom...it's pretty sorry, too.

Mom got caught in the "trap"

What is it with boys and certain words? What is it about words like "butt" and "stinky" and "armpit" that makes little boys keel over in hysterical giggles?? And why is it that they seem born thinking those are funny? The adults in this house don't snicker and giggle when we hear the word "fart" (actually, I really hate that one) ...so how do they know or why do they find this the least bit funny?

So Stephen (3.5 years) and I are sitting on the couch yesterday. The TV's on but neither of us are watching it. I'm reading and he's tucked sweetly behind my legs "reading" his magazine. Someone on the TV said "booby trap". He starts giggling and then this is the conversation we had:

S: *giggle* Mama, boooty trap.

Me: No, honey, he said "booby" trap.

S: Boooty trap?

Me: No, boooooby trap (at this point, I'm still thinking of it as the phrase)

S: Baby trap

Me: No, booby, BOOOOBY!

S: *falling off the couch in giggles*


I think it was a set-up.

A mile in his shoes

I always enjoy a day when Sweet Hubby, has to spend the majority of his day taking care of the kids and house while I go off and do whatever it is that I do without kids. I want to make sure he appreciates what I do every day with very little break. I don't get a true weekend or a true lunch hour or a true vacation like one would during a "normal" 9-5 job. That's okay...I don't mind and I try not to complain (too much). I love my "job". Can't imagine doing anything else but raising my sweet little boys. But I want to make sure that he understands that it is actually hard work. And it's even harder to do it well. And I have this insatiable need to be appreciated. He seems to like me a bit more when I come home after being gone for the day or even a weekend. So I think he "gets" it once in a while.

So this past weekend, he had to work on Saturday. He doesn't usually work weekends, but he was doing me a favor by taking off Monday (so I could actually have a bit of a break and go see my friend and her baby) and in order to do that, he had to get work done on Saturday. He insisted (didn't even ask, really) that I go to work with him and help him since he was helping me out on Monday. So we sent the kids with their grandparents and off to work I went. I had a great time spending the day with him and seeing what he really did all day long. I know his job...I know what he does all day to earn us our living. But I didn't realize how hard he worked. I didn't know how hard his job really was...and I didn't know how unpleasant it can be at times. It was busy and constant (I'm used to that, though) and it didn't slow down...everything was the same over and over again and it was very physical. I was so sore the next day. If I had to do that job by myself every day, day in, day out without the company of my best friend, I would go crazy....I would hate my job! But he doesn't...he doesn't complain (too much) and he gets up waaayyy earlier than we did that morning and works twice as many hours as we worked that day.

I walked a mile in his shoes (I would be willing to bet that that is a completely true and literal statement as well as "the old saying"). It was hard. Not fun at times. I'm so glad I don't have to do it. I'm so glad I get to do the job I love....and after coming home yesterday, I thinks he's glad that I do the job I do, as well, and that he has the job he has. I appreciate him more than I have in the past...he's finally getting the appreciation he deserves from me. Here's to you, honey! You are a star!! And you can have your shoes back.

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first attempt at a Thursday Thirteen. Let me know if I do something wrong or if there's some piece of etiquette I'm missing! ;)

Because I've not said much about Sweet Hubby, (except for the fact that he didn't pour out bad OJ) my first Thursday Thirteen is in honor of him. We've been married for almost six years...and six years and 2 (and a half) children later, I've learned some things from him along the way. So I made a list for myself of what I've learned.

Thirteen Things I've learned since being married to Sweet Hubby

1. Although he would do nearly anything for his wife and family, dealing with lizards in the house is just not one of them. Don't tease him about this.

2. He really isn't trying to make your life miserable when he puts the laundry detergent on the very top shelf where you can't reach it without climbing ON TOP of the washing machine to get it.

3. Never ever criticize the way he cleans out the garage, mows the lawn, or takes out the trash--unless, of course, you enjoy doing those activities.

4. Along with #3, never criticize how he makes a sandwich....you'll be making your own lunch for the rest of your life.

5. Always make sure to he goes to the grocery store with a list....

6. ...and never expect for him to come home with ALL the items on the list (or ONLY the items on the list).

