Just the Five of Us

Mika's 2nd Birthday Party

2012-02-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

I had a mini-meltdown this week. It was at that point I was reminded that the reason I work so hard on my kids' birthday parties is because I want them to feel loved and feel special. It doesn't matter if the party doesn't turn out exactly as I planned. They are worth every minute I put into their parties. Would they feel loved without me going to the trouble of a totally homemade party? Absolutely. I still love having these parties because it is something I love doing for them.

That said, we had Mika Lynn's second birthday party on Saturday. It was everything I imagined it would be. She was all smiles so I think she felt very loved and quite special. I decided a few months back to have an ice cream social for her party. It was tons of fun to plan and made for a fun party!

So here you go. A few pictures from my baby's special day.

I couldn't have pulled this off without the help of my sweet friend, Vickie. She helped with the fabric flowers, boxes, everything and she let me bounce ideas off of her. Thanks girl!

I made yummy cupcakes with a delicious frosting recipe I found on Pinterest. Topped with pearl sprinkles, they were the perfect girly cupcake. I thought the patterned boxes were perfect holding the cupcakes.

Garland, "ice cream" banner and balloons. I love how balloons scream "Party!"

Ice cream sundae area. Chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, homemade strawberry sauce, strawberries, chocolate banana chips, cherries, candies, sprinkles and marshmallows. And don't forget the whipped cream.

I ordered the ice cream cups and spoons here. I stamped some of the spoons with Mika's name. I love fun details like that.

I used twine and stickers to dress up the jars a little. Details.

For some reason, two dozen cupcakes looked like a lot on this table. Ha! We had plenty left over this morning that we took to church to share.

The table. I loved the pinks with a hint of yellow. I also made cake batter balls from another Pinterest recipe. Delish.

How cute is this? The ice cream sundae bar was so fun! I loved working with the idea of an ice cream social.

The birthday girl with her Mimi and her big sister. Sadly, my camera lost the sweet pictures I took of Mika and her birthday table.

The girl with her gifts. What a blessing!

It was a wonderful day and the birthday girl loved every minute of it! I still can't believe she is two. I want to thank everyone who celebrated with us and everyone who helped me make the day so special for my baby girl.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Love.

Parties and Babies and Boo Boos

2012-02-08T16:01:00.000-06:00

Things have been so crazy around here. We have a big birthday party this weekend. I still can't believe my baby is two. Eeek. She is officially not a baby anymore. I have been working so hard on her party... the perfect ice cream social. Yes, I know, nothing is truly perfect. But I've been so pleased with how everything has turned out that it is perfect to me. A sweet friend and I have spent hours making all sorts of cute stuff for the party. I have loved every minute of it and hope Mika feels so loved at her party.

Here is a sneak peek for you:

I ordered some ice cream cups and little wooden spoons from a website and I am loving them!! We've made banners and garlands and cupcake toppers and cupcake holders and 'thank you' tags and a special birthday shirt. It has been tons of fun and I can't wait to see it all come together Saturday.

I'm also in the middle of planning another birthday party for sometime in March. It's a big party (Peyton is turning 5!) and I have big plans for it. Once I get past Mika's party I will get to work on P's party.

The girls got to meet their newest cousin a couple weeks ago. My sister had her baby girl a couple weeks early and we are all madly in love with AK.

Is she not the cutest thing EVER???? I loved making her so fun hair accessories and it makes me so happy to see her wear them. Hehe! I can't wait to get back to Whit's house and squish this precious baby.

While we were at my sister's house, Mika burned her thumb on something. My Nancy Drew instincts tell me it was a lightbulb, but I don't know for sure. Anyway, a couple days after I first noticed a blister on her thumb it ended up getting really bad and nasty. So I had Jared take her to an after hours clinic one Sunday morning to have it checked out. I couldn't stomach this boo boo so I kept the other girls. The sweet doctor fixed her up and we had to keep her thumb wrapped for about a week. It was so pitiful. She was proud of her bandages though! Ha!

And finally - I am so ready to spend some time with my Mom and Nanny this weekend. They are coming for the party and staying the night with us. Yay!!! I love them so much and haven't seen them enought lately. I can't wait to see them. And the girls are even more excited than me.... they love Mimi and Nanny!!

And that is a quick (ha!) update on us. I have freed up some of my schedule so I should be able to blog more now.... I hope. I really do.

Love.

Busy Bees

2012-01-12T16:26:00.001-06:00

I have been SO BAD at blogging. I have some very good reasons for my lack of attention to the blog Perhaps they are more excuses than reasons, but either way.... it is my life right now and computer/free time is very minimal.

First, I am going crazy waiting on my new niece to arrive. I send my sister texts constantly checking on her. I will have a three hour drive to get to the hospital when she goes into labor, eek! I have my bag packed as well as bags for the girls. I just can't stand it! I am so ready to meet her sweet little self.

Speaking of little miss, my sister is calling her "A" on her blog, we had the best shower for her and my sister last weekend.

Isn't that so cute??? Sweet Julia at Sweet Happenings did the shower and she is fabulous! Seriously, if you need a party/wedding/event planner, she is your girl. She blogged the shower with more detailed pictures.... check it out! Baby A is so loved!!!!

Another reason for my absence: I have been helping a friend out by watching her baby a few times a week. The girls love having a baby in the house and it has been so much fun so far! It means a lot to me to be able to help her out. Plus, who doesn't love a little snuggly baby? Am I right?!

I am also in the process of planning a baby shower for my S-I-L. It is in less than two weeks and I can't wait to celebrate her second daughter with her. I have all the ideas planned out for the shower, I just need to get a move on and get some things put together.

The first few months of the year are always quite busy for us. Two of my babies have birthdays coming up so I am planning a couple of birthday parties. I have some great ideas but really need to get things done. I haven't even finalized invitations for our February birthday. Eeek!

All of this is on top of my normal stuff - husband, three kids, the home, my Ladies' Group, committments I've already made, and on and on. It is a busy time for us.

My life is so full right now and I love it. I love having so much to do with my time. I will keep trying to post... bear with me as I try to balance all these things going on in my life.

Love.

There's a Whole Lot of Christmas Over There

2011-12-21T12:42:00.000-06:00

I love the "Week of Christmas". Jared and I have decided that we want to start a tradition of doing something special each day for the entire week before Christmas.

Sunday: Date Night
We went on a double date with J's sister and her hubby. Movie then dinner at one of our fave restaurants. It was so nice to get to spend some time together laughing and holding hands and eating chips and cheese dip. And if you are thinking we left the girls out - we didn't. They got to have one of their cousins spend the night (and babysit) and they were lovin' every minute of it.

Monday: Make Christmas Gifts for Cousins
The girls and I made their gift to give their cousins this year. We loved every minute of it. I will keep the gift a secret for now, but I will say I found in on Pinterest and it turned out perfectly! I took a few pics throughout the week of our fun...

Tuesday: Bake Christmas Cookies

We decided this would be the perfect day to bake cookies. I love baking and so do my little helpers.

Wednesday: The Polar Express movie night

We are planning on staying in tonight and watching The Polar Express. I love the movie and the girls do too. Jared has never watched the whole thing, but I know he will love it. We will pop popcorn after dinner and get in jammies and snuggle in for movie night.

This afternoon we are having a wrapping party with friends. I love wrapping and can't wait to make a fun afternoon of it.

Thursday: Gingerbread House and Holiday Lights

Tomorrow afternoon we will have some older cousins come over to help the girls make a gingerbread house. I love this fun tradition. Then tomorrow night after dinner (homemade pizzas - our favorite dinner for busy nights) we will go out to see all the lights. This may be the thing I'm looking forward to most! When we were visiting dad we drove around one night and Laila looked over at one house full of lights and blowups and said "There's a whole lot of Christmas over there." I love her little thoughts. Ha!

Friday: Family Christmas Party

Daddy is off work Friday so we will have a lazy day at home then go to my in-laws for the family Christmas party. This is such a fun, sweet time with the family and the girls love being with their cousins.

Saturday, Christmas Eve: Open gifts together at home

Saturday we will be going to my grandmother's house. So Saturday morning we will wake up and let the girls open their gifts from us at home. I have never spend Christmas Eve night anywhere but my Nanny's house so we will be there that night.

Sunday: CHRISTMAS!!!!

We will be with all of my family on Christmas day. It is a special time for us celebrating with our family. I love how Christmas is one of the most fun times of year. We have so much fun and do so many things in celebration of the greatest gift God gave us. I love every minute of the season, I always have. But this year, with the girls experiencing so much of Christmas, I have fallen in love with the season even more.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Lost in a story

2011-12-13T15:40:00.000-06:00

So we are still at my dad's which means I have no pictures again. But I am trying to build momentum and make writing a habit. So today I'm going to give you a quick glimpse into my mind....

My three girls are napping (amazing) and I found myself with some free time. Today I chose to watch The Help. We are away from home and I don't have the responsibilities of home to occupy my time today. I spent a couple of hours engrossed in a movie. The end credits rolled and I found myself so happy. I love losing myself in a story.

I love movies, books, anything with a story. I read every night before I got to sleep. I tried explaining my need to read to Jared but all I came up with is that when I read, I get lost in the story. For those moments while I am flipping pages (or pressing the > on my Kindle) the worries and stresses and concerns of the day are gone. It is just me and the story.

I need those moments.

I need to be separated from my day for just a few minutes.... I believe it helps me sleep better because I don't have anxieties running through my mind while my head is on the pillow. We all have our things we do to help us get through our day, reading is mine. I love a story.

I love to start my day with the Bible and a devotional and end it with a novel. The hours that exist in between I spend loving on my family, making our house a home, nourishing my family, teaching ABCs and numbers and love, kissing boo-boo's, tickling bellies, hugging necks, laughing, singing, dancing --- being "Wife" and "Mom". That's who I am. But for a few minutes everyday I get to be engrossed in a story. It makes me a better ME.

I am thankful my parents shared their love for reading with me. I'm doing my very best to share it with my girls.

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."
--George R. R. Martin

Love.

2011-12-12T13:02:00.001-06:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about priorities. Jared and I have discussed it some as well. We are really making an effort to make the time we spend together as a family count. It is so easy after a long day to just want to chill out in front of the tv.... but we don't want those to be the memories we make with our girls. So far, we have been so much happier as a family. In fact, the girls and I left Saturday to visit my dad for a few days. When I talked to Jared after we got here we both agreed that this was the hardest it has been on us to say goodbye. It is really crazy how much more I miss him right now than I ever have before. We decided it is probably because we have been really cherishing our family time together lately. Not that we didn't before, but something has changed.

So all of that has brought me to a point where I am trying to figure out where my priorities are now and what needs to change. It is the end of the year, after all. Isn't this when everyone starts evaluating their lives to see how to make them better?!

One thing I have really let slide this past year is blogging. I can justify it by saying it isn't really important for my family that I spend thirty minutes on the computer each day. But the truth is, it really is. Not because I'm blogging to be known or whatever, but because I am blogging our memories. This is our family scrapbook... because you know I don't have real scrapbooks for my family. I can't even comprehend how much work that would be. Ugh. :)

I am also really REALLY bad about taking pictures of my babies. My goal is to start taking at least one picture a day. One memory each day that I don't want to forget. Maybe this will help me record those memories on the blog as well.

I am so thankful for my family. We are having the most fun this Christmas season. The girls are all old enough to enjoy some parts of Christmas and I must say, I never knew Christmas could be so fun! I will save all of our Christmas activities for another post though.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be preparing my 2012 goals and looking at my 2011 goals. I'm looking forward to spending some time reflecting on the past year. I need to get myself organized and my priorities set straight so I can make the most of every day I'm blessed to spend with my family.

But for now, I need to go raid the pantry at my dad's house.... there are some shortbread cookies calling my name. I'm taking advantage of this time of year but in a few weeks, I'll be cleaning up my act. :)

Love.

A little list to remember...

2011-11-09T16:27:00.000-06:00

I have been so behind on all the many things I try to do around here. I haven't read too many blogs lately. I haven't been much for fb/twitter updates. I have this one pesky dish in my sink that I refuse to handwash even though it is almost too big for my dishwasher. I have 2 laundry baskets with my girls' clean clothes in them sitting in my bedroom floor because I haven't taken the time to put them all away. I have boxes of stuff in my garage that needs to go to Goodwill but it is still here. I have so many worksheets waiting on my girls to do them. Shall I go on???

So what have I been doing? I've been...

