Baseballs and Tutus

5 Question Friday

2011-01-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

I woke up with a raging headache this morning - I get them from time to time - in horrible migraine form - have had them since high school and they're horrible. I can't take anything for them during the day because I'm by myself with the kids and I absolutely can not function when I take them. So I plug on through and try to make it through the day. I laid on the couch this morning with the two babies and a hot compress on my head for almost 2 hrs because I could actually get up and partly function for the rest of the day. However it's close to 5 now - my headache is alittle better but better or not - WE GET A DATE NIGHT TONIGHT!!! I'm so estatic it's not funny! We haven't been out by ourselves on a date since our anniversary in June. I'm so ready. I really want to take a weekend and go somewhere but first things first.

Since I can hardly see straight and my vision is blurry out of my left eye because of my migraine it's a good thing it's Friday and time for 5 Question Friday. I'm not sure I could muster up anything more than random questions and answers right now.

Head over to see Mama M. at My Little Life to join in on the fun!!!!

1. If you had $1,000 to donate to a charity, which would you choose?

Children's Hospital hands down. When Lucas was a baby we spent a good bit of time there with RSV and meningitis and they are wonderful. I absolutely adore what they do for those little babies that are so innocent and helpless.
2. Snow days: Do you welcome them happily or are they a pain in your butt?

At this point this year they're a pain in my butt however most of the time we are very happy about them. We've had more snow in South Carolina than we've had in years and have had way too many snow days already - after being snowed and iced in for 6 days I don't want another for a very very long time and I'd rather not be still making school lunches into July either.
3. What talent did you wish you had and why?

I wish I could sing. Doesn't have to be a fabulous money making voice but I wish I could just sing so I didn't sound foolish when I was doing so. Wishing Wishing Wishing.

4. Are you a news, politics or celebrity gossip junkie?

News! I used to be obsessed and always have CNN or FoxNews on 24 hours a day. Now I can't get Caillou, Barney and Max and Ruby off my tv long enough to watch the weather.
5. What is your favorite "cocktail"? (Are you a beer person, a kiddie cocktail junkie, or perhaps your more the "Cosmo" kind?! Anything flies...doesn't hafta be alcoholic!)

If you asked me this about 4 years ago I'd have said an amaretto sour however those of you that know me and have been around for a while know that my husband has battled alcoholism for years now so we don't drink. I am proud to say he is now in recovery and doing great but out of respect for him I don't drink either.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Love those Shoes

2011-01-26T07:49:00.000-05:00

Project Life ~ Week 3

2011-01-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

I haven't taken a lot of pictures in the past week - other than keeping up with Project Life I have done very little. I'm still struggling with the motivation to get things accomplished. I'm ready to get that "spring" back in my step soon.

This is week 3 of Project Life and I'm linking up with Jessica over at The Mom Creative. I've had a lot of people ask me What is Project Life exactly? Becky Higgins, who is the creator of Project Life explains it best here. I, personally, do a picture a day which I will admit is a little demanding. There are days I get to bedtime and realize it was a crazy day and I haven't taken a picture yet. That's when I find myself photographing the small day to day details that I know I will want to remember 10 - 20 years down the road. Maybe pictures that my kids will look back on one day and appreciate more than just a smiling face perhaps. A picture a day isn't for everyone though and that is what is awesome about Project Life and the system that Becky has created. You can do a layout a week or month or just events that are going on in your life. You can make it work for you - and go as in depth as you would like. I have completed the first two weeks in my album and have taken pictures of my first completed week so that you all can see - those of you that don't have the album and have asked about it.

First off - here's my third week.

My grandmother was here visiting from OK and she is a phenomonal cook. We made homemade doughnuts which is something I've wanted to learn for so many years. I SO enjoyed the time we were able to spend with her and I tried to soak up every little thing I possibly could from her.

This is one of my favorite pictures EVER! Caleb has this true infectious laugh that can get me everytime. It's something I want to freeze frame and never ever forget - then I got this picture during his and Daddy's tickle fest - I ADORE it.

This picture is my life in a nutshell. Little girl things surrounded by cars, trucks and blue 24 hours a day. There were so many days and years that I never thought I'd have a baby doll in my house - now I'll buy them until I'm blue in the face!

This is one of those days I forgot to take a picture until after most of the day was over. Here's our lunch line up on a nightly basis. I don't enjoy making lunches everyday but at least this way I know what they're eating - if they eat at school I assure you they wouldn't be eating the fruits and veggies! Won't be long I'll have more lunches in the line up - that's scary!

Caleb in his prized police car - This is all he wanted for Christmas from Santa and Santa had a hard time chasing one down :) This is by far his favorite thing right now - it's adorable to see him turn the sirens on and start talking into the walkie talkie.

Allie is a definite book lover - she will sit and flip through book after book for a long while. I love that they are developing a love for reading early on.

This has to be in the top 10 ten days of 2011 and we just started. We received the title to our car today and aside from my marriage license I think it could be my favorite piece of paper EVER!!!!

Here is my first weeks layout in my Project Life album. It's hard to take a picture of it because of the page protectors so these aren't very good. When you order the album through Becky you get absolutely everything you need - the album, page protectors, stickers, journaling cards and so much more. I haven't put the dates on my cards or the stickers yet - I just realized I still need to do that.

5 Question Friday

2011-01-21T08:40:00.001-05:00

Do you know that the weather man has the gall to even mention the words snow and ice in his forecast for Monday afternoon/night? Surely he knows better than that - my children have been back at school for 4 days after 10 straight days inside my house. I'm not sure I can do that again. We live in South Carolina for goodness sakes - we're not in Minnesota or Canada! We should have 40-50s temps not snow and ice storm systems just a week apart from each other. Join me in praying for no winter weather!

Now for 5 Question Friday - Head over and visit Mama M. at My Little Life to join in.

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

Oooh this is an interesting story. I am a big believer in fate and soul mates without a doubt. When I look back on our story there isn't a doubt in my mind that it was fate and that we were meant to be together. My mom heard from a friend about a local HVAC company that was hiring for a dispatcher in their office. I went by to fill out an application and was told that they had already filled the position so it was no longer available. I left and went about my life for the next couple of weeks. Then out of the blue my mom said that she heard the girl that they had hired didn't work out and they had let her go. They had not put an ad in the paper or even said they were hiring again so I took a chance and went by again. This time they did indeed confirm that she hadn't worked out and let me fill out an applcation. 2 weeks later I was hired and in the office. The very first morning I worked there all the technicians came into the office before they headed out on their calls. I vividly remember the second that David walked through the door and at that moment I knew there was something about him. I didn't pursue it because I was currently in a relationship and engaged nonetheless. He instantly became a favorite though among the techs at the company. He didn't give up as easily as I did however - he continued to flirt and then one day out of the blue he asked me "How hard would it be to get that ring off your finger?" Now I know it wasn't the best time and maybe not the nicest thing to do at the time given the relationship I was in however that one quickly ended and the rest is history..... it's a decision I've never once regretted!

2. What is your favorite room in your house?

It would have to be Allie's room. Maybe because I finally have pink in the house but I adore her room. The quote on her wall - "Such a big miracle in such a little girl" and the pink and green I just love it!

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

No - that's kinda weird though it might be interesting to see someone that could. Would you even call that a talent?

4. What is your evening ritual?

We have an 8 o clock bedtime for the kids when they are in school and it's pretty strict. 8 o clock means 8 o clock. As soon as they are in bed most nights everything is done. I usually try to make lunches for the next day after they get home from school in the afternoon so that's done. Everything else I try to get ahead on too so when they go to bed we can spend time together. We usually just lay in the bed and watch tv while I'm on the computer - okay maybe that's not spending so much time together :) He hates that I bring my computer with me to bed :(

5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?

This has greatly diminished since I've had children. It used to be 10-11 hrs of sleep but I'm at about 6 now. If I get any less than that I am a mess the next day but if I get a lot more than that I feel tired.

Ever?

2011-01-20T21:02:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like you're just not good enough? Like you won't ever make someone proud? You hear people tell you they're proud from time to time but do you ever get the feeling deep down like there is something you could do better that would please them more. Why do other people's opinions mean so much? I can't even put into words how many times I've felt this way - nothing I do will ever be enough. There will always be something they will see that is wrong with me.

I'm having one of those days today. I have the four best accomplishments in the world - they may be wild, loud and crazy from time to time but deep down they are good kids and I know it and I'm proud of them. I want them to always know that I am proud of them - I will never EVER let a day go by without them knowing just how proud I am and they will always know that not only are they enough but they are more than enough. I never ever want my children to doubt themselves - I never want them to sit by themselves and wonder what else they could do to be good enough - EVER!

Wordless Wednesday ~ It didn't work

2011-01-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

Project Life ~ Week 2

2011-01-18T22:36:00.001-05:00

I can't believe we're already finishing up the second week of 2011 - I'm having a great time doing this project again this year. I'm still in catch up mode for 2010 so I'm happy that I'm staying on top of for 2011.

Jacob and Lucas both got bb guns for Christmas. Jacob has been wanting a bb gun for as long as I can remember so he and his Daddy went outside in the backyard this afternoon to try it out for the first time.

My new piece of kitchen artwork that my dad made me for Christmas. Can you say LOVE IT?!!!!

First day of our "snow in" - no makeup on in this picture but I absolutely love how all the boys are looking at the camera and are happy!!!!!!

I am loving the lineup of everyones boots!

After the freezing rain and sleet on top of snow we had a layer of ice - made it very easy to sled or snowboard as Lucas and Caleb tried to do.

When you've been stuck in the house for 5 days the kids start getting creative with things to do. Their own unique buildings.

My grandmother is visiting from OK and we have been so blessed to be able and spend a little time with her over the weekend. This is one of my favorites!

Head over to The Mom Creative and link up with Jessica to show off your pictures!

I HEART Faces - Winter Wonderland

2011-01-18T07:32:00.000-05:00

I HEART Faces is a website that holds themed weekly contests for professional and amateur photographers. It's been forever since I've participated but when I saw that this weeks theme was Winter Wonderland I had to join in.

This is Caleb during our snow storm last week - after we got 6 inches of powdery snow we ended up with sleet and freezing rain which left about 1/4 inch of ice on top of all that snow. Caleb enjoyed just standing around and eating the ice!

I'm Gonna Miss This

2011-01-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

It's been a long 10 days - there were moments I thought I'd never make it through another day during our unexpected ice vacation however there were so many wonderful things about it at the same time. You see tomorrow morning at 6:45 am everything starts back - the kids have to get up and head back to school and the last 10 days will be over.

There will be no more not worrying about bedtimes, not worrying about whether lunches are made, not worrying about if laundry is done or homework is completed. No more sleeping late or having not a care in the world about a schedule - it will all come to a hault at bedtime tonight.

On one hand I'm ready to get back on a schedule - our house has taken a hit over these last 10 days. I haven't done much of anything in the cleaning area other than wiping the kitchen down, cleaning the toilet, doing laundry and cooking dinner. I haven't even taken down our Christmas decorations yet - it's pitiful I know! Things need to be cleaned and scrubbed and organized - it's going to be a long process. I have the big consignment sale coming up that I haven't even started on so it's time to kick my butt into gear. On the other hand I'll miss these days of no schedules and nowhere to go. It'll be back to the grind with homework and car lines and studying for endless tests and projects - that I don't miss!

Is it summer yet?

5 Question Friday

2011-01-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

I don't know as though I've ever been happier to see Friday come. With the snow, David having to work through all of it, the stress that came along with him on the roads and the kids home for the last 7 days straight with very little adult interaction for me I'm ready for a rest!

1. What movie could you watch over and over again and not get tired of?

Hands down Grease!!!!!! My all time favorite movie EVER - I'm not sure it'll ever get any better. I have the soundtrack the movie and then of course Grease 2. I expected great things from the sequel but was hugely disappointed - I've only watched it a couple of times because I couldn't suffer through it any more than tha
2. What's your biggest pet peeve right now?

This one is hard. I have many little things that drive me crazy - unmade beds is a huge one. I have to make up the beds on a daily basis - it makes me feel horrible and just puts me in an all around bad mood when they aren't made. I can't stand the fact that everytime I walk into the bathroom the toilet seat is up. I have 4 boys in my house so it's an endless issue we deal with - most of the time I walk in now I slam it down so it is clearly known and HEARD that I am not a happy camper!
3. If you had to describe your best friend in five words or less, what would you say?

Understanding
Faithful
Committed
Funny
Fabulous
4. If you did not have to worry about money or go to school what would you do for a living?