7. Always remember Dads do things differently. Even if that includes too much TV, too much sugar, no sunscreen, your white laundry being pink (or your best sweater that now fits your lap dog) and ridiculously dirty children, it's a good thing.

8. Some say it's a myth or a stereotype, but it's true...guys can't multitask--at least mine can't. (Just yesterday, Sweet Hubby called me because he locked his keys in his company car at one of the stores he was calling on...turns out he had tried to pump gas and hang a sign outside the store simultaneously to save time....he waited 30 minutes for his work to bring him another set of keys.)

9. When asked if his hairline is receding, the right answer is always a quick glace and an even quicker, "No! Not at all! " This is the equivalent to "Does this make me look fat?"

10. Always be open-minded to his interests--even if you never thought you would be the girl to see every comic book movie ever made on the day they come out to the theaters (and spending 6 bucks on those questionable hot dogs), you might actually enjoy it (once in a while).

11. Even though he may not seem to have a "quick wit", I've learned to never underestimate his sense of humor and his ability to pull out some really good one-liners (once when I was getting ready to cut his hair, he came out of the bathroom with the "haircut drape" on and asked if he had his cape on right...I still giggle about that).

12. Because of guys like him the term "Family Man" isn't becoming obsolete.

And in honor of my hubby and his interests....

13. NEVER EVER even begin to joke that Batman and Robin might be gay. Any sense of humor he might have had will be completely lost on this joke. The same goes for making fun of superheroes wearing tights...

Where are you from, anyway?

My mom often asks that question when one of my kids says something that doesn't sound like the "Tay-uh-xan" way of saying it. Well, now there's a test at alphadictionary.com (I found it at LaughterThoughts) that tells you how Rebel/Yankee you are based on the way you pronounce/say different things. Some of my answers horrified me as I thought I was Southern/Texan all the way. Shhh....don't tell my dad! I'm 74% Dixie...my neck's a little pink.

Something in the orange juice...(bad mommy moment)

We're running low on rice milk this morning. Both boys get a cup of it first thing in the morning. I knew yesterday that we would only have enough for one to get his cup of milk so this morning, I asked Stephen if he wanted milk or OJ to drink. He chose OJ and I poured it for him. Just after I poured it, I remember that Sweet Hubby had said Saturday that the OJ wasn't good. I couldn't remember if he meant this carton or the last carton, and certainly he would throw it out if it was this one, right? So I tell Stephen that if it tastes funny not to drink it (I hate OJ and don't drink it...not sure if I would know if it was "good" or not). He said okay. A few minutes later, he brings an empty cup to me and tells me his tummy hurts. I ask if it tasted funny and he says yes. *sigh* Then WHY did you drink the whole thing?! Of course part of me wonders if he heard me thinking aloud about the OJ being good or not and is just finding something to whine about. Which makes me feel even worse for doubting him.

Note to self: When in doubt, throw it out....and certainly don't feed it to the kids!

Holy sleeping babies, Batman!

Drummer Boy

He's surprisingly good....maybe he'll support his mama being a musician!

Garbage, er, garage sale

We had our second ever garbage sale today. These things fascinate me. I like garage sale-ing. I like going and trying to find good deals...especially on kid stuff. But in this area, the pickin's are slim. Most of the stuff people sell out here really is garbage. But I've had all this stuff in our house accumulating for about 2 years. Most of it hasn't been touched, looked at or thought of for that long. To me, it's just taking up space and collecting dust. It's my junk, trash, garbage. And so when I price it and set it out for people to paw and pilfer through, I can't imagine that anyone wants my old junk. Why would they? I don't. But after 2 half days (8-1 ish today and yesterday) we made $209! TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS! I was just hoping to crack a hundred just to be able to fix my garage door and paint Stephen's room. We did sell all of the baby gear that we didn't want anymore and quite a few baby clothes, but everything else just quarter and half dollar stuff. We were swamped at one point yesterday...we could hardly keep up and people were coming back two and three times! I just can't wrap my mind around people PAYING me to let them take my junk off my hands so it can go take up space in their house. That's fine...whatever you want to do with it...it's yours and I don't have to look at it anymore. We actually closed up shop today earlier than we had intended and took all the stuff that was left down to the resale shop down the road that benefits battered women and children. Part of me feels kinda selfish and greedy that we didn't just load it all up and haul it off to that place.