Snuggling my not-so-baby baby girls every day while we watch Lion King.
Making homemade soups.
Having a garage sale and selling so much of our stuff.
Watching my big girl play her last soccer game of the Fall season.
Reading.
Playing.
Having sweet family time in the evenings with all five of us.
Planning our Christmas cards.
Visiting old friends and their new babies.
Getting started on Christmas gifts.
Waking up at the crack of dawn.... thank you, Time Change.
Watching my baby turn into a little girl.
Eating apples and dreaming of apple pies.
Dreaming of the future with my sweetie.
Laughing as Pull-Ups have become the newest trend in dressing up in our house.... I'm trying to get a picture of this silliness.

I've been feeling lately like I don't have any good enough ideas to put into a blog post. But I am so thankful for this wonderful way to remember things about my sweet littles. So this is a little list to help me remember these days. We have some big/fun things happening in our family and I don't want to miss out on this exciting time because I'm so wrapped up in emails, facebook, twitter and blogs. But I still want to document this exciting time for our family. I will be back with so much more... I just need to figure out a better schedule for getting all the things done that I need to do each day.

I'm so thankful for these girls for filling up my days and bringing so much love and joy to our lives.

Love.

The day after...

2011-11-01T10:23:00.002-05:00

Our church had its first Harvest Fest last night. A few words to describe it: fun, success, joyful, candy, candy, candy.

This is the first year we have let the kids dress up. I wanted to make their costumes so we brainstormed ideas and came up with the perfect idea for each girl. Peyton asked for her costume specifically. She couldn't decide between a princess and a ballerina so we merged those two ideas into one. And Laila asked for her costume as well. I, of course, chose Mika's. They were all quite cute and had fun helping me put together their costumes.

Let me introduce:

Princess Peyton the Ballerina

RoboLaila

Old School Mika (thank you, Peyton, for naming her costume)

I loaded up Princess Peyton the Ballerina, RoboLaila and Old School Mika and headed to the fest. I was working the crafts booth so the girls and I were there the whole time. Needless to say, the had a blast and we came home with three buckets FULL of candy.

For a while, the girls thought we would have all of these fun games at church every week. Ha!

We were all exhausted when we got home and went straight to bed.

But there were three buckets of candy awaiting the girls this morning when they got up. After I allowed them one piece each they decided it was "so much fun" to play with the candy.

There have been piles sorted and piles counted and buckets filled and dumped and filled and dumped.

And I'm afraid in all of their candy sorting fun there have been a few casualties. I noticed Mika was being awfully quiet so I looked at her candy pile she was playing with. This is what I discovered....

You can bet we will be heading to the playground at Chick-Fil-A today to burn off some sugar energy. It is all worth it because last night couldn't have gone better. It was a perfect day and perfect evening. Hello November!!!

Challenge?

2011-10-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

Ok y'all.... I have a challenge for you.

I am so very interested to know who reads my blog. I read a few blogs but never comment so I'm definitely guilty of this. :) However, I'm curious to know who out there is reading my little story. And if you are reading I would love to know so I could visit you on your blog.

So challenge: If you are reading this, please leave me a comment. Maybe we can make some new friends. Either way I would still like to "meet" you, so leave me a comment. Besides all the comments would totally make my day and I know you all want to do that. Ha!

Challenge accepted??

In the Kitchen with Mommy

2011-10-12T08:55:00.002-05:00

Y'all, I love to cook. I love being in my kitchen creating things for the people I love to enjoy. I love all things foody (except for the actual foods as I am a very "selective" eater - doesn't "selective" sound better than "picky"??). I love kitchens. I have a dream kitchen.... well, actually I have a lot of dream kitchens (thank you Pinterest).

Want to know what's great?? My kids love being in the kitchen too! They love to cook and help me in any way they can. It is wonderful and precious and frustrating! Ha! If you have little ones you know what I mean. I love that they love to help me though. I hope I am setting a good example for them. I try.

I haven't always been one to jump in the kitchen and cook. But now, I do it without thinking. I cook supper every night at home. I haven't always been that way but I truly enjoy it now. I make meal plans and do the grocery shopping once a week. It is fantastic and makes my life so much easier.

I am even turning into one of those moms who tries to be super-healthy. I use the word "try" but that's not exactly the right description. My family is just as picky (if not more) than I am and I am having such a hard time making healthy foods for them. But I really want to.... really.

I read all these studies about how this food and that food contribute to cancer risks and this health problem and that. Its overwhelming and scary. And I feel like the study writers opened my pantry and used that as the basis for their conclusions. Seriously? I feel like anything I buy in the grocery store is bad for us.

So I'm deciding right now to make a change. I don't want to serve food just because it is easy. Yeah, it is so much easier to open up a can of soup rather than make my own... but don't you think mine is much better tasting? And much healthier too? At least my home-made foods weren't listed on any of the studies I've read as bad for us, so they are good right?! I want to really be that good example for my kids. And I want them to be as healthy as possible. There is enough junk food out there, they shouldn't be surrounded with it at home. (Note: I do not serve my kids much junk food, but they do get some. They are not surrounded with it at home, by any means.)

I love that my girls are interested in cooking and I want them to develop a love for healthy eating. I am going through all of my cookbooks today searching for kid-friendly, healthy, not too difficult, and yummy recipes that we can add to our meal rotation. Does anyone have any suggestions? Perhaps I need to start posting some of our favorite meals on here... Maybe I just will.

Love.

For Love of the Game...

2011-10-05T16:28:00.002-05:00

We decided this summer to sign Peyton up for soccer. We both thought she would love it.... and we were right! I got a call a few weeks before the season started asking if I wanted to coach. I actually laughed at the question.... I am such a great athlete and all. Ha! Anyway, Jared said he would love to, so we were signed up to coach P's team. Jared coaches and I handle all of the other things that go along with coaching a U-6 soccer team..... you know, coordinating game day snacks. Actually there are quite a few things that we have to stay on top of so it works out nicely for us to do it together.

Ok, this is not a post about how we coach a soccer team.... it is, in fact, a post about my oldest girl and her love for soccer.

Girl likes to show some attitude :)

Peyton loves, I mean LOVES, scoring goals. She gets so excited anytime she scores (even in practice) and she gets a little bummed when she doesn't score a goal.

Jared loves coaching. He is in his element. The kiddos love him as well. We have a great little team with some really cool kids. Jared tries so hard to make things fun for the kids. The other night at practice, the kids were just a little chatty and not wanting to do their practice games. So Jared decided to have them run "line drills" on the field. Wouldn't you know, they thought it was super-fun.... silly kids.

Games are every Saturday morning. The kids always look so cute in their uniforms.

And Miss P is always ready with a silly pose. She also likes to call in a sub so she can have a snack on the bench or get something to drink... seriously, she asks for a drink every 3 minutes or so. So funny.

I need to get her a black long-sleeve shirt to wear with her uniform... Pink and purple are all we have.

Peyton is all smiles when she is playing soccer. She loves it and I am so glad we are able to do this for her and with her.

I am usually found on the sidelines with my other girls. Needless to say, they both love the game as well and I imagine we will be playing soccer for quite a few years. It is a struggle for me to keep them in their seats and off the field during practice and games. You should see me and all of the stuff I bring to practice and games - it is borderline ridiculous. The other moms laugh at my giant bag of stuff that I bring in case we need something, like extra socks or donuts or another ball or a lamp or a down comforter. I kid, kind of. It is tons of fun though. And the smiles that we see on the field make everything worth it!

A Day in the Life....

2011-10-04T19:33:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to document what our days are looking like for a while. I want to remember how we spent our time when I'm thinking back in 20 years. So here is a look at our typical Tuesday.

7:00 Wake up
This morning Mika Lynn woke up first. When that girl gets up before anyone else, she likes to go to each sleeping person and say their name loudly. Like her Momma, she doesn't want to be the only person awake!

7:15 Breakfast
Once diapers have been changed and everyone has had their morning potty break, we head to the table. Today's breakfast was granola bars (don't judge, they all LOVE them and ask for them daily), Cheerios, bagels with grape jelly, milk, and coffee for Momma!

7:45 Let's Play
The girls head off to their rooms to play for a while. I clean up breakfast and get myself organized for the day.

8:30 TV Time
I usually turn on PBS Kids about this time. The girls love their morning shows and will sit and watch them while I finish getting ready for our day.

9:00 Girls Get Dressed and Ready

9:30 School Time
We always start with a Bible story and prayer. Then we have our first lesson (or two) of the day. Today we did a color/shape coded color sheet and we learned how to write a capital "A". We work on our memory verse. After our lessons we color and read some books then the girls pick up things while I fix lunch.

11:00 Lunch
While the girls are eating, I usually do the dishes and whatever else needs to be done right then. Today I started some laundry and took out the trash. The trash is one of my most dreaded chores. I could do a whole post on the chores I love and the ones I hate.

11:30 Naptime
Laila and Mika lay down for naps in their beds and Peyton had rest time on the couch. I usually let her watch a movie or some more PBS Kids. During naptime, I grab something quick for lunch, check emails, blog, etc. I always make time to snuggle P some before the other girls get up. :)

1:00 Wake Up/Snacks
Laila is usually up by 1:00 so we have a little snack then. I also get to spend some time snuggling Laila when she wakes up. I so treasure this sweet time with her.

1:30 Chores/Errands
This is when I usually go to the store or run our errands. We also do our daily chores during this time. Today we put away our laundry and cleaned the kitchen. I try to get the girls involved in doing the chores around the house. They love helping and I feel like we are teaching them some responsibility by having them help with things at home.

2:30 Story Time and Lessons
We pick up another worksheet or two. And since I have three little girls who love to read books, we make time in our afternoons for more stories.

3:00 Craft Time
Lately the girls have been obsessed with watercolor painting.... so we have been doing that every day. They are actually quite good at it and they feel so proud of their work. I love that they love to create things like I do. I hope they always love to create things.

3:30 Play Time
We usually take the rest of the afternoon to play. I mean, isn't that what kids are supposed to do?! My girls love to play outside and I am happy the weather is cooler now so they can spend more time outside without melting in the heat.

5:00 Clean Up
Jared gets home between 5:30 and 6:00 so I usually start cooking dinner around 5:00. The girls are responsible for cleaning up their toys when I get started with dinner. Once they get their toys picked up they like to do puzzles before dinner is ready. Some days it takes so long to get them to clean up that we don't make it to puzzles.... we barely make it to dinner!

6:00 Dinner

6:45 Bath Time!
I give all the girls a bath together so it makes the process so much quicker. After baths we all gather in one of the girls' rooms and read a story. Then we pray together as a family. This is one of our sweetest moments of the day. I think we all love this time together.

7:00 Mika Goes to Bed

7:30 Laila Goes to Bed

8:00 Peyton Goes to Bed

Once all the girls are in bed I finally get to relax. Ahhhh.

I always wonder what other people's days are like.... And I often wonder how I filled up my days before I had babies. I am so thankful I am able to make this daily memories with my girls.

Time to be Thankful

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

It is time for me to sit down and pull myself out of this mess. Things have been difficult around our home for a couple of weeks now... well, that's the nice way to put it. While I have started trying to really pinpoint the problems, that isn't something I want to put out there. However, I do need to remind myself of how blessed I really am.

I have three healthy children.

I have a husband who I love more each day and who loves me unconditionally.

I have a wonderful family.

I have a home that is filled with things that are special to my family.

My husband has a wonderful job.

I have friends who would do anything for me and I would do anything for them.

I have a church that I love.

I am a mom.

I am a wife.

I could go on and on and on. God has really blessed us beyond our wildest dreams. I am so guilty of getting wrapped up in the moment dealing with my babies that I lose sight of how blessed we are. We really are.

Today has been so very hard on this Momma. I was finally able to pull myself together and grab some quiet time while the girls are laying down. I actually read a blog post that spoke so directly to me, it was wild. Then I felt like I needed to just be thankful for a bit. And it helps me to be thankful in an organized way, like by writing it out.... and this seemed like the appropriate place.

Now I'm going to curl up with some hot apple cider (yes, I realize it is almost 80 degrees today, but it is still Fall) and one of my Mommy Devotionals and pray naptime lasts a little while longer.

Be thankful.

Right Now...

2011-09-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

My kitchen is a staging area for all of the carnivals/parties/projects/etc. that we are involved in. I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. With each bag from the store that is added to the "Keep This Until the Event" Pile, it is becoming harder to cook dinner. I feel like the dishes are staying in the sink longer than usual because I can't get around all the stuff to get them done. My family has eaten two dinners this week on paper plates. Paper plates, y'all! My Nanny would be horrified. :) It has helped with the dish situation though.

Of course, I love being involved in all of these events. I think I just need a bigger house. Ha! Seriously.