I'd go to med school. I however don't have an endless supply of money or 10 years on my hands so I'll do without. Once my kids get older and they are all in school I think I'll go back to school for nursing. I've gone back and forth thinking about law school but my mind always goes back to nursing.
5. What is your one "splurge" item, that you will always buy, no matter the cost?

Oooh this is horrible for me because I don't ever ever ever spend money on myself. One thing for the house that I don't scrimp on is toilet paper. I always buy Charmin regardless - I just can't deal with anything else! However the new Charmin they are making is way too soft - you know so soft that there is toilet paper left behind. Yes I see up close because I'm still wiping butts around my house :) Don't hate!

Head over to Mama M's at My Little Life and join in on the fun!

Multiple Snow and Ice Days

2011-01-13T11:30:00.000-05:00

The snow that came on Sunday night and during the day on Monday doesn't want to leave. The temps haven't wanted to get much above freezing for the majority of the week this week which has turned our schedules upside down. The kids have been out of school ALL week this week - this added onto what was to be a 4 day weekend coming up and well - you can imagine!

We've done a whole lot of NOTHING this week - the kids have been in their pjs more than they've been in regular clothes and I've accomplished nothing. We've done a lot of playing, watching tv way more than we should, eating entirely too much food and basically very little else. Keeping up with laundry and cooking dinner has been about all I've done other than deal with 4 stir crazy kids on a daily basis. To say that I'm ready for school to go back would be an understatement at this point. If we make it through another five days it will be a minor miracle!

What's on David's feet? Well he had already been to work this morning and had been out in the snow for 4 + hrs - by the time he got home his boots were soaking wet so he put plastic bags with duct tape on his feet. This was during his hour long break before he had to head out again for more calls. Funny guy!

On the other hand the kids played in the snow Monday and then we didn't go back out again until yesterday. Yesterday was complicated though - after all the snow fell on Monday it was followed by sleet and freezing rain. I'll post about that in a separate post otherwise this might be the longest post in history!

No makeup at all but I adore this picture of Allie and I!!!!!

David insisted I let him pull me down the hill on the sled! I was covered in snow when I got done - usually I use my camera as my excuse to not get wet :(

Next week I believe will be endless cleaning and getting back on track because ZERO of that is getting done right now.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-12T10:38:00.000-05:00

Picture Perfect

2011-01-11T12:48:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when it snows 6 inches in the South. As of right now we are on our second straight day with no school. They won't have it tomorrow either - the school district hasn't called it yet but it's just a matter of time. After that we are looking at Thursday - kids are already out on Friday and then Monday so they're looking at almost another entire week out of school unplanned. My house is a disaster - I'm exhausted and David has been working his butt off during this storm. I worry about him constantly when he isn't home - I don't worry so much about him out in this mess as much as I worry about all the other stupid people that don't have to be and about but are anyways.

This is the view from my driveway this morning. My road is a solid sheet of ice as are almost all secondary roads around town today. The interstates, they say are driveable but all secondary roads are still a mess. The neighborhood roads well - it's still 30 degrees at almost 1 o clock and we are not expected to have any sunshine today so I have a feeling we'll be looking at this sheet of ice for a while. Almost everything is shut down in town - Since we're in SC and they aren't equipped to deal with this I think we'll be snowed in for a while - I definitely am not one of those to get out and test it - I'll wreck and I know it so I'll keep my butt in my house and continue to go crazy with four kiddos.

Lots of Snow and Stress

2011-01-10T09:20:00.001-05:00

Lots of snow coming down in SC! We're at about 5 inches right now and they're calling for more and then freezing rain on top of it. Way out of the normal for us - SC doesn't have the equipment to deal with heavy snowfall - of course there are crazy drivers out there that shouldn't be out on the roads. People driving around trying to find places to sled and whatnot - really? Stay home is what I say. David had to go out - stresses me out and worries me. He says it's pretty bad out there - last I heard he was on the side of the road bc he lost a chain off his truck. Hoping he gets home soon and doesn't have to leave again - unfortunately I'm afraid that won't be the case.

Really?

2011-01-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday night 10 o clock and they say a major winter storm is on the way. SC just doesn't get snow like they are calling for - as of right now they are calling for multiple inches of snow then followed by sleet and freezing rain. We're in the South - we don't deal with conditions like these. As of right now there are over 130 closings and not a single flake has dropped from the sky.

To make matters worse David is on call - they sent him home with chains for his truck. He's still out tonight running calls - people going crazy with no heat right now. People that haven't had heat since this morning but wait to call until 730 at night???? Really???

I think it's going to be an interesting week - I've caught up on all my laundry preparing just in case we end up without power and can't wash clothes so we don't run out. We're stocked up on food and drinks so we're ready to go but praying it doesn't come to that. The temps aren't supposed to get out of the 30s all week and it's supposed to be in the teens and 20s at night so the likelihood of everything melting and not causing any problems is not very good. Kids are already supposed to be out of school on Friday and then Monday for teacher workday and state holiday so it's looking like an extended vacation this week. I may need Prozac by the end of the week :)

However - one good thing about snow - taking us back to the day after Christmas this year is I get adorable pictures of my babies - like these :

We even play baseball in the snow :)

Project Life ~ Week 1

2011-01-08T08:17:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to be doing project life again this year!!! I'm even more excited to be posting them on a weekly basis on my blog. I feel like I can keep up with it easier than posting them on a daily basis. I am using Becky Higgins system to keep my album and everything organized - if you haven't done project life before you really should look into it - it has been a huge turning point in my life. I'm looking at the small moments in life now - I'm enjoying each and every one and cherishing those memories all while document them for my family. I truly believe these small things in our day to day life that mean so much to me I would have forgotten 20 years down the road when my kiddos are gone if it wasn't for documenting them with project life. I'm now going to start linking up on Tuesdays with Jessica Turner at The Mom Creative rather than Saturdays. I love that she's doing this to help keep us all accountable. Now for my first week of 2011:

Caleb is obsessed with flashlights right now. He got two new ones for his birthday from Nendny and Papa and as he went to bed that night he slept with one of his new ones and his headlamp right by his pillow. I adore this shot!

Anytime Allie sees a piece of paper lying around she grabs a pen and parks herself. I frequently find my papers that she has put her mark on. Her mark? Loads and loads of circles!!!!

Two of my Christmas gifts from this year. An external flash and a new 50 mm lens. I'm still learning and have loads more to go but I love them so far!

My new project life kit arrived today! I'm so excited to start this year!

One of my favorite shots of Caleb. He will hardly ever sit still for a picture these days but as I was taking some shots of Allie the other night he hopped right in front of my camera and posed - love his eyes!

Jacob has a daily reading log for school. When they fill it up they get to turn it in and get a ring pop - always a very exciting time for him. He worked very hard the last couple of days to finish up his old reading log and came home with a new one and a ring pop today.

Grandma King is here from OK for two weeks and we went over to Dad's for the first time to see her tonight. David, unfortunately, is on call and had to work late. Dad put so much detail and LOVE into preparing his meal for me to take home to him. I am so thankful for my Dad for the love that he has given my husband - truly the greatest gift ever!

5 Question Friday

2011-01-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

It feels so good to be back on track with blogging. Knowing that I'm keeping up with remembering all the things I want to on a daily basis. Tomorrow will be my first Project Life post - excited about that. For now it's Friday and that means randomness :) with 5 Question Friday.

1. What is your current favorite book, and why?

I haven't read a book in FOREVER! I love to read - love to read but lately I've had trouble finding time to do anything I actually enjoy. The last book I read was part of the Sookie Stackhouse series and that was right after I finished the Twilight series. I have one in my purse right now that I was in the middle of but I think I need to restart it since it's been so long. However I love James Patterson and Jilliane Hoffman - she has a new one out that my mom has ordered - can't wait to read it!
2. Do you go to the dentist regularly?

Can we just skip over this question? Ugh - I used to and I should - I need to go and I am going to early this year. Problem is I know I have a few cavities and I'm terrified of having to get them filled. Remember my story about Lucas and his crown at I wrote about here? That has traumatized me for life!!!!

3. What is your worst memory from High School?

Another question we need to skip over. Story will come one day - part of our history.
4. What do you hope to be remembered for in your life?

Most of all I want to be remembered by my children - I want to create warm memories for them. I want to be a good mom - I also want to be a good wife and daughter but most of all I want to be a good mom - that is what is truly important to me.
5. Are you superstitious or do you have any superstitions?

Not really - I'm not one to avoid cracks in the sidewalk or be nervous about opening an umbrella inside or anything like that. My husband gets mad at me when I open his knife and don't close it back. I can't close it - for the life of me I can't remember from time to time how to close it - he says that's bad luck :(

Head over to Mama M's and join in on the random question fun!!!

My World is Complete

2011-01-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

There are still days that I have to pinch myself. I never EVER thought I would have this. I could sit and watch her dance, sleep, play with her baby dolls, do puzzles day in and out for the rest of my life and not have gotten enough. I love absolutely every single thing about her - don't get me wrong I love my boys but I'm smitten with my little girl. You see it never entered my thought process that she was a possibility. After three boys it just wasn't an option - even the doctors told me - it was 90/10. And now I have a pink bedroom with a little girl that has the cutest little pucker ever when she wants a kiss. These are the things I want to remember for the rest of my life - I want to remember her as I put her to sleep tonight - the way she held my hand and closed her beautiful blue eyes. The way she insisted she sleep with her pillow pet propped up and her lamb underneath her. I ADORE this little girl!!!!!

New Year

2011-01-06T11:08:00.000-05:00

Since I'm trying my hardest to get back into blogging and keeping up with everything that is happening in our lives this year is more than just about pictures of the kids and things happening in their lives. When I started this blog I wanted it to be my digital scrapbook so at some point when I actually have time to start putting together more than just my 365 album on a yearly basis I will have everything written down and ready to put in my books. That means there will be more of me - good and bad :)

Frankly I've been in a rut lately. A real rut - I've found it hard to function and have totally lacked the motivation to do anything for the last couple of weeks. Before Christmas there was so much to do - I had list after list in different areas of the house - in face I think I used up an entire legal pad with my lists I was redoing them so much. I was organized and got everything I wanted to accomplished and it felt wonderful. You see ever since I've had my children I've always been one to get up at the crack of dawn and get things done. When I sleep even until 8 or 830 I feel like I've wasted half the day and then I find myself playing catch up for the rest of it. I just couldn't do it. Since Christmas and us getting off a schedule - I have found it almost impossible to get back into reality. I get up and get the kids off to school and hit the couch while the two babies are sleeping - it's been impossible to make myself do anything. When I get up I feel horrible - I am still getting things done during the day - those that I have do. I am keeping up with laundry and doing the necessary things that have to be done but I'm forcing myself to do them. I'm not organized at all - I feel the clutter taking over and it's so overwhelming.

I'm to the point right now that I'm having to make myself look on the positive side. I have so many things I want to accomplish this year that I think I'm just overwhelmed and I don't know where to start. I have goals both family wise and personal that I want to meet. I want to simplify our lives - all the clutter and unnecessary things that people think they have to have in order to survive - when it comes down to it all we really need is our families. I want to remember that each and every day.

Today is the first day I've gotten up and stayed up - of course I had a board meeting at school and then another volunteer spot to fill before I came back home so that kept me up this morning. I'm determined to not let it envelope me again though - I want the organization and determined tasker back. I'm tired of feeling like I'm tired and worn down constantly.

On another topic - one thing I'm extremely excited about is Project Life!!!! I'm so excited I can hardly contain it. Project Life, for those of you that don't know, is when you take a picture a day everyday of the year. There are other versions out there for those of you that don't want to follow it as strictly as a picture a day. You can do monthly layouts or event layouts if you chose to. However, I do a picture a day and with the first year under my belt I can't speak highly enough of it. It has helped me to look at those little moments in life and in my children's lives that 15-20 years down the road I want to remember. Becky Higgins has a wonderful system for these and a beautiful album that goes along with - it just can't get any simpler in my crazy life right now. I started a blog for my 365 project last year but I was horrible about keeping it up 2 weeks into the year. I did keep everything on my computer and have it all - I just need to catch up on my book now :) however this year I'm going to do it a little differently. I'm going to do a weekly post on Saturdays of my weeks pictures and I'm hoping by doing it that way I'll be able to stay on top of my album as the year goes on also. Just another motivator :) If you aren't doing project life and are interested you have to check out Becky's blog - it's awesome.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Can it get any better than this?

2011-01-05T09:23:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

I've decided what my new year's resolutions are going to be. I have two this year - I'm sure I need many more but for starters I'm going to keep up with my blog. I love the connection I have developed with so many people and I miss that when I'm not blogging and regularly keeping up with everyone elses. I'm also going to dig into my camera. I've had it for a little over a year now and have yet to sit down and really LEARN about it. I got some wonderful gifts for my camera for Christmas and I'm so excited to learn about all the ins and outs of getting better pictures of everything.