It was a really hard couple of days, but I feel so great about it! I know it's been said a million times, but I'm finally realizing the wisdom in it...one man's trash really is another man's treasure!! In this case, one mom's junk is another mom's "big find"!

My first meme!

Okay, so it's not actually MY meme, but it's the first one I get to do, and I'm silly enough to be excited about it. Thanks to ksl (and Bubby, Firecracker and Cream Puff) for tagging the Sweet Boys.

Three Things by Stephen (from his own words)

3 things that scare me:
last night I went tee-tee and I was afraid there was a dinosaur outside
thunder...that scares me
the dark

3 things that make me laugh:
when Mommy tickles me
Zachary spinning around with me
Jubilee licking me...that makes me laugh

3 things that I love:
Mommy
Daddy
my friends

3 things I hate:
some people angry at me
Jubilee biting me
The Koala Brothers

3 things I don't understand:
myself
why you keep asking me these questions (he didn't really say that, but that's the look he's giving me)
why daddy stays home some days but leaves on others

3 things on my desk/table:
books I read during yesterday's nap
Mommy's clip
my lamp

3 things I'm doing right now:
watcing Doodlebops
talking to Mommy
drinking rice milk

3 things I want to do before I die:
Outlive mama...that's it. (he didn't say that, but I'm not about to ask him that question and that answer is sufficient)

3 things I can do:
spin around and jump
stay in bed all night long
cut blue and purple and yellow paper

3 ways to describe my personality (in Mommy's words):
funny
silly
laid back

3 things I can't do:
write my name
reach the very top shelf where Mommy puts everything I want to play with
go to work

3 things I think you should listen to:
Between the Lions CD
my blue CD
mommy singing

3 things I think you should never listen to:
lions roaring
Zachary screaming
your Mommy asking you a million "3 things" questions (again, not what he said, but the look I'm getting says it all)

3 absolute favorite foods:
yogurt
applesauce
not tomatoes
chicken and dumplings

3 things I'd like to learn:
how to drive a car
how to read
how to make mommy quit asking me these questions (the look)

3 beverages I drink regularly:
rice milk
water
orange juice

3 shows I watched as a kid:
Little Einsteins
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
VeggieTales


Three Things by Zachary

3 things that scare me:
rain
moonwalks
my brother coming at me with pointy objects

3 things that make me laugh:
my dog, Jube (short for Jubilee) licking me in my mouth
taking a head dive off my slide
Mr. Brown Can Moo by Dr. Suess

3 things I love:
my brother, but I never want him to know it so I pretend to hate his attention, although I have to do EVERYTHING he does
mommy reading me books
daddy wrestling with me and throwing me on the bed

3 things I hate:
when people visiting us leave
when brother plays with a toy I haven't looked at in days...I was going to play with it in just a minute
anything that remotely looks like, smells like, feels like or might at one point have been a fruit or vegetable

3 things I don't understand:
why when Daddy's home we have to take his van all the time when Mommy's van is the one with the CD and DVD players
why mommy starts making funny noises and starts waving her arms when Jube licks me in my mouth...it's funny, Mom.
why brother can have this thing called gum and I can't

3 things on my desk/table:
colored on and torn up pieces of construction paper...I plan on using it later
the latest stack of books Mom just read me
Spiderman clock

3 things I'm doing right now:
sleeping
sucking my two middle fingers
holding my lovey very close

3 things I want to do before I die:
There's just one thing...outlive my mom.