I'm considering taking applications for someone to come and hold all of my bags of goodies in their ams and off of my counter, table, stovetop, floor. :)

But more importantly, right now there is a little girl wearing a mashed potato mask who needs my attention. She doesn't have the best fashion sense yet (as evidenced by the cute dress/top and leggings I put on her this morning and the fabulous hot pink crocs she chose to wear with them) but she wears the mashed potatoes well. They are one of her favorite accessories.

Love.

My Top Ten Favorite Things...

2011-09-16T08:33:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about all of the things I'm loving right now. Of course my sweet little family is always at the top. {And to be honest, I could fill a top 50 (and more) of things I love about them}

But today I wanted to be completely superficial and talk about the things I love just for me!

1. I LOVE my Kindle. It is serious. :) I have loved books and reading my entire life. As a child my dream was to become a writer. Didn't happen. Sadness. But now I have my Kindle and I have access to so many books. It is delicious. When I travel I don't have to worry about packing enough books so that I don't run out. I have them all in one place. Love.

2. Hair clips. Even though my dear, sweet husband laughs at me, I love wearing cute little flowers and such in my hair. In fact, I sported a red hair poof last Saturday to the Hogs game. It made me feel cute, something that the t-shirt I had to wear took away from me. I am not a t-shirt kinda girl.

3. Burlap. I have visions upon visions of things to do with burlap around my house.... starting with our Christmas stockings. I just need to find the time to bring all of my ideas to life.

4. Fall Candles. I am working hard to burn up what I have left of my spring/summer candles. They are being replaced with the delicious smells of apple, cinnamon, spices, pumpkin.... everything Fall and everything I dream of my home smelling like.

5. Pinterest. Oh my. I never thought I would get as much use out of Pinterest as I am. It is not only really fun, but I have saved so many ideas to my boards that I don't have to worry about remembering them or writing them down on one of hundreds of scraps of paper and throwing them in my planner. It is possible that I spend more time than I should on Pinterest. But what else is a girl to do while the hubby watches game after game after game on tv? {Love you, babe}

6. Gray. I have NEVER been one to wear gray. Or even look at the color. It always felt so drab to me. But now, all of a sudden, I can't help but be attracted to all things gray. Maybe it has something to do with my love for wearing black {not in a dark, depressing or goth way, but in a classy way - at least I hope it's classy} and how gray is basically just another shade of black, right?! :) I even made a gray hair poof.

7. My Life Planner. A couple months ago I heard about a great deal on these too-cute-to-be-true planners. I decided to order one. I didn't know then that I would need that thing every.day. Seriously, I refer to it all day long. It is where I keep all my information about all the things that have quickly taken over our lives. I love it!

8. Crochet. I have been crocheting for a few years now. I have always liked it because it was something I could do while Jared and I watched a movie or a tv show or just talked. I finally broke down and made something for myself a few weeks ago.... I love it! It is the perfect shade of Fall Yellow. My dad called it a "mini scarf" which describes it perfectly. I will post pictures of it when it gets cold enough for me to actually wear it. It looks a little silly with my tank tops.

9. My longer hair. I have always been a short hair girl. I decided before my 30th birthday that I needed to do something different. I thought growing my hair out would not only be easy but would maybe make me look younger. So its growing. And it is longer now than it has ever been. Ever. I don't have to wash it every day so that is a huge bonus. The only drawback is that my sparkles {gray hairs} show up a little more when it is long.

10. Meal Planning. I have never been a weekly grocery shopper. I used to spend most of my afternoons trying to decide what to fix for dinner then going to the store to get what I needed for the meal. I finally got smart y'all. I now sit down Monday morning and plan out our meals for the entire week. I basically just pick a meal from our list of family faves and pick a day for it. I have to keep in mind our newly busy schedule and the nights I have to cook really early dinners and such. Then the girls and I go grocery shopping on Monday afternoon and get all of the supplies we need for the week. It has saved loads of time and stress.

There you go. A list of some of the things I'm loving right now. I am so thankful that I am so blessed to be able to enjoy these unimportant things in life. I spent many years not letting myself have anything just for me. It has taken time and lots of urging from special women in my life, but I gave in. I have these things for me... they make me feel a little more sane which makes me a much better wife and mother. Everyone is happy.

What do you love?

A New Season Brings New Things...

2011-09-14T10:54:00.000-05:00

Oh how I love Fall.

After the long, hot summers I really get excited about cool mornings, jeans, boots and football! This year is no exception. My home is already decorated for Autumn. I've already made everyone's Fall/Winter hats and I've completed my first scarf, with two more in the works. I.Am.Ready.

With this year's new Fall season brings a new season for our family.

Our girls are getting older. I no longer have an infant or one on the way. We are settled into our little family of five and we couldn't be happier. We are all just content. And that is a nice place to be, isn't it?!

Since we are so comfortable with things, we have decided to add some new activities. Because who wants to just stay comfy? Let's spice things up a little bit! Peyton is playing soccer and Jared is coaching her team. We LOVE it. Seriously, this is one of my most favorite things our family has ever done together. There will be lots of pictures to share, I am sure. We have also started attending homegroup with our church. Jared's work schedule is semi-normal now so we are able to do things on week nights and homegroup was top of our list.

So now our family has gone from spending every evening a home together to having a fairly busy schedule (busy for us, at least). I am so glad I got a planner to keep up with all of our family activities.
We are busy. The good thing is that we do all of these things together as a family (for the most part).

There is excitement in the air.... a changing of season in so many ways. I couldn't be happier.

And since our family is growing up, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Want to guess what I do when I start to miss my babies being babies.... yep, I go through old pics. Who doesn't?!

Here's a couple of memories of my babies:

Mika Lynn

Laila Whitney

Peyton Lou

Don't you just love Fall?? And memories??

Out At the Barn

2011-09-12T12:14:00.000-05:00

While we were at Pappy's house last time we decided to spend some time out at the barn. I never would have imagined that my babies would love being at the barn so much, but boy they sure do! They love to brush the horses, talk to them, bring all the ropes and reigns around and basically do anything to help Pappy.

But most of all they love to ride.

All three of them Love. To. Ride.

Even my little Mika loves it. She bursts out in excited screams when she sees the horses. And she insists on getting her turn to ride.

I am constantly reminded of how much my girls are growing.... especially when I see pictures of them like this. Peyton is getting big enough to ride on her own. She is so confident on the horses.... I pray she is always confident in everything she does.

Laila spent the first month of summer afraid of riding.... now she doesn't want to get off. We love watching the girls find their courage and overcome their fears. I am so thankful that the girls are growing up with such neat experiences.

Their new favorite thing to do at the barn is to ride together. They think it is so much fun. I think they are so much fun!

Mika Lynn even got a chance to show off her solo equestrian skills.... she's a natural. Pappy also taught her a couple of new phrases: "Whoa, Sugar." and "Easy, Sugar." So cute to hear her little voice say those words.

We love going out to the barn with Pappy. We are so thankful that we get these opportunities. And you know it makes Pappy so proud and happy to watch his baby girls develop a love for horses like he has. He keeps trying to get me on the horses. But y'all, every time I ride my rear end hurts for days. Seriously. I'm just happy hanging out on the sidelines with the cameras.

Love.

Summer on the Lake

2011-09-08T12:19:00.001-05:00

We spent quite a bit of time on the lake this summer. For the past 4 years I have either been pregnant or had a small baby during the summer. Don't get me wrong, I have totally enjoyed these past few summers. However, I was looking forward to this summer. All of the girls are older and are able to enjoy the boat and the lake more. (After all the fun this summer, I am so excited about next summer).

We spent quite a few weekends plus three full weeks at my dad's house on the lake. It was wonderful! Peyton and Laila love jumping in the water and swimming like little fish. Laila even jumps from the top of the boat with her daddy. No fear.

Even I got to enjoy the water and the sun some. And Mika... oh that sweet girl.... she liked the water, but was happier with a Capri Sun and some Pringles. Love her.

So I thought to commemorate our Summer on the Lake I would do a Top 10.

Top 10 Things I Loved About Summer on the Lake 2011:

10. Sun-kissed skin.

9. Swimming with all three girls.

8. Watching Peyton find her courage in the water.

7. Watching Laila jump from the top of the boat with Jared.

6. Pizza on the boat for dinner.

5. Swimming with our lake friends.

4. Exhausted little girls on the ride back to the dock.

3. Just the five of us taking the boat out early one morning.

2. July 4th on the lake... all day. Ending in a fireworks show.

And the number 1 thing I loved about this summer on the lake is.......

1. Making memories with my family that we will always hold in our hearts.

We will always cherish our times out on the lake. We are so thankful that we are able to spend so much time there and we know what a blessing it is.

Love.

My Baby

2011-09-07T09:28:00.043-05:00

My baby girl. All the cuteness and sweetness wrapped up in one little package.

She is so special to us.

She makes the most hilarious faces. Always a source of entertainment.

She loves her blanket.

She shows her emotions and thoughts in her eyes.

She loves going places. Always happy.

Gives the sweetest open-mouth kisses.

She loves to eat. Loves doing big girl things.

She still looks like a baby to us.

She loves her sisters. Speaks her own language.

Loves animals. Can crack herself up at any time.

My little buddy. She is quick. Coordinated.

Loves music. Tough.

She completed our family in the most perfect way. She grabs the hearts of everyone she meets.

She will always be our baby.

Love.

My Little Bean

2011-09-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

There is another girl in my life who brightens up each moment.

She sees the world through very special eyes.

She loves to eat. Loves to sing. Loves to make up words.

She loves all of her family and prays for them daily.

She has the most tender heart. A sweet daughter.

She loves babies and has a very motherly nature.

She isn't afraid of anything. She makes the silliest and cutest faces.

She is a great sister and loves being with her sisters.

She loves to snuggle. The biggest bed-hog.

Loves to learn. Smart.

She is funny. Always makes us laugh.

She is sweeter than sugar but has a hidden fiesty side.

She is our number one cheerleader. Always ready to give hugs after a long day.

My precious little bean.

Love.

My Firstborn...

2011-09-02T07:55:00.000-05:00

I have this sweet little 4-year-old girl in my life. She is precious beyond words.

A heart of gold.

A friend to everyone. She loves singing "Jesus music" and hearing Bible stories.

She loves church.

She is silly. Loves snacks.

She has an infectious laugh and loves to fill a room with it.

She loves her family in a special way.

She has a very special relationship with everyone she knows.

Independent. Strong-willed. Smart.

Compassionate.

She looks just like her daddy. She loves to help out.

Loves a party.

A wonderful big sister. A wonderful daughter.

One of my favorite people in the world.

Love.

Lost

2011-08-31T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to write a post for so long.... I feel so lost as to where to start. But I really want to get back into the habit of posting regularly because it is how I keep up with all the little fun things that happen with our family. So I'm jumping back in and hoping to get back into the groove of things.

We have done so many fun things this Summer and stayed so busy but it has been our best Summer ever! We spent two weeks at Pappy's house, a week with Whit at her house, went shopping in Branson for Fall clothes, another week at Pappy's, family reunion, preschool (at home), started playing our first organized sport (soccer), playdates, time with cousins swimming on Sunday afternoons, hanging out with Nana on the front porch, and so much more! I feel like I need to pick just one to share today, only I have no idea how to pick one.

Let's start with Preschool.

I decided, after doing some research on preschools and how much they cost and so on, that I would do preschool at home with my girls. My main goal is to get Peyton ready for Kindergarten (next year) and give the girls some structure and focus in their day.

I created us a daily schedule and we try our best to stick with it. The girls do 4-5 worksheets a day along with lessons and flashcard reinforcement. We play educational games, do puzzles, do arts and crafts, practice important skills like cutting and coloring inside the lines. They are learning to follow rules and hopefully they are learning how to behave in a classroom. Thankfully we have nearly a year until real school actually starts for Peyton.... I am pretty sure we will need every minute of it.

It has been really fun for me. I have something to organize and it not only gives the girls some focus for their days, but me too. We still manage to play and have lots of fun and I will say that I have seen some real learning happen over the last month!

In this process where I found myself becoming a "teacher" I have stumbled onto some really great blogs and websites. I have seen some really creative things and it has sparked some creativity in me that hasn't been let out in a while.

Now if I could just find a good place for us to do our school work and keep all of our school supplies, things would be just about perfect. Right now, our kitchen table has been taken over by workbooks, folders, crayons, paints, pencils, and countless other things we use each day. I have a grand plan in my mind for our school space.... but I have a feeling it may just stay in my mind. We will see!

I PROMISE I will try to post more often. In fact, I plan on putting post ideas into my daily planner so that I have no reason not to sit down for a few minutes and record my thoughts and the little things about our days.