I am so behind in blogging but instead of getting even further behind I'm going to write about Christmas and then I will just have to fill in the spots I missed down the road. That's one good thing about doing my 365 album - I have those daily pictures so I can still remember the small things I'm not wanting to forget - that's one of my most favorite projects EVER! If you're not doing one you should totally look into it.

Christmas was fabulous this year - we had a wonderful time with our family and the kids were very happy I think. I love Christmas - there is just this vibe in the air that is contagious. I can't get enough of it. We went to my dad's on Christmas Eve and had our annual spaghetti dinner followed by the kids "little" surprise that night. Each Christmas Eve Nendny and Papa get the kids a little "sursey" and we always give them new pjs for Christmas Eve night and a book.

Caleb was very unhappy with almost every present he received and bless his heart he let everyone know it. This little boy wanted a flashlight more than anything in the world and he was getting one (or two) on Christmas morning so I told Nendny to wait and she did but he wasn't happy about it. You can see it in his face here - I felt horrible but love the capture.

Allie wasn't interested in sitting for the picture but I got a pretty good one of the boys.

I finally got Allie to sit for me when we got home in her new pjs - loving the gown :)

Christmas Eve was a LATE night - I'm talking like 3:30 late. I think it could be the latest one we've experienced yet. I don't ever do any wrapping until Christmas Eve - one reason is I have a very hard time finding the time to wrap with four kids around and by the time they are in bed I have so much other stuff to do that wrapping falls by the wayside. I am thinking I may try and wrap some beforehand for the very first time next year - I say that every year though so we shall see.

Christmas Eve or morning at this time before we went to bed.

Lucas was the first one up on Christmas morning followed by Jacob and then Allie. Caleb was last and the most anticipated I think :) He took FOREVER to wake up - it was close to 9:30 before he actually crawled out of bed despite my repeated attempts to wake him up. We ate sausage and gravy biscuits for breakfast and then dove into our gifts. Christmas morning is a process at our house - it takes a while and it's not rushed. We open one gift at a time rotating around the room.

Right after Caleb got his police car - he was in shock for about 5 minutes when he walked out almost like he couldn't believe that a police car that he could ACTUALLY drive was sitting in his living room. His response to me was "See Mommy I told you Santa could BUILD one!"

I was very blessed this Christmas - I got a new Keurig - which is sooo cool! If you haven't seen one it's almost a show just to watch it brew a cup of coffee. My goal now is to find someplace around town that sells the tea k cups so I can have tea at night. I also got a new baking stone so I can throw away my ratty pans for my oven. Funny the things we find exciting as we get older :) And I got goodies for my camera too - so fun! I got an external flash which I am very very excited about and new 50 mm lens. I'm still learning the lens - I'm sure I'll be doing that for some time to come. I have the Nikon D60 and therefore the lens has to be operated in Manual mode. That's something I need to work on a lot but I'm excited to learn!

And this my friends - this is immediately after I received my external flash - the different is like night and day and it's pure love! I'm head over heels!

All of these wrapped gifts are the ones that Allie didn't get to on Christmas morning. She opened gifts for the next two mornings before she finished them all. She would open a couple and then play with something and then open a few more and play some more. Funny girl!!!

Overall we enjoyed the day with family and didn't want it to end - until it was time to hit the bed which we did hard!

The Telescope Story

2010-12-23T08:09:00.000-05:00

Lucas received a telescope for Christmas last year. Yep LAST year and up until 2 days ago it was sitting in our shed in the same box we got it in LAST year. I have felt bad about not putting it together several times - however I've been so busy with 4 kids(5 if you count David) and a household that it didn't last long enough for me to actually get it out of the box.

2 days ago I ventured down that unknown road. Let me say that I'm not a science person. I hated each and every second spent in a science class every day of my life. I'm not exaggerating! Lucas, on the other hand is a science whiz. That boy could talk about space, weather and water cycles each and every minute of his life and never tire. Me - well it goes right over my head. So it's drastically underestimating it when I say I wasn't excited to put this telescope together.

I swallowed my excitement and drug the box from the shed to our living room and pulled the manual out. In my opinion only science lovers should be the ones to put these things together - seriously it was like I was reading pig latin the entire time. What normal functioning person knows what polar axis, azimuth base or a declination lock is????????? And it doesn't help when the manual obviously is made for someone that has some clue as to what they are doing. It is clear that a normal everyday human is not to understand these things.

However after a couple of hours and much confusion the telescope was assembled CORRECTLY (I think) and put in it's rightful place in Lucas' room. Now for me, well I don't care if I ever see a telescope again!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-22T07:29:00.000-05:00

Busy Busy Week

2010-12-20T08:16:00.000-05:00

I have 5 days to finish up Christmas shopping - I probably won't do most of it until Friday though. Seems odd when I get started on Black Friday to go up until the very last minute but I love it. I love to be out on Christmas Eve running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get every last little thing bought. The excitement on that day is something that's contagious!

We have a very busy week ahead. Lots of baking, cleaning out toys, cleaning house, laundry to do. The older boys are going to their grandparent's house tomorrow for a couple of nights and will be back on Christmas Eve. In years past I have always waited until Christmas Eve to wrap everything - yes I'm crazy and yes I'm usually working at it for hours!! however this year I might get some done during the week since they won't be here at night. I don't ever put Christmas presents under the tree until Christmas Eve after the kids have gone to bed - maybe that is why I have never messed with wrapping them earlier either. I think going to bed with absolutely no presents and then waking up with the tree covered up is the coolest thing ever.

I was able to go to Caleb's Christmas program on Friday. Allie ended up not being in it since it was rescheduled. Technically she wasn't supposed to be in it - the 2s were just going to walk in dressed in little elf hats and sit in the front row to watch the program but since they didn't have school that day she stayed with us. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't going to get to see her dressed up but oh well. Caleb was the cutest little shepherd ever!! I was able to stay for the first 15 minutes and see him sing and then I had to run out of there to get to the older boys school for their parties. It was an insane day! I wanted to tape the program but when I got there my video camera battery was dead so I had to settle for a few far off pictures. I'm hoping to get a copy of the disc that the school recorded when they go back after the holidays.

Caleb is the fourth from the left in all of these. He did awesome in the performance. In the previous two parties he has had and they have performed a few songs for the families he gets extremely nervous almost to the point of making himself sick after it's over. When he first walked out as a shepherd I thought he was going to throw up all over the place he looked so nervous but he sang and actually did the motions and I was so proud of him!

So school is over and the kids are all home. My house is officially even crazier than it usually is and we have sickness lingering again. I sat up until 2 am last night trying to go to sleep but for my throat being constantly scratchy. Allie and Caleb coughed off and on all night long and have the runny nose from hell. Praying we can get over it before Christmas. Way to much to do to be sick. This could officially be the most rambling post ever!

5 Question Friday

2010-12-17T08:15:00.000-05:00

I can't believe we're one week away from Christmas. So much to do in the next 7 days and of course the kids will be home eacn and everyday so things are going to be interesting!! For now it's finally Friday - one of the longest weeks EVER with my husband working each and every night. I'm looking forward to a meal around the table that he's actually present at this weekend!!

For now it's 5 Question Friday. Head over to Mama M's at My Little Life and then let me know you did so I can check out your answers too - Love me some random questions.

1. Do you regift...and if so, do you have a regifting horror story?

I don't regift and really never have. I usually clean out on a semi regular basis (notice the semi regular there :) so if there's something I don't want or won't use I usually sell or donate it.

2. Do you know what you are getting for Christmas this year?

No. We are supposed to not be doing big gifts for adults this year so I better not getting anything. I did put stuff on my list however that was before I thought of all the cheaper stuff I needed so we'll go with that revised list :) At least that's what people are saying - we better stick to it! Or there's always that person that says that and then goes out and does the exact opposite so you're sitting there looking foolish - I hate that -

3. Who brings the most gifts in your family, you or Santa?

We do. Santa usually brings one gift and then the stockings and we do the rest. I think Santa is magical but as you grow up and have children of your own he gets the credit for the best stuff and we get stiffed. In a way I'm looking forward to the day they figure it all out and then realize that all those years we bought those gifts but then again I love the wonder and excitement of Santa.

4. What store do you love to by jeans from?

I used to buy all my jeans from Express - love love love their jeans HOWEVER they are like $60 a piece and well I grew up and had children and no longer had $60 to spend on a single pair of jeans therefore I've taken many steps down and now shop for them at Target. They're ok - they'll never be Express but those days are long gone!
5. Christmas meal: Big, All Out Meal or Snacks and Apps?

Big!!!!!!!!!! When it comes to food and our family it's always BIG! We also do snacks and apps throughout the day until the time comes for the big meal - we live for eating :)

Discouraged

2010-12-16T08:07:00.000-05:00

See these babies? Well they're all home today UNPLANNED and it's just screwed my plans up so that I'm not a happy mama. You see Caleb and Allie were supposed to have their Christmas program this morning at preschool. Now that they have closed schools Caleb and Allie's program has been delayed until tomorrow at 1 pm. However Lucas and Jacob have their parties tomorrow at 1:30 that I HAVE to be at because I'm a room parent. :( So it's Caleb and Allie's first Christmas program and now there's a chance I won't get to see it. I'm so incredibly discouraged and upset right now and can't for the life of me figure out how to make it work. My parents have graciously offered to do whatever is needed but I am still stuck with the fact that I won't get to see their program. Sooooo today I'm hoping I'll sprout wings and develop a twin so I can be in two places at once tomorrow and not miss anything! Join me in my prayer - nothing's impossible, right?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Back to Halloween

2010-12-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

It's less than 2 weeks until Christmas and I am posting Halloween pictures - honestly that's a good view into my life for the last few months. Since I'm playing catch up we can take a walk down memory lane around here today.

It took me forever to decide on Allie's costume - better said it took Allie forever to decide on Allie's costume. We went back and forth between 3 costumes for a while and everytime she decided on one and we walked away she changed her mind again. Finally Daddy took charge and they made the FINAL decision.

Caleb's was simple - he's infatuated with police men and he automatically knew he was going to be a police officer. Finding one in his size as skinny as he is but that fit his height was another story.

Caleb and Allie had a Halloween party at school the week before and Caleb's class had a Halloween parade. Allie's class watched from inside the building and then we headed back to the classrooms for their parties.

I love this of David and Allie looking at each other through the window.

We recycled Lucas and Jacob's costumes this year - I couldn't see spending money on costumes that we already had laying around the house so we dug through everything we had until they found something that they wanted.

We actually went Trick or Treating with some friends this year to a neighborhood that we had never been to before. We loved it - this neighborhood celebrated Halloween unlike anything that I have ever seen before. Almost EVERY single house was participating and they went all out. There were hundreds and hundreds of people in the streets - it was insane! Needless to say I think we'll be going back to that neighborhood again in the future.

Five Question Friday

2010-12-10T07:56:00.000-05:00

I've been so behind and slack on things lately that I've decided to get back to the basics and do whatever I have to in order to keep up with my blog and of course all of yours too :) I have to find a way to fit it into my schedule and can't always count on doing it in the mornings before the kids are away. So - I'm on a mission again - it's hit me today how much I enjoy doing this and I'm going to find a way to make it work!

Getting back to basics I used to do Five Question Friday every week and decided to start joining back in this morning. Head over and visit Mama M. at My Little Life to join in - let me know you did because if you've been around here for a while you know how I love random questions!!

1. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

We open our presents on Christmas Day. Although last year we started a new tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve. I decided to get each kid new pjs (hopefully Christmas ones if I can find them) and a new book and that is their Christmas Eve present. Then they wear the new pjs to bed Christmas Eve and have them for Christmas Day. They loved it last year so I must continue on.

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie (or candy)?

Oh my - one of my most favorite things about this time of year is the baking!!!! I HEART baking! I am starting to make my list of things I want to bake this year and it's getting longer and longer as I type. I can't wait! I would have to say that my most favorite cookie is a neopolitan cookie. It's a recipe that was handed down from my great grandmother and we only got it around Christmas time - I love to make them and remember the past years when I was little and she'd always make them for me.

3. What's the worst Christmas gift you've ever received?

When I was little we used to go to my stepmom's parents house for Christmas at some point before the actual day. Her entire family would come and we'd open gifts and eat dinner together. Every single year with no fail I'd get underwear. It was always the most embarassing thing EVER - she'd always want you to take them out of the package and look at them - makes me cringe just thinking about it.

4. Christmas song that you love?

My favorite is a kid's song - Here Comes Santa Clause - when we sing that song it always brings pure excitement. A traditional song would have to be Silent Night.