3 things I can do:
count to 10
sing "You are my Sunshine"
make mommy giggle really hard when I make myself so dizzy I have to lay flat on my back before getting back up

3 ways to describe my personality:
so sweet
so stubborn
so goofy

3 things I can't do:
play with brother without getting hurt
eat sweet potatoes without painting myself with them (what is it with that?)
run fast enough to keep up with brother

3 things I think you should listen to:
Me
brother if he wants the same thing I want
VeggieTales Sunday Morning Songs

3 things I think you should never listen to:
the music with the funny people singing that mommy always makes me listen to
brother if he wants something different than I want
scary thunder and rain

3 absolute favorite foods:
waffles (with syrup, not like Mommy makes them with peanut butter)
ketchup
chicken nuggets

3 things I'd like to learn:
how to talk well enough so brother doesn't always talk for me (he always tells mom I want something when I don't)
how to get naked by myself
how to make Mom understand that juice and milk is MUCH better than ice water

3 beverages I drink regularly:
water
rice milk
orange juice (someone once told me it used to be a fruit, but I don't believe it because it's much too tasty)

3 shows I watched as a kid:
Charlie and Lola
Higglytown Heroes
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

I have no one to tag as everyone in the blogging world that I know has already done this!! Will a piano fall on my head for breaking the chain?!?!?

Anger Management

This evening, I was doing something in the kitchen and Stephen came in and asked if he could do something....I don't even remember now what it was. I told him no and he asked again. I told him the answer was still no. He's had a quick temper lately and he immediately gave me his angry face and said, "I'm going to SMACK myself!!" I guess he figured this was the closest he could get to talking back to me without having to get ugly (and then subsequently disciplined). And I suppose he thought that that would cut me to the core. It kinda made me giggle, but I couldn't let him see me do that. But then what could I say to that? He wasn't threatening me or anyone else. He wasn't really disrespecting me...just showing me he was mad. And I've been working with him on better ways to handle his anger. So I let it go as he walked out of the kitchen and I said, "Whatever you think you have to do..."

This situation tonight reminds me of something he said to me the other day....I wouldn't let him play with play-doh because we were getting ready to walk out the door. He was mad because I had told him he could play with play-doh earlier in the day but then we just ran out of time. I could tell that he really was mad and after he went to his room to holler and scream and hit his bed (the "better" ways of handling his anger that I mentioned before), he yelled through the house, "MOM, I am YELLING at you!!!"

Bless him...

Alli wants

My cousin Kelli did this on her blog (and THANKS to Kelli who helped me to learn how to do that link!). I've done it before, but thought I'd try again since it's been a while and last time it was really fun. Try it for yourself...google your name and the word "wants" to see what comes up. Here are my interesting ones.

Alli wants to put sixth grade behind her and finally stop being invisible. She wants to be popular and have a breakout year in seventh grade.

Lord Alli wants the soap still to be based around a 'strong matriarchal character' like Meg Richardson, played last time by the late Noele Gordon.

Alli wants to help, but doesn't know how. But Jamie knows what to do. These ladies are unclean. They're filled with vile humours, and Jamie swings into....

Alli wants nothing more than to be popular, but fate keeps conspiring to make her totally uncool. (hee hee....see my last post)

Alli wants the toy and is barking for it. (no wonder I can't be cool)

Alli wants everyone to do great and has dress up days for the different decades so that you can earn extra credit.

These weren't near as funny as I remembered them being....but this was still fun!

Still holding my status

I've never been "cool". I never traveled in the "cool" group in high school and I'm not the "cool" friend that everyone wants to have. I've always been okay with that...the cool kids didn't have anything I thought I wanted or needed and my friends don't like me for my cool factor. That sort of status has never been a goal of mine (as reflected in my hair cut and wardrobe). But this morning, Stephen came up to me and said, "Mom, you are a cool grown up". I never thought that being "cool" would mean so much to me! I feel privileged...like I'm "in". I get to sit at the cool table at lunch and hang around the cool kids at the mall (at the playarea, but still, I'm at the mall with the cool kids). So, it's good to know that I'm still holding my status in his mind. I haven't yet embarrassed him by kissing him or holding his hand in front of his friends. I haven't yet made him roll his eyes because I'm so uncool because I use words like "cool". He hasn't yet felt like he wants the ground to open up and swallow him simply because of my existence. I think when that day comes, though, I'll be okay. Still, being cool isn't a goal of mine especially in the overall span of motherhood. But somehow, I feel cool...simply because my 3 year old, who changes his mind on all things just about every minute and a half, told me so. Somehow, that's more validation than I ever wanted or needed in high school. And somehow, I still feel young, because my kid thinks I'm cool. How cool is that?