I will be back!

Love.

Too Busy?

2011-06-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged in so long.... I've never been this busy in my life. For th epast month or so, every second of my life has been full. The girls keep me occupied from 7am until 8pm every day. Jared and my painting have kept me busy from 8pm until 11pm every night. I literally check a few blogs, email and Facebook and that is the extent of my online time.

BUT I do have something to show for all this busy-ness. Check out my other blog to see a peek of what I've made that is being sold at The Re-inVintage Fair in Eldon, MO this weekend. If you are nearby, you should definitely check it out! Look at their FB page for more info. I'm so excited and honored to be part of this fun event!

I'm gathering some recent pics of the fam that I hope to have time to post on here very soon!

Love to all.
J

Are Any of You Still Out There?

2011-04-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have been missing y'all!

A couple of months ago my computer got sick. It was slightly traumatic at first. After we did everything we knew to do we sent the computer to the best PC doctor we know - my dad. After replacing the hard drive (ouch) and tweaking some other things he got the computer fixed. I now have my connection to the world back.

I will say that I didn't really miss the time I spend online and doing my daily computer things. But I did miss all of my friends and family and keeping up with everyone. I also missed having so much information at my fingertips. Y'all, I had to use a phone book over the past couple months. In case some of you readers don't know what a phone book is - it is a book given out by the phone company with every listed number in your area. Oh my cow. I felt like a kid again, searching for a phone number on actual paper. Ha!

I do need to report the sad loss of so many pictures over the past year or so. I am hoping to find most of them on here and fb. I was just about to do a photo back up when the computer gave up on me.

Anyway, I'm back! I will do my best to catch up with all the blogs I can and respond to any comments I've gotten while I was away. There is so much going on that I need to document on here but it will all have to wait. I'm a little overwhelmed by everything right now. :)

Glad to be back, I missed y'all
Jen

Birthday Party Pics...

2011-02-23T15:16:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I am just now posting these. We have had the flu around here and this Momma has been exhausted. Actually, exhausted doesn't exactly describe how I've been feeling. It hasn't been pretty. But I got some sleep last night so things are better today.

My sweet friend, Vickie, took the pictures for me at Mika's party. She rocks. Seriously, she is so talented. She took so many pictures and I've had so much fun going through them. Rather than post them all individually, I made a few collages for your viewing pleasure.

Mika's Party was full of Pink, Purple, Red, Zebra, Valentine's touches, Family, Friends, Fun, Snacks, Cake, Cookies, Gifts, and Memories.

My Nanny made the smash cake. I did everything else. :)

Some of the guests..... we are so blessed that our kids are loved by so many people.

Such a special birthday girl. I love this baby girl so much!!

It was such a wonderful time of celebrating our baby.

Now.... I'm busy planning a party for a certain almost 4-year-old. Yikes!! I also have some other posts I'm working on. Hopefully I'll be able to stay rested and it won't be so long before I post again.

Love.

What We Have Going On...

2011-02-11T12:55:00.000-06:00

First, my "o" key is being goofy so if I leave an "o" out of a word, I apologize. (And I think there were like 45 "o"'s in that sentence. Ha!

Here is a little list of the goings on around here this week.

1. We got snow..... about 6 inches which is much less than my sister got (about 20 inches). It was really pretty as it came down, now I'm done with it. Spring? Yes, please.
2. The girls and I took Mika Lynn to her one-year check-up. She is perfect (of course!). I was surprised, however, to learn that she doesn't even weigh 20 pounds yet. Really? She's in the 75th percentile for her length but only the 25th for her weight. Long and skinny. Her daddy thinks she will make the perfect WNBA star!
3. Miss Peyton Lou is turning 4 in a couple of weeks. What? My baby is almost 4?! How did that happen?????
4. With the upcoming 4th birthday, we are planning a fun little party. I asked P what kind of party she wanted and she is adamant about having her party in our backyard. I have it all planned out and only have a few things to actually do (I may like this outside party idea - not a lot of decorating!). Now we are all just praying for beautiful weather for her party.
5. I need to get out of this house badly! I am hoping we can all get out together tomorrow - I don't have anything to do really, just need to do something. As beautiful as it is, I think the snow can negatively affect our moods, if we let it. I need to go out and show that snow who's boss, I won't let it control my life! Ha! Seriously though, I just hate being stuck inside.... the girls and I are a little stir-crazy.
6. Jared has been working a lot this week, so we are missing him. I hope we can be lazy tonight and catch up on some DVR.

Alrighty, naptime is over.

Love.

Sneak Peek at the Party...

2011-02-08T21:29:00.000-06:00

We had Mika's first birthday party Sunday afternoon. My sweet friend, Vickie, offered to take pictures for us (it doubled as homework for her photography class). She gave me the CDs with the pictures on them last night. There are waaaaaaaay too many to share with you. I'm still going through them myself. But they are absolutely perfect. Vickie is extremely talented behind the camera and it helps that my baby is a pretty darn cute subject to photograph!

So.... here is a glimpse at how we celebrated our "baby" girl! We had a Valentine's themed party - lots of pink, purple, red, glitter, hearts, and of course, zebra print! It was perfect.

The Birthday Girl!

Chocolate frosting this time. Nanny made this cake for Mika (she's made all three of the girls' first birthday cakes!!).

Daddy and his little girl.

I have some more pictures to share, but for some reason Blogger is flipping them sideways and I'm too tired to figure it out tonight. We are supposed to get snowed in tomorrow which should leave me plenty of time to figure out this picture issue. So.... that's all folks!

Good night, stay warm!

Love.

Birthday Cupcakes!

2011-02-05T09:33:00.000-06:00

We have Mika's party scheduled for Sunday afternoon but I couldn't let her actual birthday pass without some sort of celebration.... so Friday morning, before Jared went to work, we sang "Happy Birthday" and gave Mika Lynn a birthday cupcake. She loved it - I can't imagine why! Ha! She is so cute and so sweet, just like a little cupcake herself....

Singing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl!

"Daddy, my cupcake tipped over.... "

"This hot pink frosting is delish! I need to make sure I don't leave any on my high chair tray."

"Is there any frosting on my face?"

"This is awesome! Can it be my birthday every day?!"

We had a great time having a little family celebration of our little girl! We love her so much. My heart has been so full of love and happiness over the past few days. I'm trying to really soak it all in and make some wonderful memories. I keep thinking that we will never get these days back.... this is the only time she will turn one.... I'm trying not to completely lose it, but its hard. I've been looking through a lot of old pictures of her and I've found myself sitting in front of the computer with tears pouring from my eyes. I love all the stages the girls go through but I think I'm just trying to hang onto this baby stage as long as I can. They grow up so fast. I wish I could keep them little forever.... can I?

Ok friends, there are three little girls who I'm needing to go play with. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Love.

Mika Lynn - Her First Year

2011-02-04T12:23:00.000-06:00

One year ago today I was at the hospital at 5am to bring our baby girl into this world.

One last pic with her in my belly.

It was such a sweet time, I remember feeling so good and excited to meet her.

We were so ready to see this baby girl! After a really hard surgery, she was here!

Pure perfection.

Mika Lynn -

Darling baby girl... we love you more than words can ever express. You completed our family and have brought so much joy to our home and our lives.

You have a special quality about you - one that draws people to you. And it isn't because you are a cute baby.... there is something else, something really special. We pray that it is something God will use in you to do great things.

Your big sisters think the world of you. You are very lucky to have two big sisters who love you so much. And it is quite obvious that you love them as well. You light up when you see Peyton or Laila and you giggle constantly at them. It was definitely love at first sight with them and they continue to grow their love for you.

We have enjoyed every day of this past year with you and look forward to watching you grow and change in the coming years. You are so special to us!

You have the brightest eyes, the biggest smile, and the most infectious laugh.

You love to lay your head on daddy's shoulder and it melts him every time.

You love to snuggle Mommy for a minute before bed every night. These are moments I will treasure forever.

You love to hold our phones and you put them up to your ear to "talk".

Your favorite word is one you made up : Guunga. We have translated it to mean "my parents are awesome". You can say a few other things (good girl, yes, momma, dada, thank you, night night) but guunga is your favorite word, by far.

You love to eat and you love milk.

We feel like you are so petite and still look like a baby, but I know that will change in no time.

You point at things that you want and it cracks me up. I don't know why, but I find it so funny when you point to the door because you want to go out of the room. Ha!

You are our Mika Lynn, Mika Lynny, Meeka Mika Mooka, Mika Boo, Boo Boo

and we LOVE you!

Happy Birthday sweet girl. We hope you feel as special and loved on your birthday as you are to us!

Love, Mommy and Daddy

Wednesday Blessing

2011-02-02T14:01:00.000-06:00

There are so many things going on with us right now.... and in the middle of it all God has stopped me in my tracks and caused me to refocus my energy on what really matters. I want to share a blog with you (a friend from high school's blog).... I have been blown away by her strength and courage. My heart has been breaking for her and I've been crying out to God for her healing. Still, I have been so blessed by her attitude and faith. I hope that you will read her blog (go back a few posts to catch up on her story) and will be blessed as well.

My Journey Begins...

Love,
Jen

Sunny Saturday...

2011-01-29T19:50:00.000-06:00

The end of January and the temps are in the 70's. CRAZY!

Jared has been out of town this week and he got home in the middle of the night last night. We were so happy to wake up with him home! We spent the whole day just hanging out as a family. The weather was beautiful, so after naps we all headed outside. Mika has never really played outside much but she loved every minute of it. This makes me ready for Spring.

I grabbed the camera and got some cute shots of the girls. There are a few.... so enjoy!

They decided to trade bikes... it didn't last long.

First time in the swing.... she thought it was great!

Me and the love of my life!

I can't even tell you how much I love this picture.... that is the sweet face that I get to see everyday and it makes my heart smile constantly.

Trampoline!

First time on the trampoline....

Trampoline static hair! ha!

She kept saying "night night" and laying her head down. Precious!

Let me introduce you to some of the many faces of Peyton Lou:

The thinking face

The sassy face

The happy face

And my sweet Laila.... I love that precious smile!

We have had a wonderful day and I hope you have too! Now I'm about to have a movie date with my man.....

Happy Saturday!

We Left a Pile of Hair on the Floor

2011-01-27T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have been looking forward to today all week. Peyton and I had hair appointments at our favorite salon, High Maintenance Day Spa in Conway, AR. This was Peyton's first time to get a professional haircut. We were both excited! My sweet friend (and the salon owner), Katie, hooked us up and I am so thankful. Her salon is too cute... if you are in the area, you should definitely check it out!

After a moment of freaking out, Peyton calmed down enough to get her hair cut. I didn't get any pictures of the haircut process because she made me hold her hand. Ha! But after she was done and before it was my turn, we had a quick photo shoot in the salon.

The general opinion is that she looks way older with the shorter hair. I had no idea it would change her looks so much to have short hair. She loves it though and I think it is perfect for her sweet but sassy personality.

She's been loving her new hairdo all day! And we had a great time getting our hair cut together. It's the simple things that mean the most!

As for me, I just got my hair shaped and ready to grow out.... and I got bangs! WooWoo! I'm loving it!

While I was getting my hair done, Peyton was walking around the salon pretending to work there. We were cracking up.... she was really into it and kept walking back and forth, talking to herself in her authoritative/mom voice. Hilarious! Katie was so sweet to help me watch her while I was in the stylist's chair.

Now that you know more than you ever wanted to about our salon experience and our new hairdos, have a good evening!

A Lighter Day...

2011-01-26T10:09:00.000-06:00

I've had a heavy couple of days this week. So today I'm writing a completely "fluffy" post. Nothing deep, just some cuteness.

We are still planning Little Miss's First Birthday party. I love having parties for my girls. I don't go overboard and we don't do anything really elaborate or fancy. But we have fun! I love choosing a color theme and seeing how far I can take those colors when planning the party.

I also love that Mika has a February birthday.... we are going all-out Valentine's colors for her party. If you show up, prepared to be surrounded by pinks and reds and purples! I used this picture for her invites - I love it!

The girls and I are planning on making some cookies today to test out some ideas for the party. I just thought I was going to stop eating so much after Christmas. Ha! I feel like I'm still baking all the time (and eating what I bake). Its good for my soul but not so good for my hips. And I know I'll be wishing I hadn't been so quick to jump in the kitchen and turn on the electric mixer when I have to put on a swimsuit this summer. Ha!!

We also have our first case of pink-eye with the girls. Eeek. Peyton woke up complaining her eye was hurting yesterday and it got worse and worse throughout the day. We started eye drops last night so I'm hoping we can get it under control before anyone else gets it. We've been washing hands and trying not to touch in the hopes that we won't spread the eye junk. However, I am so thankful that the girls don't get sick too often.