5. How many trees do you put up?

We only put up one in our house - it takes everything I have to keep the kids away from that one so I can't imagine having multiple ones to worry about. I'd have to set up security cameras in other rooms.

Free Christmas Cards for Bloggers

2010-12-08T21:39:00.000-05:00

I'm obsessed with pictures! I go through times when I don't take quite as many as other times but overall I take tons of pictures. Having a site like Shutterfly is heaven for a person with so many pictures. I am in love with the quality of their prints - it doesn't get any better than what they produce. Their snapbooks are another one of my all time favorites! I love the simplicity of their design program and the end result is absolutely fantastic! They also have canvases available and that is something that is on my bucket list for this year. I'm currently looking for the perfect pictures that I want on these canvases. I want one for each kid and have the perfect spot in mind on the living room wall that I want to hang them up. I can't wait to try Shutterfly out for these - I know if they are anything like everything else I've gotten from them that I won't be disappointed.

This year they are offering an awesome incentive to bloggers - 50 FREE Christmas cards. I'm a little behind the game but wanted to join in on the fun and get some of our own. I still have that family picture on my to do list but am hoping this will put a little kick in my schedule now. They have a ton of designs that you can order but here are just a few of my favorites :

I am loving the design of this card. I'm might have to dig for photos though - I'm trying to decide if I want to use a few older photos on the card along with a new one so that will be the deciding factor for this deisgn.

Loving the monogram idea and the clean crisp look of this card. One of my favorites!

This card just screams fun! I think this one would be one of the kids favorites - looks like something they would love!

I think this would have to be my top pick right now. I love the simplicity of this card!

If you're still stuck in the dark and haven't used Shutterfly yet :) then you must head over there and try them. I know you won't be disappointed!

Double Digits

2010-12-04T13:51:00.000-05:00

I'm going all the way back to October for this post :) See what happens when you're ~~on top of things~~ behind. Lucas is getting harder and harder to buy for as he gets older. This year was no exception. Both kids decided to have their meals at home for their birthdays instead of going out to eat - shock of the century! Lucas wanted spaghetti and Nendny and Papa came over to celebrate with us.

He was estatic to get money like his brother did - I think if he didn't then we'd still be hearing about it 10 years from now.

I love this look! Priceless!

Have you ever seen a kid so excited over a Scrabble game?

His grandmother gave him baseball gloves and hid money in the fingertips - funny when he tried to put them on and couldn't get his fingers to go in. Took him a good five minutes to dig all of the money out.

Then he got more books to read and an MP3 player that I still haven't figured out how to load songs onto. I am thinking we should have gotten an easier one to operate. I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on one since it was his first one and he's 10 but I can't seem to figure out how to get songs loaded onto the one that we got. I might have to break down and actually read the directions.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

Trying to Catch Up!

2010-11-28T09:05:00.000-05:00

At this point I'm surprised my blog is even still here. Guess part of me thought when I logged in that it would have mysteriously disappeared. I have found that although things have been very busy that it feels like something is missing when I'm not blogging and keeping in touch with everyone. I've missed out on tons and I'm very behind. Since this is how I keep up with what is going on in our lives I better get back on track.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving - my camera stayed in my bag and I didn't take a single picture but we had a great time. We stayed at my dad's Thanksgiving night since we were Black Friday shopping and the kids spent the day with them. We got up at 1:30 to head out shopping and finished up about 1 or so that afternoon. I'm relieved to have started my shopping - we're not done but I think I'm about 65 - 70% through. I insist that this year I'm not going to wait until the last minute to wrap everything but I'm sure I'll prove myself wrong. I usually wrap everything on Christmas Eve - we'll see if I can actually follow through this year and change tradition.

Feels like everyone is on ball with Christmas this year - the Christmas parade in our town is today. Usually they are a week or two later than this but they've had lights up around town for almost 2 weeks now. I can't wait to see how Allie reacts to the parade - I think she'll love it! Speaking of which Allie got a haircut :) We finally got the ends trimmed up and her hair evened out - I love the finished product!!! Check her out -

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-27T07:40:00.000-04:00

Goofballs

2010-10-22T13:44:00.000-04:00

Lately everytime I try to take some pictures of Allie she starts goofing off. When I ask her to smile I get this cheesy grin followed by CCHHHHHEEEEESSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE along with the silliest face ever! Her tongue is almost always sticking out and add Caleb to the mix and well it's just pure craziness! Guess I'll have these crazy pictures to remind me of this stage but I sure wish I could get a good one every now and then :)

See that tiny patch of freckles on her nose? One of my most favorite things about her - I just think it's the cutest thing!!!!!

Jacob Turns 7

2010-10-20T08:28:00.000-04:00

I need to play major catch up - I keep telling myself I'm going to get with it and start blogging on a daily basis again but then something comes up and I find another day going by without posting. I miss it - I feel like I'm constantly behind and I'm not keeping track of things the way I'd like to. I said that after school was in for a few weeks I'd get used to this new schedule and adjust but we're almost 9 weeks in now and many days I feel like I'm right where we started. Seems things are even more hectic with the little ones in preschool two mornings a week - I'm usually busy doing something with one of their schools so that basically takes me away from the house where I would have been getting things done. I suppose I need to find a way to make our schedule work - maybe eventually I'll get the hang of it.

I'm over a week late posting about Jacob's birthday so I'll start there and then catch up on the other stuff later.

Jacob turned 7 on Oct 10th - it was a bit of a bittersweet day. I don't know how it popped up on me like that but it's incredibly hard for me to believe he's 7 years old now. Alittle bit about Jacob right now : He's loving 1st grade and doing an excellent job! His teacher says he's the picture perfect student and she couldn't ask for better. He pays attention and is always well behaved. He is the one to stop and help someone when everyone else passes them by. I am so happy and proud of his behavior and personality at school!!! Of course most of the time he's the total opposite at home :) Guess he feels like he can let loose here! He's wild and full of spunk and constantly moving. He seems to go 200 miles a minute and can never get enough. I tell my husband constantly that if we could recreate him as a child it'd definitely be Jacob :) He loves all things police - I think he's seen every episode of cops known to man ( he's rubbed his cop love off on Caleb too so looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of that). He loves motorcycles and dirt bikes and would think we were parents of the century if we actually bought him one. Although he can be wild and totally loud he is a thoughtful, caring and loving kid and I adore him! He's an awesome big brother and Caleb absolutely idolizes him!!!! When Jacob is at school Caleb constantly asks when he's coming home and has been known to get upset that he's not here.

We went low key on birthdays this year - it can always be a little tough because Jacob and Lucas' birthdays are only 8 days a part and then close to Christmas also but we always celebrate with family on one day and then we celebrate again on their actual birthdays. They always get to choose whatever they want to eat for dinner whether it be at home or going out - this year Jacob chose to go to his grandparent's house and eat hot dogs and french fries - shocked me!!!!! We had cake (which was the complete opposite of what I ordered with his name spelled wrong) but he liked it and for the moment that was what mattered. He could have possibly been the happiest kid on the planet when he found that he got money from his grandparents for his birthday - I don't think I'll ever forget his face when he opened his card.

On his birthday we had his favorite meal at home - cornflake chicken and mac and cheese. I still can't believe he didn't want to go out to eat anywhere and then we had cookie cake for dessert. He got the new Karate Kid movie from his grandmother and a cop play set and a new bike from us. He had ridden his last bike until it was falling apart. Lucas gave him a soccer ball and he of course had to go spend his money as soon as he got it and racked up on video games!!

Now that that's over I think he should go back to being a baby again because I miss that!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T07:54:00.000-04:00

Extremely Proud!

2010-10-11T08:26:00.000-04:00

I've shown a few photos on here before of my treasured pieces that my dad has made for me - they're phenomonal!!! I absolutely love and cherish each and every one of them and I can't speak highly enough of them. He's decided to start selling pieces and I couldn't be more excited for the road he's going down. We've spent the last few weeks working on getting it all ready - well he's worked REALLY hard on getting some pieces done and I've worked a little on photographing them but he's set up shop and ready to go. He's opened his own etsy shop and has a few pieces listed - go check them out - they are fantastic!!!!

The King's Woodshop

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T09:07:00.000-04:00

5 Question Friday

2010-10-01T08:03:00.000-04:00

By the time Friday rolls around my brain is much - heck what am I saying my brain has been mush for months now. I have tons to do today to get ready for the weekend since we'll be home very little and will happily be a resident of the ballpark so I must take advantage of a post almost done for me. Friday means it's time for the 5 most random questions on the planet with Mama M. at My Little Life. Go ahead over and join in on the fun :)

1. Did you have a pen pal when you were little (or now)? Where were/are they from?

I had a pen pal when I was in elementary school I believe - she was from Canada and we wrote back and forth for a year or more. I think we must have done some project in class that hooked us up with people from another place and we just continued writing for a while - sad how bad my memory is in those early years.

2. If you could do a different job for one day, what would it be?

Oh my goodness - I actually love my job. I love being here for my kids and being the one they get to see all the time. Don't get me wrong I get frustrated and need breaks more than I admit it though I seldom get one however I couldn't imagine having to get someone else to watch them on a daily basis - that would be very difficult for me. I do miss working sometimes though outside of the home. I miss the hustle and bustle and feeling like I'm actually getting something done other than talking to little tikes and cleaning dirty diapers.

3. Do you remember your biggest fear from when you were little?

I have always been terrified of being alone. I have seen a lot of counselors in my life (good or bad) and they say it stems from the fact that my parents divorced when I was so young - I suppose it makes sense in one way or another. However I am horribly terrified of being alone - sends me into a panic attack just thinking about it.

4. What do you think is a waste of time? Why?

Dusting / Vaccuming. I can't stand dusting - I put it off as much as I possibly can for as long as I can. However once it's done I love the smell of it!

5. What is the oldest item you have in your closet?

I am not sure which is older but I have my christening gown from when I was a baby and I also have my dad's motorcycle jacket from when he was a police officer many many years ago! I think that's one of my most favorite items ever - weighs about 30 pounds but it's found it's home :)

Catch Up

2010-09-30T20:44:00.000-04:00

Seems it's extremely hard to get organized and back in the swing of things these days. I have no idea what's gotten ahold of me but I can't seem to get everything in order again.

We've spent an awful lot of time at the ballpark and very little at home it seems. Between doing things at school and being on the baseball field seems I'm constantly playing catch up. Lucas started travel ball this year and we played in our first tournament two weeks ago - we ended the weekend 2 and 2. We play in our second on this weekend - I think once I get everything in order with the new team things will settle down (I hope so at least).

I never get tired of watching him play ball - I get tired of all the huss and fuss that goes on around the ballpark with 3 other kids but I could sit and watch him play all day long. Then again I know that it will seem like no time has passed and the 3 others will be grown and gone so I think I'll stay right where I'm at right now.

This little girl sticks right by my side the entire weekend! Wherever I am - behind the plate taking pictures,sitting in a chair, walking behind the dugout,on the first base line - she's running after me. The other two are usually playing somewhere but not her - she's my sidekick!

He's stuck in this rut with his arm right now - he is still hitting well but his arm is obviously not in the right place. One more thing I'm sure they'll be working on :)

Love this one!!!! He looks like a natural!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2010-09-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

Everybody knows we're a baseball family. We live, breathe and eat baseball it seems 24 hours a day. If David could start the boys playing at 3 yrs old then he would. Fortunately the local league around here won't start them until they are 4 or 5. Of course he thinks Allie is going to play too - I have other things to say about that though. I deserve a gym for gymnastics or a dance studio at least once in my life I think.

T ball is cute and funny because the kids are first starting out but when you're going from action packed kids pitch games to a t ball game back and back you kinda get the feeling you're sitting there watching paint dry. You can't start coaches pitch until you're 7 around here so this is Jacob's first year getting to play what we call "the first years of REAL ball". He's really enjoying it and he's far beyond his age in skill right now. He still needs a little work on batting but let me tell you that boy has an arm. Not only does he have an arm but he's got a straight pitch that's fast and clearly has something to it. He wants to be a pitcher - he made his mind up a year or so ago and has not wavered since. He's still got 2 years before he's able to actually pitch and I hope the desire doesn't leave him.

I think he may even get a little bored at this level -here is what he was doing during the game. I have no idea what was going on in his mind but he obviously was having a good time.

Wordless/ful Wednesday

2010-09-22T08:05:00.000-04:00

There is nothing I love more than to watch this man play baseball! And I adore how he's passing that love on to our children!!!!

Caleb and Allie's New School

2010-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

I'm way behind in blogging right now so I'm going to try to catch up. Caleb and Allie started preschool a few weeks ago and I feel like we're just beginning to get our feet back underneath us. They are going 2 days a week for three hours a day.