Life is never boring...especially at the grocery store.

You know what they say about praying for patience....well, I have been. And I got more tests today at the grocery store than I usually get in one whole day.

Stephen has discovered the little kiddie baskets at the Kroger. He knows that if he behaves well at the store then he gets to use one at the next visit (and he never forgets). He got to use one today....I'm not sure who invented the little kiddie basket, but I'm fairly certain they never had a 3 year old boy. And I'm fairly certain they've never had the backs of their feet run over by a kiddie basket-wielding 3 year old. At least Stephen has good enough manners to say excuse me when he runs me over or runs into someone else in the store. At one point, as we neared the section where they used to have his rice milk, he yelled "RICE MILK!!!" and started careening down the aisle, nearly taking out a stand up display of panty hose. And there were countless times of him leaving the basket in the middle of the aisle when something caught his attention. By the end of the trip, my 5'8" husband was pushing the 2' cart around....Stephen told him he could. I was wishing I had my camera.

And Sweet little Z was not about to pass up an opportunity to test Mommy's patience. As we stood in line to check out, Stephen wanted to go to the water fountain to get one more drink before the trip home. Knowing I wouldn't get far without him, I took Z out of the cart to take him with us. After being in the cart for about an hour, I thought he'd appreciate walking. And he did. But he didn't care anything about walking to the water fountain and cared even less about holding my hand so I could guide him in the right direction. So, as I grabbed his hand, he layed himself across the floor in the middle of the Kroger. I scooped him up (screaming...him, not me) and proceeded to the water fountain. He began contorting himself in all different ways so I couldn't hold him. I asked him if he wanted to walk, he did, so I told him he had to hold my hand. I set him down and he took off....I took his hand and he again lays himself across the floor (a friend of mine calls this the "Ghandi protest"). All the while, Stephen's whining about how thirsty he is. So again, up like a sack of potatoes went Z over my shoulder. Again, he contorts himself in to ways that I can't hold him (keep in mind my weak and pregnant belly). Again, I offer to let him walk but he has to hold my hand. He takes off, I take his hand, and on the floor he goes.....this is all BEFORE actually making it to the water fountain and we still have the whole trip back. Thankfully, God granted me the patience I prayed for and I was able to laugh and keep on going...ignoring the hairy eyeballs I was getting from people to old to remember what it was like to have a child nearing 2. After playing that game all the way to and from the water fountain, we finally found their daddy. He must've noticed (or heard) the struggle Z and I were having...he quickly took him from me. Miraculously, Z immediately lost interest in wanting to walk.

Today, I found this excursion fun. Any other given day, and I might have found good reason to put them both in a kiddie basket with a "Free to good home" sign. But with the tests God gave me, He gave all the patience I needed....even if I have to finish the day off with a couple of chocolate chip cookies AND a candy bar....

Out of the mouths of brothers

Stephen has recently started an obsession with sticks. I don't let him bring them in the house (can you imagine stepping on tiny sticks and twigs in the middle of the night?? must be something like stepping on legos or Barbie shoes). So anytime we leave to go somewhere he plays with his sticks for a few minutes. Today, he took a stick with him in the car. I watched him play with it a few minutes... then I watched as a light bulb seemed to go off and he turned to Zachary and said, "Wanna bite?"

(note to self: add this to the things I never thought I'd have to say--"Don't feed your brother sticks!")

Random thoughts...that's all I have these days.

I have nothing profound, funny, significant or insightful to say today. Not that I normally do anyway, but for some reason, I feel the need to put something on my blog today. We have our occupational therapist coming in a little while and here I sit in my jammies, with one child still in his jammies and the other still in his crib. And you couldn't walk two straight steps in our playroom if you wanted to (that's where we usually do our "therapies"). The kids won't even go in there now....that's how I know when it's time to clean it. And yet, I sit here with no motivation to do anything. I'm not even sure if the OT will show up because we had an appt on Monday for her to come....I was in Dallas with that Sweet Baby Girl and my kids were at my parents house. I forgot we had an appt and I never called her. I had intentions of calling her later in the week (before today) to apologize, but I didn't. That's something the "normal" me would do....is it terrible that I really don't care?