And finally, I've said it before, and I'll say it again... How is it that my baby is already ONE? (Well, she'll be one next week.) Where does the time go?! It is so funny to me to think back to this time last year - I was SO pregnant and expecting to go into labor at any minute. Ha! Now look what I have - one year later - this sweet girl to love on each day!

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Precious Life

2011-01-25T11:11:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I saw a status show up on Facebook. It was a blog link from a girl I went to high school with. We weren't close friends, but we went to a small school so pretty much everyone was friends. I didn't quite understand her status so I clicked on her blog link. What I read absolutely floored me.

She has breast cancer.

Breast Cancer.

My first thought was that she had to be talking about an aunt or someone older than us. But no. I sat in front of the computer crying. For some reason this news completely knocked the breath out of me. She has a little girl (she's adorable!) and is a Mommy and Wife and works. And she just got this horrible news. And to top it off.... she has complete faith in God and has a very positive outlook on things. Amazing.

She found an enlarged lymph node during her self-exam one day (three weeks after a doctor appointment where things were normal). She is undergoing chemo right now with surgery in the near future.

PSA: Ladies, please be pro-active and check yourself every month. Men, please encourage your ladies to take good care of their bodies and take notice of anything out of the ordinary - and do the same for yourself, guys....because we ladies need you!

I've been completely shaken up by this - I can't get it off my mind and all I know to do is just lift her up in prayer. It kind of puts things in perspective.

This news also has me thinking about Jared - he's a cancer survivor! I don't think about him having cancer too often (it happened before I knew him) but when I do I just thank God over and over for having a bigger purpose for Jared's life and for allowing me to be a part of it. He is a special man and the world is a much better place with him in it. My mother and grandmother both survived cancer as well and I feel so blessed to still have them with me. I pray that we never have to go through the horror of cancer again.

I woke up this morning and quickly realized what today is..... today marks the day that my precious niece went to be with Jesus. She was three months old and never knew life outside of the ICU but in her short time on this earth so many people were changed because of her little life. She had the sweetest eyes. I know I am changed because I knew her. I will never forget that day and I know we will see her again one day.

My heart is heavy today with all of these things. But I am filled with the promise that God is always with us. And I do not take one minute of this precious life for granted. It can all change in an instant and I'm doing my best to focus my attention on the things that matter.

"'The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.'" Deuteronomy 31: 8

It Started as a Typical Lunch...

2011-01-23T19:34:00.000-06:00

We went to lunch after church today.

Just the five of us.

We ate at one of our favorite places at the request of Miss Peyton Lou.

We sat down, ordered and started snacking on our bread. The big girls colored and Mika Lynn snacked and played. Then the food came and we started fixing plates and handing out food. Mika and Laila split a child's pizza and Peyton ordered a salad (it is so funny to me how much my 3-year-old loves salads). Seriously, I think salads are nasty and it blows my mind that my little picky eater would eat salads for every meal, every day. Crazy girl!

Jared and I were laughing because I commented that I felt like I was part of a circus. Things were so crazy. One of the girls was constantly needing something (except Peyton, who was just happy as a lark eating her salad).

When we go out to eat and it is just us, it doesn't leave much time for observing the people around us. We pretty much stay wrapped up in our little world, trying to make it through dinner without breaking a plate or dropping too much food on the floor or spilling a drink everywhere.... you know what I mean. :)

We were finishing up when the waitress sat down a little mini dessert (chocolate cake with ice cream) in front of Peyton. Jared and I looked at her strangely and she said it was from one of her other tables, that they were impressed with how well she had eaten her salad and how grown-up she had been acting. The lady who sent the dessert spoke to us, saying that they couldn't help but notice the girls and thought it was so great that Peyton ate her salad so well and was so well-behaved.

I was so surprised. Immediately, I felt so proud of my "baby" girl. My heart was overflowing. I couldn't stop smiling and I was fighting back tears.

If that wasn't enough.... P took one bite of her dessert and just when I thought I couldn't be more proud of her, she fed Laila a bite. She shared her special dessert. Jared and I were praising her good behavior and just watching our girls interact. Huge smiles on our faces.

Then, in typical fashion, the girls started pretend playing. The LOVE to pretend that Peyton is the Mommy and Laila is the daughter. So Peyton was calling herself Momma (ex: "Let Momma have this bite then I'll give you one, ok.") and Laila was calling P Momma. I was cracking up! Jared looked at me and said "Looks like you've been replaced." Ha!! She was so proud of her dessert and had the happiest look on her face (as did Laila... chocolate cake and ice cream, what's not to be happy about?!).

I reached in my bag to grab my camera because I wanted a picture of this special lunch, but I quickly remembered that I left my camera on my bed this morning. :( I knew I wanted to remember this lunch forever, so I am recording it here.

It started as a typical lunch.... but turned into so much more! I left the restaurant so full of joy and happiness and love. It is amazing how something as simple as a mini dessert could mean so much.

Weekend Fun...

2011-01-19T21:07:00.000-06:00

We spent the weekend with my dad. It was fun and relaxing and I'm so glad we went (I always am).

We really didn't do much except eat. Seriously, the minute I step foot in my dad's house I want to eat. I'm never hungry while I'm there (because I snack and eat so much) but I ate so much that I felt like I needed to detox when I got home. Ha! I haven't even stepped on the scale this week and I don't plan to either.

Saturday we went to our favorite place for lunch.... The Back Forty. Mmmmmm. World's best burgers, hands down! That was the only time I got the camera out so I'll share some pictures from our lunch - we had some friends meet us and it was a great time!

The gang...

My almost birthday girl. I LOVE this face.

Sister and her hubby! Aren't they cute? She took a pic of Jared and me but we look awful so I left it out. It's my blog so I can do what I want, right?!

Laila - she posed with a cheese stick. What can I say, the girl loves food!

Momma and Mika Lynn. I LOVE this picture of us.

It was a fun weekend and now we are all back to normal at home. I'm so thankful that my dad is so good to us and that he has such a special relationship with my girls. He loves them like crazy and it is precious.

Well, there you go. I'm all caught up with what we've been up to. I have canvases hanging out that need to be worked on tonight so I'm cutting this post short :)

Check out my other blog if you want to see what I've been working on.

Good night y'all.

Celebration of Life...

2011-01-18T19:26:00.000-06:00

First, a few things....

Thank you ALL for your sweet comments on my last post. You all made me smile and warmed my heart. It is so comforting to know that I'm not alone. :)

Also, if you'll remember back to this post I told you all about the crazy diaper rash that wouldn't go away. Well, it went away. Want to know how????? Are you on the edge of your seat? Ha! It was all because of the formula. I knew it was but there wasn't much I could do because of the recalls. Once I got Mika Lynn back on her original formula her rash cleared up within 24-48 hours. Yay!!

I have some fun pictures to share from the weekend, but first I want to share about something else.

Last night I went to a Celebration of Life party for one of my sweet friends from LG. A year ago yesterday, January 17, 2010 she almost lost her life. I will not get into the details as they are not mine to share, but we were all very concerned that she would not live. When I went to see her in the hospital she looked like a shell of herself. It was heartbreaking. The doctors were not optimistic AT ALL. But her friends and family prayed for her and prayed over her and God worked a miracle in her body. I'm telling you it was a real miracle. A. Real. Miracle. Today she is physically healed and emotionally healing.

A bunch of people who love her gathered last night to surprise her with a party to celebrate her life. She was definitely surprised. Some of us shared letters we had written to her, some of us just hugged her neck - thankful that she is here with us and we get the chance to hug her. Her sweet daughter even spoke about that horrible night a year ago and shared how much she needs her Mommy and how much she loves her. Needless to say, many tears were shed, but they were ALL happy tears.

I was immensely blessed to be a part of the celebration last night. She is a wonderful person, a great friend and now has an amazing testimony to share. She even said she had a great day yesterday, despite the dark cloud that was looming as she remembered this day last year. Seeing all those people there in honor of this one woman made me realize even more how important it is to have friendships. And I'm so thankful that I'm working harder on the friendships I have. But the most important friendship we will ever have is with Jesus. (And just so you know, I'm working harder on that friendship too!) So what I wanted to share with you today is this:

We are never alone because Jesus is ALWAYS with us! God's love is perfect. Amen.
God is still working miracles - big and little!!! And finally,
Make sure your friends and family know you love them. You never know what may be going on inside their hearts and just maybe some words of kindness, love and encouragement from you could mean the world to them.

Alright.... here is a sneak peek of our weekend fun:

I'll be back with more pictures from the weekend tomorrow :)

Happy Tuesday, Y'all.

Love.

Jen

That's What Friends Are For....

2011-01-13T20:11:00.000-06:00

I LOVE that song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtGF2m102Wg

Friendship is something I really struggled with last year. I just read that sentence and it sounds completely silly. But it is true.

All my life I've never had a problem making friends. I've easily made friends in every stage of my life. In fact, I've never really had a falling out with any of my friends. Of course, there are people I still talk to on a semi-regular basis but most of my friends and I don't really see each other or talk anymore. That said, I know that if we ever ran into each other that we would be able to sit and chat for hours.

Recently, I've found there has been a little emptiness in my heart. After spending much time praying and trying to figure out where this bit of sadness was coming from I realized that it was because I really didn't have any friends. Ok.... not exactly true. Maybe it wasn't so much that I was missing friends, but that I was missing out on meaningful friendships.

Once I realized that I was missing out on friendships it was time for me to figure out how to find these friendships. Seriously, this is new territory for me. I've spent the past 4 years at home every day with my children. On almost all of those days, the only adult interaction I have is with Jared when he comes home from work. I love him dearly, but it just wasn't enough. I needed something for me (not in a selfish way, but in a way that helps me grow emotionally and spiritually).

I decided to re-join the Ladies' Group I was in when shortly after we were married (I had to stop going because of babies and Jared's wacky work schedule). I knew it was going to require a commitment from ALL of us for me to go - but Jared and I both agreed that I needed it. They are a wonderful group of women who love the Lord and I love them all dearly.

I've also started getting together with my S-I-L, Jill, for our daughters to play (as often as we can). We both agree that we may need those playdates more than our girls do. It's a win-win, really.

And then, just like clockwork.... here comes the attacks of the devil. I started feeling like I was upsetting my girls by leaving them every other Monday night for group. I started feeling like no one really wanted to be my friend because I don't really have anything to offer a friendship - my kids and husband take up nearly all of my time, so what was left for me to share with a friend? I started feeling like I didn't really belong with these women. I could go on and on.... but, you get the picture. Attack. Attack. Attack.

Through many tears and prayers I got past the worst of those attacks. God is so good! I've realized that I can be a friend. What I have to offer a friendship is me - nothing more or less. I have to ease up on the pressure I put on myself to be the "perfect" friend all the time. Is there such a thing as the perfect friend? Ha! And the truth is (and this is hard for me to accept sometimes) that there are people who actually want to be friends with just me. No pretending, no facades, just me. Humbling.

Here is what I know now:

I need friendships. We all do.
I have great friends from my childhood that I may not see regularly, but we will always be there for each other. Our friendships will change and evolve as our lives do and that's ok.
I have an amazing group of women in my Ladies' Group that I am honored to call my friends. I love each of them and I'm excited about growing our friendships as we continue to spend time together. These ladies are very special and God is using them to help me in so many ways.
I am so blessed to have so many women in my family that I can call my friends.
Jared and I are working on doing things with other couples. And I can honestly say that some of my favorite moments of the past few months were made with some couples that we love.

I plan to do as much as possible from now on to grow my friendships. I have realized how important it is in my life and I will do everything I can to keep from letting go of my friendships. If you are reading this and you are one of my cherished friends, know that you mean so much to me. And if you are reading this and you feel like you need a friend, email me.

I'll leave you with another video..... perhaps my FAVORITE friendship song of all time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXttyNf8zv0 I can't tell you how many hours my sister and I spent singing this song together. It's like someone took our relationship and wrote it into a song. Love. And can I just add that I miss Whitney Houston. The girl could SING!

We've had a snow day here....

2011-01-10T19:20:00.000-06:00

When the first snowflakes started to fall yesterday, my girls went crazy with excitement. They had been praying all afternoon, asking God to please let it snow! :) Daddy had to go to work today which meant that we couldn't go play outside until he got home. I couldn't really let them play outside by themselves and I couldn't really take Mika out to play for more than a minute.... so we waited on Daddy.