I was so excited when I found out I was able to get them enrolled at this preschool - it's by far one of the best around our town and one of the hardest to get into. I have never ever heard a single bad thing about this school. I really wasn't sure that I wanted to put Allie in yet but when I got there and they had an opening I was scared not to take it - my luck I'd have gotten Caleb in and then next year Allie's age group would have been full. I was worried about Allie from the beginning - whether she was ready or not - how she would adjust and exactly how she and I would handle the transition. I knew Caleb would do okay - all I heard was how ready he was to go to school day in and day out all summer while we were waiting for the first day.

We had meet the teacher too. I couldn't be more pleased with their teachers !! They both really like their teachers and surprisingly Allie went straight to hers and gave her a hug - I was shocked!

The first day went great - they both dropped off good with no tears. When I picked them up I heard they only had a few tears throughout the morning but overall did great. Second day wasn't quite as good. It took a few days for Caleb to catch on and want to go without tears but now he's excited and ready to go and can't wait to play when he gets there. He's made a great transition!

As soon as they walked in the door after their first day they hit the floor - I think they were worn out!

Allie is still adjusting I think - I still worry about her. She's been sick for the last week and a half so I'm sure that has contributed to my worries a little. She has dropped off fine and knows to go to her teacher but has been fussier during the morning while she's there. She has had one great day with no tears at all and then she got sick and fussier as the next school day came up. I picked her up early last week and then she didn't go on Thursday because she was sick so I'm anxious to hear how she does on Tuesday morning when it's time to go back. I hope the fussiness that she developed was just because she didn't feel good and I pray she does well. I have been doing a lot at the older kids school while they are in school and have lots scheduled there to keep me busy. I'm not one that can drop them off and come home until it's time to pick them up again - my lazy days will come soon enough and I dread those!

Beach Overload FINALLY

2010-09-13T08:59:00.000-04:00

I'm finally getting around to posting about our beach trip - weeks after we got back. We were so excited to go to the beach - it's been a couple of years since we've been and Allie has never been before. It was a long ride and we heard "Are We There Yet?" 8,762,945 times but we finally arrived. We got there and automatically put our bathing suits on to head to the beach and as soon as we headed out the door the rain started. We drove around the strip while the rain was passing and then headed back to the hotel. As soon as it stopped we headed to the beach. I'm glad we went the first day now because it was by far the calmest day at the ocean the entire time we were there and ended up being the only day that Allie wanted anything to do with the water.

Allie was amazed by the water and waves and had a blast in the same the first night. It was low tide and very calm so we could take her and Caleb out a good ways without it being terribly deep. Lucas and Jacob could jump waves and we had a blast!

The second day it was very very rough out in the water. There was a very strong under current and as soon as you got in the water it seemed like you were a 1/4 mile down the beach. It was constant watching to make sure the older boys were within our sight and Allie and Caleb were playing in the sand. Within 30 minutes Allie wanted to go in the pool at the hotel so I headed back with her and we went swimming. As soon as we hit the pool she had the time of her life! My kind of girl - prefers fresh water over salt water and sand!

After a while at the pool we went to the water park and played there for a while. There were waterslides,lazy rivers, and pools that were perfect for the smaller kids.

Later that night we headed to the downtown strip and the kids (and Daddy) played games in an old arcade that David remembered from when he was a kid. We were able to catch a free concert that was awesome and then on our way to the car David and Lucas decided they wanted to do the slingshot. That was the ride of a lifetime for them and priceless for me watching them.

I love Lucas in this picture - all of the sudden it's like he realizes what he's gotten himself into :)

It was a quick trip but enough for the kids to play and get their fill of the ocean I think. Although I believe Lucas could have stayed much longer :) - he was born to play in the ocean. It felt like an even longer trip home and since we started school the next day it made for a mad dash that night but it was well worth it.

Our last day there we packed everything up and headed out to the beach one final time - once again Allie spent very little time in the water there so after the boys got to boogie board for a while we headed to the pool before we went home.

5 Question Friday

2010-09-10T08:33:00.000-04:00

I've been absent so long it's been forever and a day since I've done 5 Question Friday. Usually by the time Friday rolls around the only thing my brain can do is answer random questions. I'm in desperate need of blog catch up and I hope to get that done very very soon but until then here's my Friday randomness!

1. Do you feel guilty spending money on yourself?

Horribly guilty! I have fun shopping and if I don't stop to think then I don't feel guilty until after I actually make my purchase and then I end up returning it. However if I stop to think while I'm looking I have an argument with myself right in the middle of the store. I hardly ever end up leaving with what I wanted. I am bad about it - when I get gifts for my birthday or something that are money I even have a tough time with that - 9 times out of 10 the money goes into our checking account to pay a bill or buy groceries or something like that. I can't remember the last time I actually spent it on myself. Crazy how we moms are like that!
2. How well do you know your neighbors?

Depends on who we're talking about. I know the people all around me with the exception of those on one side of me and I have no desire to know them any better than their loud obnoxious music and rude ways that they have - I really wish they'd take those and move them somewhere else along with all their belongings but they probably won't since that's what I want so I don't bother with them. The others around me are wonderful - we don't do block parties or anything but if we needed something we'd have somewhere to go.

3. What age are you looking forward to being?

Oh I'm bad about this. I'm scared of getting older - mostly because I'm more scared of the old old age and dying part. I want to age and stay healthy and fit and fun - if that happens then I'm all for it but I'd really like to stay where I'm at right now. I know - I'm a scaredy cat!
4. Do you get excited when the mail comes? Why?

If I'm expecting something then yes otherwise you can keep the bills! Especially the medical bills from deliveries and unexpected back issues that my husband had a few years ago that I never have the money to pay.
5. What is your earliest childhood memory?

It could be said I suppose that I have issues. I remember very little about my childhood. Honestly I can't remember when the first memory I have would have been - I believe it was around 4 or 5 - that's scary,isn't it? I hope my kids remember things before that - everything that is so important to us as parents when they are little they never remember.
Now you can head to Mama M's at My Little Life and play along too.

Wordless Wednesday-Kinda

2010-09-08T07:30:00.000-04:00

I'm really not dead yet - just very very busy and sick. I'm trying to stay caught up but it becomes difficult while trying to fit it into my new schedule. I have to find a new time to blog now because I used to do it early in the morning before the kids got up - now they go to bed earlier and get up earlier and at night I'm busy doing other things I can't get done during the day. Guess I'm going to have to find a way to put a few more hours in my day!

Here's the first of many beach pictures that I have been very negligent in posting - love how this came out!!! Can you tell he was excited?

Wordless Wednesday "Sorta"

2010-09-01T07:56:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned a couple of other times how my computer had to be restored to factory settings to fix a goof up that the Geek Squad from Best Buy did when I first got it. Thankfully I have an external hard drive so all of my pictures are safe!!! Really Thankfully - you would not want to be anywhere near me or have any contact with me whatsoever if all of my pictures were gone! So now I have basically a brand new computer and I have to get things loaded back on. I keep waiting because I'm not sure how I want it organized. That's where you come in :) How do all of you organize your pictures - what's your method? Do you double archive them? Mean an online storage site and discs or external hard drive plus do you print them all? How do you store them on your computer? Do you do it by month or child or event? Do you name all your pictures or just leave them after edited as the numbers that are assigned when we take them off our cameras? Told ya it wasn't really a wordless wednesday.

Makes Me Swoon

2010-08-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

There is nothing in the world
that these two like more

than riding their bikes.

Okay well unless it's swinging

but since those pictures aren't up

since my computer is wiped completely clean

and I haven't gotten around to getting things organized

these are the ones we're focusing on today.

                                                            Aren't they precious?
                                                     Makes my heart go pitter patter!

It's been a bad morning. Neither Caleb nor Allie wanted to go to school and Caleb cried a couple of times. Allie - though oh my word. She broke my heart this morning. I'm not sure what to do right now and I'm very conflicted - I'm praying she adjusts well and enjoys it but right now my heart is in a million pieces.

Mouse Factor

2010-08-30T08:01:00.000-04:00

Brace yourselves!!! It's a post with actual pictures although it may be some of which you'd rather not see :)

Let me start by saying I hate mice! I hate them - I'm terrified of them - It's bad! We've had a horrible mouse problem this summer at our house - unlike any other year or any other century probably! We set traps and then someone else has to get rid of them once they are in the traps - I can't do it. Seriously I can't do it! We caught one not long ago and noone checked it in the morning until I walked upon it when I went to do laundry. I almost had a heartattack - I'm kidding you not! I called David who couldn't get home right then and wasn't going to be able to for a couple more hours - I called my Dad's house and he was on his way to Atlanta - it was not looking good. I was shaking and clammy and could not make my body walk into the laundry room and get him. I finally talked Lucas into getting him out for me - thank goodness!!!! and I could breathe!

However they wouldn't stop - we have multiple ones I think. We fixed the dryer vent that we originally thought was the problem and they still got in. I cleaned out the bottom of the pantry because that's where I store boxes of things I get from Sam's or wherever else and made sure there was nothing there they could get into. I started putting up dog food at night because they were getting that and taking it piece by piece under the stove or the sink - it was bad! YUCK!

Finally one day I heard something scratching behind the wall/vanity in my bathroom. It freaked me out at first because I thought it was going to come out of the vanity at me - really people I know it sounds like it but we don't live in the country!!!! It stopped and then I heard it the very next morning too. After that I didn't hear it anymore - well that was until I smelled something a couple of days later. I told my husband and mom that I smelled something but noone believed me for a couple of days. Of course they didn't have to be here during the day when it was 90 degrees and smelling it too. That was unlike anything I can describe! Finally someone smelled it and the search was on! The first night we put 3 holes in the bathroom wall where we smelled it - yes you heard me right holes in the wall. Nothing! So my husband went to work the next day and got a camera that they use to look inside ductwork and brought it home. Put another hole in the wall of our closet and what do we see? A wee little dead mouse staring at me! UGH!!!!! Really - they are out to get me - who else gets dead mice in their walls and their bedroom for that!

It's hard to see in this picture but it's in the upper right hand corner and it gives me chills just looking at it!

That was bad enough until about a week later I smelled the same smell in the kitchen - yep as I dreaded it and somehow lived through it for two days we looked for it! I knew exactly where this one was and one hole and it was out. It's horrid! I'm done with mice - DONE!

Starting Over

2010-08-27T21:30:00.000-04:00

I feel like I can't grab hold of my life right now and it's so frustrating! As I was finally getting in the schedule of Lucas and Jacob back in school Caleb and Allie were scheduled to start. They are in preschool for two days a week three hours per day and that's been a major adjustment. You'd think with the two of them gone that I would have tons and tons of time to get things done and I'd be as relaxed as I could possibly be. It's the total opposite though - I'm crazy when they're gone. I'm either at school busy there from the moment I drop them off until the time to pick them up or I'm running around somewhere else. I find that I'm further behind than ever!!! At least when they were home I could get stuff done around the house and accomplish things on my to do list - when I'm gone I don't accomplish a single thing. This week has been difficult - I've felt lost in the shuffle.

I feel like I can't keep up with the four of them right now. With the younger two at preschool and the new worries that come with that I am constatly talking to a teacher or worried about something with someone. I have no idea how this is going to work - I think I might have been a little too confidant in my ability to handle four of them in school and involved in activities. Allie and Caleb are adjusting to school or at least I hope they are. I'll have to post more about that in a day or so with pictures - believe it or not I actually do still have pictures and tons and tons to blog about. I have just been completely out of it-forgive me please.

On top of that my computer has been messed up since I got it at Christmas time. The Geek Squad at Best Buy told us to delete something on it the day we opened it up out of the box that totally screwed me over. I couldn't watch videos or listen to music for the last 8 months. Wednesday I had to restore my computer to factory settings and therefore had to get rid of everything. In doing that I can listen to music and watch videos now but it's been a huge process. Thankfully I have my external hard drive so all of my pictures are on there along with the majority of my documents. I forgot to save my email contacts though so I lost all of those. If I had your email then I've lost it so if you haven't sent it to me yet please email it to me. :) Right now my computer is like it was the day I took it out of the box - not a single thing on it. I figure if I'm having to put everything back on I might as well start out organized so at some point I'll figure out a system for how I want things and I'll get them all back on - the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of pictures. Makes me tired just thinking about it!

Totally Out Of It

2010-08-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

I've been in a major rut this week! Lucas and Jacob started school on Monday and I was majorly down for the first part of the week and for the remainder - well I've just felt blah. No motivation to do anything at all and what I have accomplished I have had to make myself do it.