I had a doc appt yesterday. Nothing exciting to share from that. I've gained 10 pounds. I've forgotten what that even means. Is that good? Bad? I gained 23 in the entire pregnancy with Zachary and 33 with Stephen. I have no idea what "10 pounds" means when you're 22 weeks pregnant. I have to make a decision which hospital to deliver at. The one I had Z at is closer, but the other one is bigger and I've heard has gotten better ratings for L&D. Neither can promise me a private room. I hate that.

I think Zachary is hitting the terrible 2s....it just so happens to be at the same time Stephen is hitting the terrible 3s. I don't think we ever really had the terrible 2s with Stephen. I've heard 3 can be worse than 2....up until a couple weeks ago, I had no idea what that meant. He's always been such a relatively easy kid. I feel like I'm in a house with a couple of teenagers and their raging hormones and mood swings. I sure hope this changes before November.

I also have to decide what day to have the baby. November 1st or 2nd. I could have him Oct 31....but I don't think so. I'm trying to decide which day has a better ring to it.

I think I'm nesting. I cleaned out Stephen's closet on Wednesday, and went through a bunch of Z's stuff that doesn't fit anymore yesterday. Today, I plan to clean out Z's closet. I'm planning a garage sale. I'm *thisclose* to opening our house and saying that anything that isn't bolted down can be sold. I'm so tired of the clutter.

Well, I suppose at some point I should go do something. That is what's expected of me. I would love to sit here and have diarrhea of the fingers all day. I could go on and on.....

The Miracle of Babies

My dearest friend, Alison, gave birth to her first baby yesterday. She went into labor at 1 in the morning and labored for 15 (I think) hours-without epidural-before they decided that baby wasn't coming out through pushing. Just a bit later, Elizabeth Nell entered this world via c-section weighing a healthy 10 lbs 6 oz!! No wonder she wouldn't come out...she couldn't! Alison was a trooper and was the hero of the day yesterday to everyone in the waiting room waiting for little Elizabeth. Elizabeth is an angel and so beautiful....she has no idea how much she was wanted, anticipated and how much she is loved! I hate goodbyes and hate that I can't be with the people I love and I always cry when I have to leave Alison....this time I held it together till I got out to the car to leave, but I still cried. Today I had to leave Alison and that sweet little baby!

Elizabeth is a miracle and I am so glad she is here!

Just to be fair....

I realize that I've neglected posting many pics or stories of Sweet Boy #2 (and #3 for that matter) so for good measure here's a few of them....Z with his lovie, Z with one of his favorite things to do and Sweet Boy #3, Marc-Adam, at 21 weeks gestation (I'll be the first to admit that I had to clean the mirror before taking and publishing that picture).

Love Hurts

Ok, so I know this is a silly subject to write about, but my kids are my life so whatever happens in their life is huge in my life.

Stephen's first "lovie" had to be retired. He literally loved that thing till it's guts would fall out all over the house. His name was "Baby Animal Baby Bear" but we called him Baby Bear. Stephen actually stole him from his Nonny's house a little over a year ago and since then has hardly gone anywhere without him. From the quality of love he received Baby Bear developed hand, neck and stomach wounds (in addition to a loose eye and a scuffed up nose). When I kept finding pieces of Baby Bear scattered around the house, we went to Hobby Lobby. They have the supplies to do a "Build a Bear" type thing (for wayyyyy cheaper) and we built "Super Bear". Stephen seems to love him just as much as Baby Bear and now Baby Bear is now sitting high on a shelf to avoid any more injuries (other than the inevitable layer of dust it will receive). So, RIP, Baby Bear....thanks for the memories.