I keep thinking of the time it snowed last year while the girls and I were at my dad's house. We woke up and there was snow falling. Peyton looked at me and had the sweetest look on her face and said "Thank you, Pappy, for the snow!" Oh sweet innocence.

They were so ready by the time he got home. We quickly suited up (as best we could since we don't own snow gear) and they girls headed out with their Daddy. Nana and DaddyGrand came out to play too!

For their first time with snowballs, the girls took to it pretty well!

Peyton had a blast throwing snowballs at her Daddy.

Laila had fun too but she is a little more timid than Peyton when it comes to new things.

They love playing with their Daddy because he really is just a big kid himself. :)

DaddyGrand and Mika.... she came out for a minute to see what was going on.

Snowy sisters.

I love this shot of Mika looking up at her Daddy. Precious!!

Two of my favorite people! Mika liked the snow until she sat down in it and realized how cold it was. Then she was ready to come in and cook with Mommy!

My baby and her first snow!

I told the girls this morning that when it snowed, Daddy was the one who played outside with them and Mommy stays inside and cooks! Ha! But seriously, I don't do outside too well. :) So in keeping with my snow "theory" I made homemade muffins for a snack this afternoon. And while everyone was outside playing, I cooked dinner for us all.

Overall it was a pretty good snow day (I could have done without all the whining and disobeying, but that's just part of life these days). I hope if you had snow you were able to enjoy it however you like!

My Hopes for 2011

2011-01-06T11:33:00.000-06:00

I don't make New Year's Resolutions.

That said, there are quite a few things I'm looking forward to doing/working on/achieving in 2011. I call them my "Hopes" for this year. Here is a short version for your enjoyment.

I want to become a more patient and gentle Momma. I feel like I've really let this get out of control and I'm working really hard on becoming more patient with my kiddos and being more gentle with them. By gentle, I mean not so easily frustrated, not so easy to raise my voice, sweeter and calmer in the way I talk to them and especially when I discipline them. They deserve the very best from me and it is my hope this year that I can truly give them my best.

I want to become healthier. That looks like a silly sentence to me, but it is the best way I know to describe what I'm looking for. I spent the entire year of 2010 with my hormones being all wacky. I feel like they are getting back to "normal" now but I feel like I need to take some actions with my body to continue to make me feel better. So I'm going to start taking vitamin supplements (I've never been good about this before, but I know I need to start). I'm also going to stop drinking so many Dr. Peppers. In fact, I haven't had one in over a week! I really want to feel good (on the inside and about the way I look) so I can be a happy, healthy wife and Momma so I'm taking a few little steps to do that.

I want to help my girls learn as much as they can this year. We are working on basic things right now such as alphabet and numbers, shapes and such. I'm trying to be creative in the way I teach them these things and I will welcome any tips! It brings me such joy to see them learn new things and I'm hoping to really get some things accomplished this year.

I also want to teach my girls about serving others and being a blessing to someone else in whatever way you can. There are a few things I have planned for our family this year on this topic. I really want to see all of us putting others before ourselves and meeting others' needs in any way we can.

Jared and I are hoping to take a real vacation this year. We will still take the girls to the lake with my dad for a week this summer. Right now we just feel like that is the best way for our family to have a vacation - there is no stress, no long trips; it is just a really fun, easy way for us to spend quality time together and be able to enjoy it. BUT, Jared and I really want to do something special to celebrate our birthdays this year (we both have a big one) so I'm hoping we are able to do that.

I want to keep painting and I hope that people still want me to make things for them. I have some great ideas I'm working on and I can't wait to see how they turn out. I hope to be able to share some pictures of my "creations" soon.

There is so much more, but I'll leave it at that for now. There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to this year. But at the end of the day, I'm as happy as can be to have my sweet husband and my precious babies to share my life with. So no matter what happens in the days and months to come, I'm beyond blessed to be where I am today and not a day goes by that I don't thank God for all that he has given me.

Bringing in the New Year.... Our Way

2011-01-05T11:46:00.000-06:00

Hello there 2011.

It is nice to finally meet you.

For some reason, I keep feeling like today is the actual first day of 2011. So weird, I know. It is probably due to the fact that I'm just now starting to feel like myself again..... almost.

Last Thursday I was incredibly sick. I am not sure how I made it through the entire day (from wake-up until bedtime) taking care of the girls alone. I don't even remember parts of the day because I was so sick and my fever was fairly high and I was just plain exhausted. But we made it. Thankfully, Jared had Friday off and he was a huge help to me so I could rest and try to get well.

By Friday night, I was feeling somewhat better. However, I was in bed by 9pm. Yes, that is how I celebrated New Year's Eve. Ha! It was worth it though, as I've been feeling better and better every day. I'm not quite back to normal yet, but I'm hoping to be by this weekend. Why this weekend? Well, its our 5 year wedding anniversary. We have some sweet plans and I hope we both feel great so we can enjoy our time together.

We've really just laid low this January. :) The girls and I all have this weird cold thing so we are resting and drinking lots of fluids and eating lots of soup. Its been fine but I'm ready to get our lives back.

I have so many posts floating around in my head but I'm still struggling to find time to sit down and write them all. There is so much going on... in my head, in my heart and in our lives and it will all eventually end up on here. Just know that I'm working to really share these things with you, it is just a matter of finding time to do it.

For now, I'll leave you with some thoughts:

I'm still working on my 2011 goals (can you say "slacker"?! Ha!)
I've started a Bible Study (thanks for the info Jill) and each morning it seems to be EXACTLY what I need to read - How great is God!!
My Christmas decor (what little I put out) is all packed away and I was happy to see it go (seriously, I don't even recognize myself anymore. Who am I? Ha!!!)
Our Razorbacks lost in a very sad Sugar Bowl game last night. It was a hard game to watch and I'm still feeling a little emotional about it.
My baby will be ONE in less than a month! Seems like she should still be this tiny...

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Our December...

2010-12-29T20:12:00.000-06:00

***Note: My camera is acting crazy (maybe its time for a new one!) so I'm sharing pictures that my S-I-L, Alicia, and my M-I-L, Linda, took during our Christmas celebrations. And they are huge, but I'm not going to figure out how to make them smaller.***

I have a million things swirling in my mind. I want to share about what we've been up to. I want to share some things on my heart and in my head. I want to share pictures of my sweet little family. I want to record memories for me (and my family). I could go on.

None of my girls like Santa. There were many tears shed over him during this season. But Mika seriously has the cutest sad face ever!

I've had an incredibly busy December. I would say it is the busiest December I've ever had (and that includes those three Decembers I was in Law School).

Laila, during Santa's visit to our family Christmas party.

I literally did not give myself any free time during the month. My Christmas gift to myself was to have this week off. Too bad I have a nasty cold/sinus infection thing so that I can't really enjoy it.

Love this girl!

But we survived December. Praise God!

And we even managed to enjoy it.

God answered our prayers and only one of us came down with the vicious stomach bug. I spent every waking minute for two whole days begging Him to spare the rest of us while Peyton was sick and he answered my prayers.

We've all had colds and sinus infections over the past month. But I'll take colds over the stomach bug any day!

This was not posed.... she LOVED that snowglobe and stared at it for the longest time with this sweet smile on her face.

I have spent the last month (well actually the last two months) painting and filling orders for Christmas. I've enjoyed every minute of it. I still can't believe God has given me this artistic gift and that I actually make things that people want. I'm blown away! So if you have ordered something, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

We enjoyed all of our different family Christmas celebrations. My girls were blessed beyond belief with the gifts from our family and friends. Which brought about one of the things that is on my heart. I'm thinking I'll write a separate post on that. :) I have to say, being a parent is the greatest gift EVER. I've never been as overjoyed or excited or just plain happy as I have been this holiday season - watching my girls enjoy Christmas, making Christmas memories with them, starting Christmas traditions together, seeing their eyes light up in not only receiving their gifts but in choosing and giving gifts to others - I really think it is far better being a parent at Christmas than it is being a child.

I know how blessed we are to get to enjoy Christmas in so many ways and I do not take our blessings for granted. In fact, I have been so very emotional and my heart has felt very burdened this Christmas season. We have spent much time praying as a family for all of the people who didn't get to have the same kind of Christmas we did.

I guess I don't need to get into too much detail about our December... If I give away all of our happenings now, what would I write about in my next few posts? :) I do have much more time now that I'm not in a mad rush to finish Christmas orders, so I'll be on the blog much more! I have some great posts in my head that I'm hoping to get typed up in the next few days. We'll see.....

And this picture is here because it really isn't a get-together unless there is some photo of me laughing. One day I may do a picture post of all the photos I have of myself laughing. Ha!

In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your December and the rest of 2010.

Back in the Saddle....

2010-12-09T15:35:00.000-06:00

Look at me, two consecutive days of posting.... Will I keep it up?

So I've been looking through cookbooks and talking to my grandmother trying to get some ideas for some fun Christmas goodies to make (alone and with the girls). I also get emails from different recipe websites and I've gotten a few ideas from there.

I'm thinking of trying some new things this year - caramels, fudges.... who knows! I'm so selective with the foods I like that most Christmas goodies don't appeal to me. I do love Christmas cookies (we've made two batches and EATEN two batches so far this season). And I could make myself sick on chocolate covered pretzels. Oh the chocolatey-salty goodness.

So I'm wondering..... What are your favorite Christmas goodies? What do you love to bake and what do you love to eat???? Maybe y'all have some ideas I haven't thought of yet. So let me know! I'm going to try to take pictures and share with y'all our Christmas baking adventures.

Happy Thursday!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-08T19:26:00.000-06:00

Wow. Life is so busy for me right now. I realize I haven't blogged in an age but I honestly have not had time to sit down and write. I have no excuses, but I do have explanations :)

I have three girls - and one of them just took her first steps today! She's super-mobile people! Yikes. :) Check out this hilarious picture of Mika Lynn - we took it in the window of a store in the mall we were in on Saturday night. Hahaha! I laugh every time I see it.

I'm dealing with some personal issues that may not exactly be time-consuming but are definitely thought-consuming. I won't get into it but I will say that being a wife and a mom and a sister and a daughter and a woman is HARD y'all.

All of my free time (which is the time after the girls go to bed at night) is spent working on paintings for some sweet people who actually wanted ME to paint something for them. Me? I still can't believe that.

We've been gone so much spending time with family and friends. I love this, but it doesn't leave much time for blogging. Making these memories as a family is much more important though. :)

I got our Christmas cards in yesterday. I've been working on getting them addressed and ready to mail out. This is the first time since Jared and I have been married that we are sending out Christmas cards. Can you believe that?

I could go on. But I won't.

I decided to take the time to blog today at the prompting of a sweet friend's blog post. Elaina wanted us to blog about our favorite Christmas movies. I love Christmas! I love movies! I love Christmas movies! Ha!

So my favorite Christmas movie of all-time is probably Miracle on 34th Street. Oh, I do love this movie. However, I'm a sucker for all Christmas movies. Well, unless they are sad. I am already too emotional around the holidays so I don't like to watch the sad Christmas movies. Anyway, I also love The Grinch and Home Alone and Elf. In fact, the girls and I watched a couple of Christmas movies today.

I'll try to be back before Christmas, but I'm not making any promises. Our schedule is full and I don't see it letting up until after the New Year.

Happy December!

The Case of the Incredible Diaper Rash

2010-11-10T21:18:00.000-06:00

It is no secret to my close friends that I LOVE Nancy Drew.

I seriously read every book growing up and if I had the time now, I would probably re-read them. No lie. I've always loved a good mystery. And I have been known, on occasion, to refer to myself as Nancy Drew. I'll answer to that name, if you feel like calling me that. :)

We frequently have "mysteries" in our home that I feel the need to solve. The most recent "mystery" is that of the Incredible Diaper Rash.

Mika Lynn developed a diaper rash about a week ago (maybe slightly longer). I used every cream and ointment we had in the house, from OTC to prescription. No change. In fact, that mess just got worse and worse. I'm not one to freak out and call the doctor over a diaper rash (plus we had a check-up scheduled for today so I was hoping to hold out until then) so I just kept trying to treat it.

Bootie creams = no help.

Next step - change formula. For some reason I thought that the formula may be causing the mess. With the new formula, we got a slight improvement in the diaper rash. But did it go away completely? No sir.

So today we are at our appointment. Dr. W asked me if there was anything up with Mika. I told her to take a look at the insane diaper rash that she has. She did and she proceeded to tell me she was baffled. No idea for certain what it is. It is seriously bizarre - it is like a perimeter rash around the area where her diaper would be wet. Dr. W didn't even know how to write it up in her notes. Ha!