I've had not a single desire to get out of the bed each day - and when I convince myself that I absolutely have to get up each morning the "dumps" start. It's been a major adjustment to the kids starting school this year - I don't know why. We got in our own "schedule" if you will and we all operated pretty well together on it. I had no desire at all for summer to end. I miss the ability to spend the time with them all day and do things together - I miss being able to keep them up late and then them sleep half the morning away. I miss having all the noise around my house day in and day out. Crazy I know!

Caleb and Allie start at a local preschool next week for two days a week 3 hrs each time. I plan to use that time working at the school - I think they need that time to socialize with other kids and to eventually prepare for kindergarten but I can't come home and sit on my rump while they are there - I'd go insane! That's another panic induced situation for me - leaving them. I pray they do well!

So with this week - I'm way behind on everything. I convinced myself to clean the bathrooms this afternoon and I've semi kept up on my laundry but other than that it's all waiting on me. Allie having a cold and coughing all night long last night didn't help my Friday today either. I have tons to blog on and lots of pictures to share from our beach trip and school starting so hopefully I'll be back in the groove in the coming days. Hopefully!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T07:37:00.000-04:00

It's That Time Again

2010-08-17T08:06:00.000-04:00

Both boys at Meet The Teacher night.

Yesterday as the first day of school for Lucas and Jacob - it was a horrible day or at least it started out that way. They were both excited to go to school - Lucas walked to his classroom by himself and was fine. I walked in with Jacob and got all of his stuff put away and ready and as I was getting ready to leave I could tell he was getting nervous. He tried to cover it up but I could still see through. I asked him if he was okay as I left and he said yes but as he spoke I could hear him choking up and it tore into my soul. My heart broke and I wanted to pack his things up and take him back home with me. Instead I picked my heart up off the floor and stumbled out the door.

Then when I got home everything was blah - nothing seemed to go right and all I could think about was the fact that time flies by all too quickly. I was holding together somewhat until I talked to David on the phone and then I lost it. I started worrying about everything and stressing over Caleb and Allie. You see I have enrolled them both in a two day a week program for 3 hours in the morning at a local church preschool in town. One of the biggest reasons I have done it is for the socialization that I feel they both need and also so I can be at the school and not have to call on my mom to come watch them all the time. Caleb is ready - he's excited to go and everytime we drive past he tells everyone in the car that is his school! Allie on the other hand - it gives me panic attacks to think about her. I am going back and forth about her - I'm not sure she's ready. She's such a baby - I know she's 2 but still - I am home and it's my job to care for her. Maybe I should wait another year on her. I don't know what to do - I am not sure I can handle leaving her somewhere crying like that though - I'm not sure I have that in me.

So all that came out yesterday along with the fact of the older boys heading to school and it made for a splendid day!

I was so happy to see the bus pull up yesterday afternoon - which with all the hassle has ended them back in the car line again starting today - I could have cried when I laid eyes on them. The younger ones were so happy to see them too - they missed them so much while they were at school. With all my worry Jacob got off the bus and said 1st grade was the coolest ever! I asked him why he thought so and he said " We get to keep our water bottles on our desks ALL day long and we get to drink them WHENEVER we want to!!!" It just doesn't get any cooler than that!

Up and Running Again - Almost

2010-08-12T07:56:00.000-04:00

These pictures have absolutely nothing to do with this post other than the fact that they were taken in the summer :)

I feel like I have been constantly running this week. Yesterday I had to help out at school making copies for teachers - all 7500 copies that were made and my back felt broke by the end of it! By the time I got home I didn't get everything done I'd have liked to - you see we've had mouse issues in our house for a while now (more on that soon) so my time has been consumed by covering up sneaky little smells or trying to at least. Pain in the butt!!!

One of my most favorite pictures EVER!!!

So today I'm at the finish line - well almost. We leave for the beach for our whirlwind weekend first thing tomorrow morning. I have cleaning to do/laundry to wash(lots of laundry to wash)/shopping to do/packing to do/we have meet the teacher for Lucas and Jacob tonight/baseball practice after that/then more packing to do I'm sure. Busy day! However it's my quiet time and I could be doing all that while the kids are asleep I suppose - instead I'm sitting here blogging.

School starts Monday - I've had school shopping done for a few weeks now - it feels good to not have to rush out and get everything at the last minute. I'm so not ready for it though! I'm not ready for the schedules again - the early mornings/homework most of all and the stress of whether they are doing what they are supposed to with grades,etc. I just want summer for another 3 months. I used to be one of those that hated summer - give me year round school for my kids because I don't want them all home for 3 months - so stressful. I don't know what happened this year but I wouldn't trade it for anything. We've truly had one of the best summers ever! True at times it's been stressful and I've felt like pulling my hair out with all of them here plus friends a lot of the time but it's been fun. I am DREADING Monday!

Not just the schedule either - we all say it every year when they start school or get a year older. I can't believe..... but really I can't believe Lucas is going to be a 4th grader and Jacob is going into 1st. It just terrifies me! I worry about if Jacob will be able to keep up with everything - I know it's going to be hard work and totally different from last year - no more centers and all that play stuff in the classroom and I worry about him. Lucas can do it and handle it - no doubt in my mind. That kid is an Einstein if he puts effort into it. Last year he had a few issues not wanting to try and we encountered problems with that - I'm praying this year is different. All in all they are excited and ready for school - I think they miss their friends and they've said they're ready to go back. I'm sure they won't say that Monday morning at 7:30 though :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-11T07:46:00.000-04:00

Dollywood - Part 2

2010-08-10T08:07:00.000-04:00

After crashing the first night as a result of Dollywood we were going to go and spend the day at a local river park.I heard about this park when Stacy at The Crazy Cotherans vacationed in Cherokee and they spent a day there. It looked so cool and I couldn't wait to try it out. We got up and packed up a lunch, got all the kids ready and hit the road. We got about as far as Gatlinburg when it started raining - I was so sad! Of course the two older boys were complaining the entire time that they didn't want to go to the river - I think they actually said I'd rather die than go to a river so we headed home. Of course their opinions changed about it greatly the next day when we were on our way back to SC and they saw the river park - then it was the coolest thing ever and they wanted to stop.

So we headed back home in the rain and since we had our bathing suits on we hit the hot tub for a little while. Oh how I love me some hot tub!!

We took it easy the rest of the afternoon and played games around the cabin - Yahtzee to be exact because it is by far my favorite! Then we got dressed and headed out to find some rides for the kids and eat some dinner.

My boys live to ride go carts - in fact that was the only thing we had heard out of Caleb since we got there. He wanted to ride go carts!!!!! With all he had going on with his eating at the time I don't think there was much he wasn't going to get to do that he requested. They had some "kiddie" rides at this place too so we got tickets for the older ones and Caleb to ride go carts and for the little ones to ride a few of the other rides.
Lucas rode first on along with David and Caleb. Oh it was priceless!!!! - Caleb loved it and immediately wanted to do it again. Then Jacob got to ride by himself but because of his age he had to ride on a jr rookie track and the cars were very slow. We went and got him another ticket to ride on a faster track with his grandfather on the next one.

I love this picture with both of them in there. Everytime they get on a track they ALWAYS have to race each other.

This "kiddie" ride looks innocent enough, right?

NOT

Do you see Caleb's face - and on top of that look at the girl behind us! I have no clue why they call them "kiddie" rides. It was insane! Allie was horrified - the entire time she was on it she kept crying and saying MaMa - DaDa - No No No. It was horrible! It was all I could do to hang on to her and Caleb across from us at the same time. Nothing kiddie about that ride. When you looked around you saw all the actual "small kids" were mortified!

Then Jacob's track which was much too small for him! Jacob is all about dirt bikes and go carts and he's pretty good so technically he could move up but he's not quite tall enough.

He's trying to spin him out :)

All of them on the elevated track.

Yet another "kiddie" ride. Once again not so kiddie.

It jerked us around the corner so fast the first time I thought it was going to throw us out.

Then I just knew Caleb was going to hit his head on the metal bar when we were going around corners.

See this guys face :) Yep - that's my man! Life is never boring with him around - he always keeps you on your toes.

Look at Allie's face though - this one was a little faster and jerky but at least she wasn't horrified - she had the time of her life on this one.

The last day I wanted to go back the scenic route. My parents left when we did but went straight home and we wanted to go into downtown Gatlinburg to get the kids airbrushed shirts and walk around for a bit. I also wanted to stop at one of the picture taking areas to get a picture of the kids together (you know another attempt) - that was interesting :)

I actually photomerged this picture - it's the first time I've tried it. I took Caleb's face from another picture taken just before it and put it on this one so that they are all actually looking at me. Otherwise I wouldn't have had one with them all looking in my direction. I think I'm going to try and do Lucas too since his eyes are so squinted.

Gatlinburg - Part 1

2010-08-09T08:11:00.000-04:00

I have gotten so behind with blogging since our vacation it's pitiful! After going through our eating fiasco with Caleb and dealing with that it seemed I didn't have any energy left for anything else. So this week things are finally getting back to normal and thank goodness, because I have tons to do before we leave for a long weekend at the beach on Friday morning. Since I know you all are on pins and needles waiting for pictures from our Gatlinburg trip I will happily oblige :)

We left on Thursday morning to head to my dad's house and meet he and my mom and head to TN. We finally got to the cabin after almost driving up the mountain on the skinniest gravel road you've ever seen. We couldn't figure out whose gps to follow because both of them were telling us to go different ways. We decided we would follow theirs and see where it took us - a whole lot of nowhere is where we ended up. So we turned around and took ours and ended right up at the check in office - whoo! That night we did a whole lot of nothing - got unpacked and settled and ready for the next TIRING day.

Nendny with Lucas and Jacob

All the kids (David included) waiting for the repair technician to bring new pool sticks

The next morning we were treated to my dad's famous biscuits and gravy and then we headed out to Dollywood.

I don't think I am EVER going to get a decent picture of my four children together again. I have almost given up - NOT! It's so aggravating.

Lucas and Jacob on the lumberjack lift.

Caleb and Daddy on the lift.

Lucas was convinced he was going to ride the roller coasters while we were there and since he had never ridden one before we knew it was going to be interesting. Well as soon as we got there that was the first thing we headed for - little pooped chickened out. So David and I stood in line like fools while our parents were with all 4 of our kids just so we could ride a roller coaster. I asked him several times how insane we looked but it was fun!! Then we did a few more rides and Lucas finally decided he wanted to ride one - he picked the Tennessee tornado for his first time and got David and his Nendny to go with him. I think she was more horrified than he was :) After that there was no stopping him - he wanted to go on every roller coaster in the park.

Lucas' very first time on a roller coaster. If you look closely you can see him - 4th from the back on this side closest to you.

This river boat was fun but don't let it fool you. You think oh it's a relaxing boat - you got soaked!!!!

Especially when you had people like my dad outside gunning for you :) You could shoot water from the viewing decks to those riding the boats.

We headed over to some of the kiddie rides so Allie and Caleb could play and they got to drive cars ride the little roller coaster on their side. But first another photo op.

See - I tell ya I wonder if it will ever happen.

Allie and Daddy on the ferris wheel - I stayed down - I hate ferris wheels and David said she wasn't such a fan of them when it stopped at the top.

Nendny and Lucas.

Caleb driving his own car :) The red all over his face is red slushee - I was trying to get anything in him he would take especially liquids that day!

Allie in her zone :)

We had a fabulous day and tons of fun - at the end we were all so exhausted I am surprised we made it to the car in one piece. We left the cabin at 1030 that morning and left the parking lot at 745 that night.

Getting to Know YOU

2010-08-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

I have been around and tried to visit almost everyones blog but since I'm still behind on my blogging I figured I would ease back into things with a Getting to Know YOU Sunday. Keely at Mannland 5 does this weekly meme and, well you all know how I am about random questions :)

1. Do you think mustaches are sexy?

Not so much. I like how goatees look but not so much how they feel. And I like when my husband lets the facial hair grow a bit because I think it's that rough sexy idea but I don't like how it feels when I kiss him. I'm fickle I know!
2. What's the last concert you've been to?

Oh this is truly pitiful because the last concert I went to was right after my husband and I met and it was George Strait and it sucked!!!! I love country music don't get me wrong but this man had four different microphones on stage, each one facing a different side of the stadium and he moved from microphone to microphone after each song but stood still the entire time. Ugh - BORING!

3 What was your favorite 80's sitcom?

Full House!!!! By far TGIF was my favorite - wait was that the 90s - see I can't even remember but I think it was on in the late 80s too - - Maybe.

4. Were you named after anyone?

I don't believe so.
5. When you buy new clothes, do you wash before wearing?

Yes - Yes - Yes! I'm bad about that!