When Hormones Attack

*sigh* It's been a rough couple of days. I've not been in my normal upbeat, optimistic, lovin' life mood. I'm sure it's a combination of things....a 3 year old who has suddenly--for the first time in his life--decided he doesn't want to sleep...ever. Sleep deprivation from said 3 year old waking me up all night long because, apparently, he doesn't want me to sleep either. And hormones. Blessed hormones. The things that can turn any molehill into a scary mountain...that usually makes me cry. I just want things to go back to "normal". Normal's not always perfect or even fun, but it's my normal and I liked it. I want naptimes back since I feel I'm teetering on the fence between normal pregnancy fatigue and narcolepsy. I want to enjoy my kids again instead of feeling like I'm constantly barking at them. I want to feel like doing stuff again. I want to not feel like a monster when I'm up for the third time (before 2am) when Stephen wakes me up and my tone has seemed to reach a new octave. And speaking of being up in the middle of the night...I don't want to do that either unless I'm feeding a baby instead of "reasoning" with a preschooler. I want my evenings back with my husband and a full night's rest again. And it's at this point where the hormones kick in and make me feel like things will never be "normal" again....that I'll never be nice again, that I'll never enjoy life again, that I'll never sleep again....on and on and on.

I know I'm blessed....I always remind myself of that. But for some reason (probably back to those silly hormones again) that just isn't making me feel better right now.

Ok, whine over. For now.

Don't color in your food....

There are times in my life as a mother (as I'm sure there are in the lives of every mother with small children) that I think, "What just came out of my mouth? What did I just say?" Being a mother of a toddler/preschooler seems to do something to you....it seems to make you say things that sound totally and completely absurd. Of course, in the moment, it's just the right thing to say. Taken out of context or heard by a stranger, it's ridiculous. Here are just a small list of mine:

Don't color in your food!
No, vegetables do not wear underwear.
Get your foot out of your muffin.
Are you licking the TV?
Please, don't ride your brother.
Keep your spit in your mouth.
Take your sheep out of your pants, please.

Get the point? There have been so many of these moments for me. Hearing something like that come out of my own mouth tends to lighten a situation...whatever that situation might be. It just helps remind me what a wonderful job I have! Kids always keep things exciting and fun (even when I'm ready to pinch their heads off) and there is no such thing as an ordinary day!

I'm going to try to make an ongoing list of all the absurd things that I say over the years. I think it will be obvious when I'm done that I was the mom of three boys!

How much would it cost to ship a 55 lb box?

So, I ordered a bunch of toys recently from Discovery Toys (none of them for my kids, bad mama) that altogether cost $75. They came in a huge box--I'm not sure why, the toys weren't that big--that was full of packing peanuts. The kids got really excited when they saw that toys were in the box, but when I explained that the toys weren't for them, they got excited about the box. Now we've all heard (or said it ourselves) that you can buy a kid a $500 toy and he'll play with the box, but they had a GRAND time! I swear it was worth the $75 for someone else's kid just to get the box and the packing peanuts!! They played for over an hour. Stephen played "find the treasure" and Zachary played "make a mess". I saved the box and peanuts for a rainy day (or a "mommy's feeling lazy" day).

Adventures of Superboy!!

Well, I wanted to post something today so I didn't have one lone boring post on this sorry little blog (laughing at myself, not feeling sorry for myself), and I thought this would be a cute addition since I don't have anything fun to write today. I also wanted to try out posting a picture...

This is Sweet Boy #1 (or shall we say "A"), Stephen, 3 years old. He dressed himself up a few days ago and started running through the house yelling, "I'm Superman! Up and away!" I told him that I didn't think the hat and slippers would be aerodynamic. His daddy wanted to know how Superman got Batman's utility belt...and why it was upside down! Not sure what that face was about...all I know is that this was too cute and fun not to share! He never ceases to amaze me....

Here it is....for now

Ok, here's my first attempt at doing this. The more of this stuff I try to do, the more I realize how truly clueless I am about all things internet/computer/technical. Perhaps I can learn, but it will most likely be a slow process. But I'm excited about starting a blog. It'll be nice to lay out my life in this way. Maybe it will make life less of a blur! However, I reserve the right to, at any time, change my mind about all this depending on how it works for me. As in life, what doesn't work for me will quickly be ditched.

So here it is. I feel slightly silly and quite boring...but maybe that will get better.

Off to figure out cool things to do with this...