She prescribed some OTC creams (that I haven't used yet) and if it isn't better in a couple days or gone in a week we have to go back to her.

All I keep thinking is "Who gets an out-of-control diaper rash that stumps the doctor?" Only my child! Seriously, my kids are rarely sick, but when they get their little medical issues, they are always weird and never normal. {Breath holding spells, fever viruses that trick the doctors into thinking it is meningitis coupled with some sort of weird bacteria, the list goes on and on.... and on}

I write this not to bore you to tears with talk of diaper rash, but to ask for your help. Any thoughts? Any ideas on how we can get rid of this mess for good?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T13:59:00.000-05:00

When Whit and I were little we used to love "building" forts out of blankets. Today, I shared that little bit of fun with my girls. They are loving their fort.

Time Flies!

2010-10-27T19:40:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe how long it has been since I posted. Really?!

Things have been SO BUSY but very good. I'm not so sure about how much I'll be blogging for awhile.... there are just so many other things that demand my attention and time and the blog has taken a backseat.

There are a few things I want to record for memory's sake.

We went to the NWA Craft Fair a couple of weekends ago. It was such a blast! Mom, Nanny, Whit and I know how to shop and it appears that my girls are learning at a very early age. Our time together was wonderful and we managed to pack my vehicle down like it has never been packed down before! That's talent people.

Laila decided that she was done with diapers. We are going on two weeks of no diapers and it has been so easy. She's done so well, we are so proud of her! It doesn't quite seem like my baby should be out of diapers. It is also a weird feeling only having to buy diapers for one baby - my bank account likes it though!

The girls and I spent a few days helping Pappy out. He broke his wrist in a "scuffle" with one of the horses. We loved our time with him and I'm thankful his arm is healing well.

My niece, Amelia, turned one and we celebrated at her Birthday Party! It was a good time for everyone (except me - I was miserably sick). The girls had a ball and have pretended to be at Amelia's Party ever since we came home! :)

Also, I've been busy busy painting some things for a few people. I have really enjoyed it and feel like it is such a blessing to be able to do something like that for my friends and family.

Mika Lynn is growing like a weed, I tell you. She is pulling up on EVERYTHING. She thinks she is Big Stuff! She says all sorts of things - the latest include: "num, num, num" when I put snacks on her tray, "mama" - FINALLY!, "bye bye" - or something like it (totally not in context), and something that sounds like she is trying to say "no no" - you know she hears me say that all day to her sisters and they like to say it to her, ha! She is such a little joy and we love her to pieces.

Peyton got to do some major Fall/Winter shopping in Branson and scored some cute things! And we finally found her some red shoes. My, oh my. She has been asking for red shoes for months. I had no idea it would be so hard to find some. Thankfully we came across a fairly cute pair in Branson so I'm no longer searching every store I go into for red shoes. She's happy and wants to wear them all the time. We are still working on her ability to coordinate outfits... Ha!

Today we had Aunt Jill and Amelia over to play. It was such a good time. The girls all love to play together and Jill and I enjoyed adult conversation during the day. If you are a SAHM, you know how rare that is!

I think that about sums it up. I always go into Fall thinking that it will be a time to relax and chill.... and I'm pretty sure Fall is always the busiest time of year for me! Eventually, I'll figure that out and won't be so surprised when I don't have a free weekend during the Fall months.

Hope your Fall is as fun as mine is!

Photo Shoot

2010-10-11T11:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning we had a family photo shoot. I'm beyond in love with the pictures! I can't wait to fill my home with some of these pictures. They are so "us". So... I thought I would share some of my most favorite shots from the day. Just so you know, there are quite a few pictures..... Enjoy!

**All photos were taken by my S-I-L, Alicia. She rocks!

Our feet. I love how this turned out.

Me and my baby-est girl!

My little joy!

Ahhhhh, I just want to kiss all over that sweet face.

My middle joy!

She is such a bundle of sweetness and happiness.

This is the best picture I've ever seen of Peyton! My little joy!

She loves the camera and loves to pose!

Sisters.

So sweet. They are best friends!

Sister love.

All five.

Aren't these tracks so cool. It was a beautiful location.

My sweetie and me.

Daddy and his girls.

My favorite shot of the day!

L.O.V.E.

My three princesses. They make us so happy and bring so much joy and love to our family.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too. We completed ours with an impromptu Razorback Game Day Watch Party at our house, church, The New Karate Kid, and our nephew's football game. It was a good weekend.

Happy Monday everyone!

Just Breathe...

2010-10-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy week. The girls have been a little extra difficult which absolutely wears me out. Add to that a baby who started really crawling and pulling up and getting into everything. Needless to say, my days have been full of my kids and trying to make it to bedtime without losing my mind.

On top of everything, there are some things going on around here that are just inherently stressful. And while I try not to get too worked up about it all, this week has just felt like one thing after another.

Last night we had some little visitors over.

My niece and nephew came over for dinner and to play while their Mommy and Daddy were at a doctor appointment. So for a couple hours last night we had two 3 1/2-year-olds, two 2-year-olds and an 8-month-old. WOW! They were really good, though. We had dinner and then watched a movie and read books. Sweet babies.

But today is Friday. Which means I'll have an extra pair of hands (Jared's) to help me all weekend - well, except for when the Hogs play because I can't compete with Razorback football! ha! We have some fun things planned for Saturday morning and I hope it goes smoothly.

Right now, I'm just thankful for a few minutes this morning where I feel like I've been able to catch my breath. The girls are playing nicely and Mika is content in her bouncy toy for a minute.

And just because it cracks me up... here is a picture of my Laila's insane bed hair. I don't think we could make it stick out like that if we tried. Poor baby. ha!

Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Go Hogs!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T09:31:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning: Making pancakes for breakfast. I love my little helpers!

My Free Time....

2010-10-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

I've had some sweet friends and family ask me to paint things for them. Me? I'm so not an artist. I never took an art class (although Art Lecture was my FAVORITE class in college). Anyway, I'm honored to create things for them. I showed you the paintings already here. Jamie and Cale picked up their paintings Friday night and I got an email earlier this week that included this:

Photo courtesy of Jamie Block

They are in their new home! I think it is precious.... this is Jamie's office. Thank you, Jamie, for sharing this picture.

My paintbrushes are getting quite the work-out. And I love it! I have found that I really enjoy painting and I'm so happy to share it with others.

I'm almost finished with this painting which is a house warming gift - I love this one and I will show you the finished product when it is actually completed!

And this is another painting I've finished - I would show the entire thing to you, but I'm thinking the Momma who ordered it would like it to be somewhat of a surprise.... It also may need some tweaking. The Momma will see it today so we will see what it needs ;)

Doesn't it make you think of lemonade? I love it!

I've also completed three other paintings that are gifts. I won't show them on here because I would hate for the recipients to see their gift before they are actually given it. :)

So this is how I've been spending my free time. And I'm loving every minute of it. Honestly.

Have a very happy Monday, y'all!

Just Another Day?

2010-10-01T12:16:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning with plans.... plans changed. And I'm ok with that. I've busied myself this morning with things around the house - dishes, laundry, babies, you know how it is. I just sat down a few minutes ago and realized what the date is today.

October 1.

This is the day that my sweetie proposed to me.... Five years ago. (And yes, I just had to sit here for a minute to figure out how long ago it was).

Way back then

It was such a sweet day and I will remember it forever.

Jared,
Thank you for asking me to be your wife. Thank you for loving me every day (even when I'm being a little difficult or stubborn). Thank you for being the best husband, partner, friend, and daddy to our babies. You are so much more than I could have ever hoped for in a husband. I love you forever!

And now.

I'm so glad I said "Yes".

Our family (almost a year ago). We've come a long way!

Happy October 1 everyone!

Better Late Than Never, Right?

2010-09-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Think back to Saturday. I know, it was almost a week ago. And if you live in AR, it turned out to be a sad day. Are you there? Is it last Saturday in your mind? Ok, good.

We planned for a couple of weeks to have some friends over to watch the Hogs play Saturday afternoon. I had gone to visit my Nanny last Thursday and while I was there I got word that a few more people were coming over Saturday.

My first response was to stress over the details (because that is what I do!) but God reminded me of what I had just read that week - that stress is a form of arrogance. And really, it was just a Hog Watch Party, there was no need to be perfect. Sometimes it is hard for me to even say those words - "no need to be perfect". But that is another post for another time. This post is all about some Game Day Fun!

I brought out all of my favorite Game Day serving pieces and got my Game Day cook on!

Menu:

"Hogs" in blankets

Chips, Salsa and Cheese Dip

Cheetos - for my girls

Lemon Bars

Carmel iced cake - thanks to my M-I-L

Razorback cookies - thanks to Jill

Strawberries with chocolate dip - thanks to Alicia

And Chili for our meal. Can I just say that I love Fall and I LOVE chili and in my mind the two go hand-in-hand.

Is your mouth watering? ha!

I got the girls all dressed in their Game Day shirts I made them. We Called the Hogs no less than ten times that morning as we were getting things ready for the party. Laila likes to throw in a "Hogs" at random times during the Hog Call. Example: "Woooooo Pig Sooie! ............ Hogs!" Oh, the silliness! We also discovered that Laila really enjoys salsa! So much so, that she wanted her picture taken with the chips and salsa!

We cheered hard! Mika cried a few times because the house got so rowdy and loud. Bless her sweet heart! Then the rest of us cried during the 4th quarter... not really, but we felt like it. Even though we lost, we had a great time hanging out with our friends and family. P and L were in and out during the afternoon (they were up at a church carnival with Nana and DaddyGrand) so I don't have a picture of all three of them. Trust me, they looked cute in their Game Day outfits!

Sunday morning we got up and got the girls ready to go to church with Jared's parents. We sent them off and then left for our little mini-vacation. We had tickets to a Cardinals baseball game Monday night and had planned to spend a couple of days in St. Louis, just the two of us.

This was the first time I've left Mika overnight. I think the girls were all really good, at least that is what Nana says! :) They seemed to have fun with their grandparents while we were away.

The vacation was much needed for Jared and I. We spent those couple of days holding hands and laughing and singing in the car. We went to a movie, ate pizza at 10pm, shopped, did some tv shopping, drove all around the St. Louis area - thanks to the GPS, watched a ballgame, and really just enjoyed our time together.

We missed the girls like crazy and couldn't wait to get home to them.

Since we've been home, it has been a crazy blur of laundry, cleaning, unpacking, pulling out Fall clothes and putting up Summer clothes, painting, and loving on my babies.

I hope you are all having a great week!

Play Date, Painting and Preciousness

2010-09-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

This morning we had a play date with a friend of mine from high school. She has the sweetest little boy Peyton's age and baby boy Mika's age. The kids had a good time playing (our playroom is getting a lot of use here lately!) and us Mommies had a good time visiting. We even managed to take all five kids to lunch. It has been a while since I've done a restaurant with my kids without help and it was a little hard on me. But we survived!

Last night I finished some paintings for a sweet friend. I believe she recently was promoted and moved to a new office. Her hubby asked me if I would paint something for her new office as a surprise.... well, he spilled the beans so it isn't a surprise. Ha! I'm so thrilled that I finished these paintings for her. I love them. They would go perfectly in a couple of rooms in my home. I really hope she loves them as much as I do.

The quotes are really neat too! Now I have a list of other projects to finish.... I'm getting there though. I thoroughly enjoy creating things and I am honored to be able to do this for my dear friends.

And can I just say that I love having girls. Their sisterly bond is so precious. They play together, look out for each other, pick on each other and love on each other. Their favorite thing is to hug on each other. I love knowing that they are already best friends and I pray their relationships with each other will only grow stronger as they grow up. I love these sweet babies!

Love.

Woooo Pig!

2010-09-20T12:17:00.000-05:00

Let me start by saying Go Hogs! Thank you for deciding to win Saturday's game. Let's get another win this coming weekend.... ok?!

This is a quick recap of our weekend.... I have a to-do list that is growing by the minute today. And I've planned a little excursion for the girls and me one day this week so my time to complete my list is getting shorter and shorter.

We had a little impromptu watch party Saturday at our house. It was fun, but left me feeling exhausted. I LOVE to entertain in our home and even though I didn't do much for Saturday's party, I enjoyed having people over.

Friday our sweet Jill and Amoolia (that's how my Laila says Amelia) came over to play. We had such fun.... the Mommies got to chat and the little girls played so hard. I love being able to share the same struggles with other Moms.... it is so special when we can relate to each other and the things we feel/think/do as Mommies. We can't wait to do it again!