6. If you didn't blog, what would you do with your spare time?

I'd probably go insane - I really don't have much spare time but blogging is my connection to the outside world most days so I'd definitely be certifiable! I would love to have time to scrapbook again but by the time I got everything out and organized my time would be up. That's my next task - I want to make my desk area a scrapbooking nook where I can organize things on the wall. :)

7. What is your favorite department store?

Department - I hardly ever go to the mall!!! Seriously I just don't really like it and can't stand department stores - but I love Target and Old Navy!
8. If you were to get Laser Hair Removal..where would you get it?

I don't believe I'd get laser! Unless they can laser a bikini wax - that might hurt though!

Out Of It

2010-08-05T07:24:00.000-04:00

I'm slacking! Recovering from vacation and Caleb's ordeal has thrown me for a loop. On top of that I spent half the day and evening at school on Tuesday and back today and it seems like I can't catch up. I haven't really blogged other than about Caleb nor read a blog since we left for vacation. I'm hoping over the next few days I can catch up and get back into things. Right now it just seems like such a struggle.

Caleb is doing wonderful! After we left the doctor the other day and I asked him if he wanted doughnuts he's eaten basically everything since then. I am praying we've turned the corner. The nutritionist called and left a message a couple of days ago but I haven't called her back yet. I want to give him a couple of days just to make sure it's not a fluke before I cancel with her. I think I'll start working on my letter to the hospital system too!!!! - that should be fun!

Forgive me for not being around - I'll be finding my way back here in the next day or so.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T16:35:00.002-04:00

Update on Caleb again

2010-08-03T07:51:00.000-04:00

We took Caleb to the doctor yesterday morning and I was so incredibly nervous. I felt like I was going to crawl out of my skin all morning long because from what the doctor on call said I just knew he was going into the hospital. It terrified me what that was going to do to him - having to be held down again to get iv's in him and whatnot. Luckily our regular doctor thought along the same lines as we did. She thinks that the hospital should be our very last resort because it would be more traumatizing on him right now than it's worth. She said he is still in the 50% for his weight and as long as that doesn't start dropping then we are fine. If we go another couple of weeks and he hasn't improved then that number will probably start dropping off. She said he is still hydrated and acting normal so he isn't failing to thrive therefore we were going to try outpatient stuff for now.

She wanted us to not let him snack a ton in between meals - like whenever he wants yogurt throughout the day to not give it to him. Put real food out at dinner and just see what he does without saying anything. At the beginning of this I always fixed him a plate and put it out with the rest of our food but then I knew he wasn't going to eat it because most of the time I couldn't even get yogurt down him therefore I stopped fixing his plate when he said he didn't want it. They still have him on the appetite stimulant to make him hungry since he was constantly saying he wasn't hungry at all - even after 7 and 8 days of not eating. I can tell a difference now that he's on that medicine - he is actually asking for applesauce or something to eat.

She says that he has developed an oral aversion as a result of trauma which we believe to be when I took him to the doctor the first time and he was restrained. I am going through a lot of guilt with that right now - feeling like I should have just said no you can't do that regardless of if you need the swab or not. I've been through a lot with 4 children and have several times one has had to be held down but it just didn't occur to me this time that this would be the result - it's horrible and I feel so incredibly guilty for what he's going through right now. Then again I'm pissed at the doctor's office - surely they need different protocol to deal with small patients. I keep trying to decide how I'm going to handle it - I know I'm writing a letter - I mean really there has to be a better way to handle a 3 year old than traumatizing him so much that he won't eat for 2 weeks!

So she's referring him to an occupational therapist to work on the oral aversion and then to a nutritionist to hopefully find ways to get more protein,iron and calories in his diet since he isn't eating like he usually is.

All that and then we left the doctor and I asked him if he wanted doughnuts on the way home - he said yes so we stopped and when we got home he ate 7 doughnuts holes and one big doughnut :) I couldn't believe my eyes! Wasn't healthy but he was eating!!!! Then for lunch he ate a few goldfish and a couple bites of yogurt and for snack a container of applesauce. But when dinner came he was hungry and was so ready to eat - I was nervous! He sat down and ate 3 bites of his sloppy joe and about 7 tater tots - going to town and for the first time in 2 weeks he looked like he was enjoying food again - it was a beautiful picture!

Praying it continues and we've turned a corner!!!!!!! Thank you all for your prayers and support - when I was low and beating myself up I'd get a facebook message or a comment on my blog and it made me feel not so alone. I could not ask for a better group of friends. Thanks!!!!!!

Update on Caleb

2010-08-02T07:55:00.000-04:00

Well we made it through the weekend and we're still in pretty much the same boat we were in last week. The doctor called us while we were on vacation and decided to call in a medicine that would enhance his appetite - he still said he wasn't hungry and it was extremely difficult to get anything at all down him. He would eat a little yogurt here and there but nothing major.

Last night when we came home he ate some shredded cheese and that was the biggest thing he's had in 9 days now. We have an appointment this morning at 8:50 to decide what needs to be done next. The doctor that was on call said we're getting to the point now that we can't let it continue so I'm curious what they are going to say.

Nervous and anxious this morning but ready to get some answers hopefully.

Will update later when I know more.

Caleb

2010-07-29T07:12:00.000-04:00

I'm so stressed and scared and tired and worried - there I think that about does it. I took Caleb to the doctor early last week because he was complaining about his throat. It wasn't our regular doctor because we couldn't get in for four hours there and he wouldn't stop crying. We went to this urgent care place that is new in town and supposed to be excellent. It was actually the same place that I took Jacob when his ear was so swollen and I wasn't that impressed with the staff - should've known and just waited!

So we walk in and he didn't want to go to the doctor to start off with but it was totally new and he had never even stepped foot in there before. They immediately wanted him to step on the scale which he didn't want to do - I finally just told them how much he weighed and we went to the room. Then they wanted to do a temp but they wanted him to put it in his mouth. He's 3 years old and he's NEVER had a thermometer put in his mouth. At our doctors office they have a temporal thermometer so it's always on their head unless their infants. After him getting scared and upset I finally told her he wasn't going to put it in his mouth - so I held it under his arm - and when I say held I mean I literally had to restrain his body and physically hold his arm down. Then they wanted to do a strep swab which I knew wasn't going to happen the way they were going about it. At one point they have 3 nurses in there and me holding him down and they still couldn't get past his teeth. It was one of the most horrible experiences I've ever been a part of. The doctor finally came in and looked at his throat and said it was very swollen and looked like there was a lot of puss there and he wanted to treat it as strep. Well antibiotics aren't that easy in our family as you all know because of the reactions Caleb and Jacob have both had. He said and I quote " I can get every staff member I have in here to hold him down and we still might not get a good swab" Then we decided to treat and left.

He took all of his medicine and was visibly feeling better - he has been running and playing and not complaining that he feels bad at all however He Will Not Eat! It's horrible but he won't eat. His last meal was last Saturday night at my dad's house. I can literally remember each thing he's had since then it's been so minimal. Three days ago he ate 3 yogurt cups and get this he will drink - as much as I'll give him he will drink but only orange juice. Then he had half a yogurt cup and a popsicle. Yesterday he had a container of applesauce and a couple of bites of pudding. My mom was able to get him to drink a little of a nutrition drink last night. I took him back to our doctor and they are saying it's all psychological. He looks good - his throat is all better and his ears are fine. However he is terrified for some reason - and when I say terrified that's putting it lightly. Anything that he has to actually chew he just can't do it. If you're lucky enough to get it in his mouth then he's going to freak as soon as it gets in there and spit it out. I think that doctors office without a doubt traumatized him! It scares me to death because he's not eating enough right now nor is he getting the nutrition he needs. I'm trying to get anything I possibly can into his already tiny and skinny little body. His doctor says to give it time and he will start eating but I can't help asking myself what if he doesn't. What then? Oh it just scares me to death! We're leaving this morning for the mountains and I'm hoping that maybe he'll eat while we're gone - my dad and mom are going so maybe with the different people and settings he will decide it's a good time. If you don't mind would you please say a prayer for him. I just pray that his body and mind will heal and he'll be able to get past the fear in his little head..

Wordless Wednesday - Allie's first week in her big bed

2010-07-28T07:12:00.000-04:00

Almost Time

2010-07-27T08:06:00.000-04:00

We leave in two days to go to Gatlinburg aka Heaven on earth! There really is no place that I enjoy more than Gatlinburg - I feel like I'm at home there. I remember the first time that we went right after David and I got married and as we were driving up the mountain towards our cabin there was this overwhelming sense of peace. At that moment I had never felt more sure of anything in my entire life and we were in the most perfect place on earth. From that moment on when we need to decompress or anything that is where we head - it's like going home. We've said since we met that one day we will end up there - when all is said and done that is our final goal to live in a cabin in the mountains.

Now is time for all the hoopla around our house though. I have tons and tons and tons to do before we can leave. Not to mention the fact that packing for 6 people period is like packing for a week I have a huge consignment sale that starts right after we get back that I need to have everything ready for before we even leave. I've had stuff stacked up for weeks now - it's like it's taken over our house.

I cleaned all day yesterday but still have a bit to go on that then we have to wash the cars and clean some more :) We leave Thursday morning and I absolutely can not wait! My parents are going to so it's going to be a blast - my dad and David both need a break from work so leaving town is the perfect medicine!!

The Dreaded Day

2010-07-26T07:55:00.000-04:00

I'm one of those that dreads getting older - don't get me wrong it's better than the only other possibility but I hate getting older. I am officially one year away from 30 today and it scares me to death. I need to find a fountain of youth somewhere so I can stay right where I'm at forever!!

Aging has always scared me - I am a worrywart! I worry about any and everything that I can find to worry about. Will it do me any good to worry? No but I can't help myself. I'm actually much better than I used to be and that's scary because I'm still pretty bad!

But as for getting older I worry about the things that inevitably usually come with aging. I worry about saggy skin - I worry about wrinkles - I worry about heart problems that it seems like most of America deals with now as they age - I worry about cancer - I worry about being feeble and dying. I am probably worrying myself into an early grave as I type.

So I'm going to try to go through this day and not think about next year - because it's not 29 that upsets me it's 30 and 40 and 50 and 60 and so on.

We celebrated my birthday with my mom last week because she's out of town right now - We haven't been to the beach in a couple of years now - in fact we haven't been since Allie has been born. Things have been so busy and we haven't had the time or the money to go for a long period of time. This year I decided I wanted to get Allie on the beach so badly that we had to find a way. Well worry not because mom took care of it :) She did a combo birthday gift for David and I and purchased our hotel for a long weekend away at the beach. Can't wait and neither can my camera!!!!!!!!!

Saturday we got together with my dad and mom and had a tasty dinner and then one of my favorite cakes ever - Brown Front Cake! If you haven't had it then you must try it!!!! I also got these beautiful beautiful perfect bowls that my Daddy made. I am so lucky to get to benefit from his talents!!!! I'm loving all the stuff in my kitchen he has made for me. Just check them out - they are gorgeous!!!!!! Now I just have to decide what to spend my birthday money on :)

This rustic looking side is one of my FAVORITE things about these bowls. Where the knots were and how it shows through. I got a peppermill right when he started making things and it had a few knots in the wood - he filled them in and I was thinking how cool it would have been to have them left like they were. Then with my salt grinder he left them as they were and I was inlove!!!! Love how he left them on these bowls - seriously my kids wanted to eat cereal out of them and I said - HaHa um......NO!

5 Question Friday

2010-07-23T07:48:00.000-04:00

Whoo Hoo - it's Friday!!!!!!! So excited and ready for the weekend! It's been one of those weeks where you're constantly working and yet at the end of the day you feel blah and like you haven't accomplished anything at all. Frustrating! Only thing I dread about this weekned is that after it comes Monday and that's my birthday. I've tried to talk everyone into just skipping it this year - because with this birthday it puts me one year away from 30 and that number terrifies me!!!!!! I wanna stay in my 20s forever and ever Amen!

Enough of me whining for now - there will be plenty of that later on - it's time for 5 Question Friday - Head over to Mama M's at My Little Life and play along to answer 5 of the most random questions on the planet.

1. What were your school colors?

This is bad because I don't completely remember. I know - how could I! They were blue and either white or maybe a little gold. Ugh! I really am nearing 30 because I'm losing my mind!

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

The best compliment I can ever receive is when I hear someone say I'm a great mother or wife or how strong I am because there are days I highly doubt all three of those things.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

There is one thing in this world that I do not skimp on and that's toilet paper, my friend. I don't do it - I can not go to the bathroom and feel like I have sandpaper wiping my katoosh. I have to buy the good stuff - in that I mean Charmin and it has to be ultra soft and then I'm happy!!!!

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?

No I have not had one thrown for me and that soooo does not sound like fun! On the other hand I have been a part of throwing one for my mom and dad on their 50th birthdays and that was a blast!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

My computer. It's pitiful I know but with me staying home with 4 kiddos and not getting out to socialize much it is my only connection to the outside world. David works long hours most of the time and there are days it's me with 4 kids by myself from the second they get up in the morning until they go to bed at night. If I didn't have the computer and the ability to have that connection I think I'd go insane!

Jacob's Happenings

2010-07-22T07:51:00.000-04:00

This kid has come a long way! I remember being so terrified at the beginning of kindergarten and now he's 3.5 weeks from walking through those same doors and into first grade. I'm not sure I'm ready for it but he sure it!

This past week he finally learned to tie his shoes!!!!!! Wahoo!!!! He was supposed to learn while he was in kindergarten but being the bad mama that I am I never got around to teaching him how to do it. All of the sudden it hit me last week that they weren't going to tie his shoes for him in 1st grade so he had to learn. I sat down for what I thought was going to be a long grueling task of teaching him and I showed him twice and the little sucker did it! Reminded me of the first time he got on his bike and just started riding without training wheels like he'd been on there forever. One thing I have learned about Jacob is that he picks up on things very quickly!!! Smart little guy.

He also reminds me of an alien right now :) He finally has a loose tooth and he is soooooooo excited! He can't stop showing me how much looser his tooth is from the previous day. All of his friends had loose teeth last year and his never were. He had to have his top one pulled but he wanted the whole experience of losing his first tooth. So this bottom one is finally loose and he already has the adult one coming in behind it. I can't help it but when there are two teeth in there at the same time it reminds me of an alien or something - it's so weird looking. These pictures are weird but it was a hard angle and I had to document :)

I believe he's ready for the toothfairy. He might even let me pull it today - Yippee - or not so much. I'm not a big fan of that part of it. I'd rather it just fall out on its own rather than me have to pull it out.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T07:30:00.000-04:00

Allie's Big Girl Bed

2010-07-20T08:04:00.000-04:00

Allie has never been a very good sleeper. From the time that she came home from the hospital until present day she wakes up night after night. I have rocked and held her while she went to sleep since the day she was born so I know that I haven't helped matters much. However she's a little over 2 now and it has hit me that she needs to learn that she goes to sleep in her own bed. I'm not one for letting them cry it out - I just can't do it regardless of what anyone else says it's just not for me. So yesterday we bit the bullet and I changed her crib to a big girl bed. She loved it!!!! She got on it and played and laid down. I think the coolest part for her was that she could jump on it :)

Last night we had to go and get bedding for her bed because her bumper wouldn't work anymore. She was so excited - I talked it up all day long and by the time we got to the store she was jumping up and down with a huge grin on her face. She picked out what she wanted and got her pillow and then we headed home. We made up her bed and she continued to go in and out of there. In fact she played in there and each time I couldn't find her she was sitting in her bed.

Then it was time to go to sleep - she wasn't such a huge fan of that. I sat beside her (minus the rail we bought) and rubbed her back. She cried and cried and cried - I finally figured that she was used to my direct body contact each and every night so I laid my head down on her pillow and rubbed her head. She put her nose right up against mine and tucked her hands under my head and went right to sleep. It was one of those moments that I will remember in my mind until the day that I die. Such a precious memory! I took her Daddy in there after I got her to sleep and he just stood and stared at her. It was during that as he was kneeling down looking at her that I almost lost it. I've never seen love like that - don't get me wrong he loves his boys and he's a phenomonal dad to them but there's something about a Daddy and his daughter. It was the most raw intimate moment that I've ever been a part of.

She slept in there until 2 and then came into our room - I'm okay with that. I don't mind her coming in during the night as long as she'll go to sleep in her room and stay in there for a while. I just want her to be able eventually to put herself to sleep and then I'm able to read in the bed before I go to bed since she's not in there to start out with.

As for the rail - well the one we got just won't work. Her bottom rail comes up a little bit so it's not even with the bottom of the mattress and the rail has to go down a bit for it to fit. I can't fold it down because of her bed rail therefore it's too high for me to get to her while I'm sitting there and she's going to sleep. She did fine last night without it. We put pillows down in case she rolled off. I went in at one point a little after 11 and she was close to the edge so I moved her over and then at 2 she got out on her own and was calling for her Daddy. I'd say even though she didn't stay in there all night that overall the first night was a huge success!

I Heart Faces - Over Your Head

2010-07-19T08:18:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to participate in I Heart Faces again this week!!!! The past few weeks have been about pictures of teenagers and those taken by teens so I didn't have anything to submit. This morning my mind was totally blank as far as posting topics because I SO not ready for this week to begin. I feel like we didn't even have much of a weekend and my brain is not working this morning - therefore I'm happy they helped me out with a picture theme.

I Heart Faces is a photography website that holds weekly contests for professionals and amateurs alike with a set theme. This week the theme is Over Your Head.

This is a picture I took of Allie last summer in the pool. I've always loved when David threw her up in the air while we in the pool and I was able to capture a few that were cute that day. She was giggling the entire time!!! I wish we could go back to those days when she was so small - I miss them so much!

Backyard Baseball

2010-07-17T08:31:00.000-04:00

The kids love to play baseball outside - I know, Gasp!!! Baseball at our house? They have a certain spot they used that is home plate EVERY single time and it has to be right in that exact spot too!!!!

They have bases - pool is first base - the used to be tree that was just cut down was 2nd - now I believe a chair is put there and another tree is 3rd. On this particular night I think they were playing a mixture of baseball and kickball.

It's hilarious watching them play. They constantly argue - well Lucas and Jacob constantly argue about whether or not someone was safe or out - if the ball was fair or foul - strike or ball. Constantly yet at the same time they are making fantastic memories that I know they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

I love Caleb's backwards pj's in this picture - trying to be such a big boy like his Daddy and brothers yet still shows how little he is :)

Everytime someone gets up to bat - a hand goes up in the air and the bat (golf club in this instance) gets smacked on the ground several times in order to better prepare to hit the ball :) Metal bats have been put away in our backyard - it's only for the safety of our children's bodies and heads because someone would absolutely be hit several times if they were available for play. The plastic bats that were out there have been broken so for now they have resorted to using plastic golf clubs.

5 Question Friday

2010-07-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to see Friday it's not funny!!!!! It's also time for 5 of the most random questions in the world so head over to Mama M. at My Little Life and join in the fun!!!!

1. Do you collect anything?

I guess you could say I collect children since I have four of them. :) Really though no I don't. There are times I think I'm just collecting scrapbook stuff in my armoire since I never have time to do it anymore but I assure myself that one day it will come again.
2. Name 3 celebrities that you find good looking.

Garth Brooks (oh my - I just love him! nuff said)
Vin Diesel
Tom Cruise
3. Do you have any scars? If so, what's the story behind it (them?)?

I have one on my forehead. I got it when I was just learning to walk I believe and I tripped over a hose and hit my head on a brick. I always tease and say it was my moms fault because she left the hose out. HaHa It didn't bother me much when I was growing up - it does more now because it looks more like a wrinkle and I know I'll never get rid of it.
4. What is a food that you like to eat, but others might think it's gross or weird?

I am SO not a weird food eater! I am a very picky eater. I don't like to try new things - in fact I'm scared of it and textures are huge for me! I like tomato sauces and salsas but I don't like chunky tomatoes - I don't like the texture of them. Weird I know!
5. Have you ever seen a tornado in real life?

No - Thank goodness! My grandmother lives in OK and has a cellar in her house though. When I was little I thought it was the coolest thing in the world - my cousins and I used to play down there.

Cops and Robbers

2010-07-15T08:16:00.000-04:00

Jacob has been obsessed with cops since I can remember - literally since he was about 3 years old he would sit and watch Cops on tv with his Dad. He has always loved anything to do with police and there's nothing better than playing it. Well problem is that Lucas would play cops with Jacob but would quickly tire of it - he wasn't as big a fan as Jacob was.

Jacob getting arrested...

and tasered.

Now - Jacob has a new best buddy - Caleb LOVES I mean LOVES to play cops. He is just like the mini me of Jacob. He sat on the couch last night and watched Cops on tv with his Daddy for well over an hour - not a peep out of his mouth.

Caleb being arrested...

and taken to jail.

He'll go outside and they will have fake tasers - pretending like they are constantly tasering someone - it's hilarious to watch how much they get into it. Jacob will arrest Caleb and ask him if he has any drugs on him then search him. I think they've both found their match - Now they just have to keep it in the backyard!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-14T07:38:00.000-04:00

I've finally had to put the butt cream out of her reach!

Smores

2010-07-13T07:42:00.000-04:00

Smores are one of my favorite things!!!! They are so yummy and ooey and gooey - it just doesn't get much better than that!

On the 4th we decided to do smores and the kids were ready to start way before dark - my kind of people I tell ya. So after my attempted photos and being made fun of by my husband the fire was started and the kids were primed and ready to go.

Last year Allie was just over a year old so she wouldn't really eat the smore - she stuck with the chocolate instead - this year though she actually took a bite out of it. She took a few bites though I don't think she was just crazy over them since she wasn't continuously going back for more and more. She'd rather eat the marshallows and chocolate than anything.

Caleb - well my Caleb - he's a case in and of himself. He was scared of the fire and wasn't big on the roasted marshallows because they were hot. He waned a graham cracker with JUST a marshmallow in it but it had to be a regular marshmallow,not roasted. You can imagine that :)

Here he is terrified of the fire! This marshmallow is roasted!!!! I like mine perfectly toasted on all side yet not burnt at all!!!! I'm picky!

And Caleb with his untoasted marshallow in his graham cracker sandwich

Overall everyone had a great time and we ate way too much - in fact they wanted to do smores again the next night - YUM O!!!!

4th Photo Attempts

2010-07-12T08:16:00.000-04:00

On the 4th I wanted to get some pictures of all of the kids together. I had gotten flag shirts a while before at Old Navy and thought it was a good opportunity for a few pictures of all of them together. David laughed at me of course because he said he had never seen someone change their kids clothes just to take pictures right before they were going to do smores and mess them up anyways - oh well I'm here to put firsts in his life I suppose :)

I love Allie in this one - the 3 others are kinda out of it though

Now Lucas is in the picture and the remaining 3 are out of it

Jacob manhandling Caleb's head :)

Caleb totally out of it!!

We headed outside and I could tell right away they weren't so into it - I was getting cheesy fake smiles the entire time so I just took what I could get.

As soon as we finished with the 4 of them Lucas scooted inside - he obviously wasn't into my idea of getting individual shots.

Ummm...yeah act like you actually know how to smile please!

Thank you very much!

Caleb wasn't as into it either - he was more interested in laying down on the grass than anything which of course Allie had to do too :)

Cheesy smile!!!! but better than nothing at all I guess.

Monkey see....Monkey do

She was more interested in scooting than anything!

Happy yet?

Still no?

She really is girly in sooo many ways! She loves to have her finger and toenails painted and loves to do her hair and play with makeup and dolls but she always has a true rough side to her too - what do you expect she literally lives at the ballpark 90% of the year. She can hang with the boys too :)

And for good measure because out of all the others I got this one - I've shown it before and it doesn't show her face but it shows her true personality and has become one of my favorite pictures ever!!!!!

Three

2010-07-11T08:40:00.000-04:00

I got tagged by Erin at The Schuler Family and though I don't usually do these - well I just love her so I guess I'll play along :)

                                                               3 Names I Go By -

Mommy

Stef ( and I'm very particular about how it's spelled - hate hate hate Steph with a ph!!!) I'm weird I know!

My dad used to call me Stefarina - I hated it!!!! I'd come back with calling him Father bc he hated that just as much.

                                                         3 Places I Have Been -

California

Grand Canyon (Arizona)

NC ( they have wonderful beaches)

                                                                3 Favorite Drinks -

SWEET Tea

Dr. Pepper

Lemonade

                                                                3 Jobs I Have Had -

Assistant Manager at Gift Shop

McDonalds ( I'm not sure there are many people who haven't worked there)

Dispatcher for HVAC comp - where I met my love!

                                                 3 Places I would Like To Visit -

Cancun

Alaska

France

                                                             3 TV Shows I watch -

Big Brother

The Bachelor/Bachelorette

Kardashians

                                                           3 Fave Retro Shows -

Saved By The Bell

Full House

90210

                                                  3 Things I Am Looking Forward To -

Gatlinburg :)

Watching my family grow together

Going on more trips as the kids get older

                                                               3 Favorite Dishes -

Baked Spaghetti

Chicken and Pasta

Mexican