Sunday afternoon my dad came into town and we enjoyed a fun dinner with him. And of course, once Mika and Laila were in bed asleep, Pappy and Peyton headed to Wal-Mart. That is their special thing to do together. They came home with some new toys, powdered donuts, fruit snacks and milk.

Our weekend was busy, but fun. In any free time I had, I was busy working away at finishing some projects for some friends. I can't wait to give them their pieces. And since I've been so busy this weekend I didn't snap one picture of us doing any of our fun things. But... be looking for some cuteness in pictures this week.

Pray With Me...

2010-09-16T18:59:00.000-05:00

I have a sweet friend (actually she's my sister's friend, but I consider her mine as well) who had her first baby in August. Payne is absolutely precious, you should go have a look at him! (click here)

Did you go look? He's a doll, right?!

Did you read his sweet Mommy's post today? They took him to the doctor for a weight check/check up and he is losing weight. They are trying a week of formula supplements with his breastmilk to see if that helps him gain weight. Otherwise, I think they are thinking of putting him back in the hospital.

If you are a parent, you know this is not exactly the news you want to hear about your sweet newborn. Obviously, Ryan and Sarah are worried, upset, scared..... and a whole mix of other emotions. So I'm asking you today to take a moment and pray for them. Pray that their minds and emotions will ease so they can focus on taking care of their little boy. And pray for Payne to grow bigger and gain some weight.

Have a good Thursday evening y'all and thank you for joining me in prayer.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-15T11:39:00.000-05:00

almost wordless, that is.

Look at my sweet baby girl's curl on the top of her head.... She has very little hair everywhere else, but there is a patch of really long hair on her crown that curls around. I love it!

Out of Sorts

2010-09-14T13:01:00.001-05:00

Things at our house have been a little out of sorts the past few days. My sweet baby girl has been in the 7th Month Attachment Phase (don't try to tell me there is no such thing). On top of that she has been all kinds of fussy and not herself (I'm thinking teething, but can't find any teeth coming in) which makes for an exhausted Momma who hasn't been able to get much done.

Thankfully, today has been different... so far. What that really means is that I'm playing catch-up on all the things I've let go over the past few days. However, I just had to share the picture I snapped of my sweetie while she was napping yesterday (a nap that was long overdue and still didn't seem to help her fussiness).

Bless her sweet heart - that could NOT have been comfortable.

And now back to the laundry and the cleaning and the dishes and such.

Have a great Tuesday y'all!

Refreshing

2010-09-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

At home this week, things have been difficult. For some reason, my girls have been in some bad moods and having some behavior issues. We are surviving though. And I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've actually spent this evening praying and pondering some things I can do differently to maybe help them behave differently.

In the midst of these hard days, I've had some refreshing evenings.

Monday night I "rejoined" my Ladies' Group. We call us the Ladies' Group (LG) because no other definition fits. We do a little Bible Study, a little support, a lot of praying for each other, some eating, and so on and so forth. I'm just overjoyed that I'm able to be a part of the group again. I've been absent for a few years due to babies and my sweet husband's work schedule. But I'm back now, baby!

So I got to start the week with a great night with some great women. I've been struggling lately with "friend" issues. It is so hard to find where I fit in - being a SAHM makes it hard to make friends and I don't always feel like I fit in with the friends I do have simply because we are in different places in our lives, even though I love them all dearly and know we will always be there for each other. And really, it is just hard for me to make time for anyone other than my hubby and my babies. Taking care of them and our home doesn't leave much time for me to spend with friends. But I've decided that I need to do more things for myself because I know it will make me a better woman, wife and mother. So this is a true blessing to be back in the LG.

I'm sorry I don't have a picture of our group. In fact, I have no pictures for you tonight, it just isn't going to happen today.

Then last night I was able to have dinner with my oldest friend. I can honestly say we laughed from the moment we sat down until we got into our separate vehicles. It is truly refreshing being with someone who knows YOU.

And tonight... like I said, I've been working on some things I can change to help the atmosphere around our home. And I also started reading our LG book Crazy Love.

I'm already addicted and had to make myself put it down. I'm pretty sure I would have read the entire book tonight. I'm excited to see where this book takes me. Have you read it?

Now that I'm feeling refreshed and ready to face tomorrow, I think I'll go to bed. Good night and have a great Thursday.

Love.

Last Weekend on the Lake

2010-09-07T21:44:00.000-05:00

Labor day is the unofficial end of summer. So we celebrated with one last weekend on the lake. Jared's parents went with us and we had a great time.

The weather was great - not too cool and not too hot. The girls enjoyed swimming, jumping in and snacking.

They even got the rafts out for some raft surfing! They LOVED jumping from the boat onto the rafts. It was very cute and funny to watch.

**Side note : how cute is my hubby??? Love that man!

We did the lake for a couple of days and really enjoyed being all together. We did miss Whit though. She had been sick last week and decided to stay home and rest.

We got up Monday and headed to the barn after breakfast. At first the girls weren't too sure about riding. They haven't been riding all summer and I think they were just a little nervous because they couldn't remember riding before. Peyton warmed up to the idea first.

She rode with Pappy for a while. This is what Laila was doing while P was riding:

Cautiously watching from behind the fence. Eventually she decided to give it a try and I couldn't be more proud of her!! Laila is very cautious around animals and I was convinced that she wouldn't ride at all since she wouldn't even get near the horses at first. But she decided she wanted to ride so we let her...

I just love the look on her face in this picture. She was still a little uneasy but she was determined to do it! Dollar was such a great horse and the girls both really loved him. After a minute of riding with Pappy, they were ready to ride on their own. How big are they??? I love this picture of them! I can't express how proud of them I am. I love them so much it hurts. Sweet sisters.

We also played a little on the RTV out at the barn. Peyton really liked it (as did Jared!).

Overall, it was a nice weekend. I'm so thankful for my family and the good times we have together.

And I believe the other day I was saying that Mika has started picking up food to eat. Here is a picture I snapped of her stuffing her face. Ha! I can't believe how fast she is growing... she's really started crawling around (army crawling) and tonight she took her first bath in the big tub - no baby tub. Oooooooh, I just love her so much.

I hope you all have had a wonderful Tuesday!

Love.

Ok, Ok, Ok...

2010-09-02T21:20:00.000-05:00

I had this great post started.... then I tried to upload some pictures from my camera to go along with it. That darn camera is giving me fits, so that post will have to wait. I will replace it tonight with a rundown of what's been up with us.

Peyton has been begging me to go to school. She even plays like she is going to school and packs books and such in her backpack, grabs the toy keys and picks a spot in the house to call "school" and goes there. Ha! So I've decided to help her out and give her some worksheets to do while she is at "school". She's doing great and is so proud of what she can do. I'm a little proud too!
Mika has been eating Gerber puffs and cheerios and I have the cutest picture of her shoving one in her mouth - yep, it is still on the camera. Darn camera. She loves her finger foods. She is also going through a phase (I hope that is all it is) where she doesn't want milk, but eats the mess out of some baby food. Silly girl.
Tonight Laila was getting into trouble (she didn't have a nap today and was just a little tired and moody). I told her she needed to change her attitude if she wanted to stay up for a little while (I tell the girls frequently that they need to change their attitudes). Well, my sweet little two-year-old continued to disobey and when I told her it was time to go to bed she said over and over "But I'll change my attitude now". It was so cute, she has the sweetest voice and demeanor and when she says things like that it will just make you smile - she still went to bed though. :)
I put up some of my Fall decor. I love Fall!
I've been looking for some Hogs shirts for my girls to all wear this fall on game days (they will not be going to games, but we can support the team from home!). I can't find anything that I like, so I've decided to make some. Eeek! If they are cute, I'll show you. Don't expect much.
Since we've had some cooler days lately, the girls have been able to play outside.

P's legs are way too long for the little tricycle but she still loves to play on it! Ha!

Ok.... I'm being attacked by a mosquito as I'm typing this post and I can't seem to kill it. And if y'all are lucky, you'll get a better post with the pictures that are still hanging out in the camera tomorrow. I'll go ahead and wish you all a happy weekend now, in case the camera is still acting up tomorrow.

Happy Weekend!

Going Green...

2010-08-31T10:45:00.000-05:00

my thumb, that is.

I've always had a black thumb. I can look at a plant and it withers up and dies. Honestly, if plants had feet, they would run far, far away from me.

But I'm determined to develop a green thumb. I want to make things grow and thrive, not waste away.

I've managed to keep this baby alive all summer long (in some pretty extreme heat, mind you).

And these beauties, they are doing pretty well.

So with all my outside success, I've decided to try a house plant.

There were some plants left after my Pawpaw's funeral, so I brought one home with me. We are going on a week of keeping it alive! I'm so good. Ha!

This isn't the best picture, but I really need to clean up the table it is sitting on so you can get a good idea of how it looks. But you get the idea, for now.

Have I just been lucky this summer? Or has my thumb really gone green? Only time will tell.

Any advice on making plants grow? And do you think that if I can keep these babies alive I could grow a garden? Or am I just being silly??

Home.

2010-08-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Home.

I've spent the last week away from home. I was surrounded by family and friends, so even though I wasn't physically home, I was home.

I went to visit my Nanny and some cousins last Thursday, for the day. I took a bag in case we decided to stay the night. We did. Friday morning I realized Jared needed to get away so I talked him into coming Friday night so he could actually relax (you know how it is sometimes hard to relax at home because there always seems to be so much to do).

Saturday morning I got a call from my dad - my Pawpaw had taken a bad turn.

You know how sometimes, you can't explain it, but you know that you need to do something. That was us. For some reason, I knew I needed to stay at Nanny's for a couple of extra days. I couldn't explain why, but I worked it out. That was God. He kept me there so I was so close when Pawpaw got so sick.

So Saturday morning Jared and I went down to the nursing home to see Pawpaw. I'm so thankful I was there. I was able to hug him and kiss his sweet head that day. We visited for a while before I had to leave to get back to my babies.

When we left, Jared and I both knew that Pawpaw wouldn't be able to live long like this. I will spare you the details, but it wasn't good. He had cancer that had truly taken over his whole body. Jared had to get home Saturday evening but we decided the girls and I should stay. I just felt like I needed to spend every minute I could with Pawpaw and Mamaw. So after I got the girls in bed Saturday night, I went back to see Pawpaw.

I sat in his room. I watched my aunt hold Pawpaw's hand, like only a daughter and daddy can do. I saw him, eyes closed, reach out for whoever was there. The nearest person would hold his hand, giving him comfort in such a miserable time. I just sat there, feeling so blessed to be able to be a part of this.

Sunday morning I went back after church. I sat there and prayed that he would hold on so my dad could get there (he had been out of town with some buddies and would be there Sunday afternoon). Again, I got the girls in bed that night and headed back to the nursing home. I spent that evening sitting in Pawpaw's room with my dad, some aunts and uncles, and some cousins, sharing memories. Blessings.

I woke up Monday morning to the call I had been expecting from my dad.

Pawpaw went Home.

I spent the rest of this week celebrating a truly great life with my family and dear friends. Pawpaw lived on this earth almost 91 years. He spent the last nearly 71 years loving my Mamaw. He was an ever faithful servant of the Lord. He spent his life working hard to provide for his family and taught them how to love and forgive and to work hard. He was a father to twelve, grandfather to 24, and great-grandfather to 45. He was proud of his family. He is now Home.

My heart is broken for my Mamaw and for all of us as we go on without Pawpaw here. If you wish, I know Mamaw could use a prayer or two as she settles back into "real" life without the Love of her life. We miss him dearly. And although our hearts are sad, we are all rejoicing because we know Pawpaw is cancer free, pain free, with a restored body in Heaven right now. Home.

Jared, Peyton, Me, Dad, Mika, Mamaw, Pawpaw, Laila, Whitney, and Brent at the Family Reunion this summer.

While I was missing home this week, I knew I was home because home really is wherever your family is. And nearly all of our huge family came together to honor Pawpaw. I'm so thankful that I live so close to Mamaw (a little over an hour away) and I am able to see her often. She loves my babies and they adore her. One day they will realize how blessed they are to have her and Pawpaw as great-grandparents.

Now I am home. Back to "reality". My body is exhausted. I'm slowly working on getting the house back in order, laundry done, dishes cleaned, phone calls made, groceries bought, blogs caught up on, emails answered, and on, and on. And most of all, I'm looking forward to spending this weekend with Jared and the girls, at home.

Six Girls and a "Van"

2010-08-16T20:06:00.000-05:00

We had a girl weekend last weekend.

Mom (Mimi) and Nanny came to our house Thursday evening after mom got off work and we loaded all six of us in my vehicle and headed north. We were going to Sis's for the weekend to help her get her classroom ready for Open House tonight and school to start on Thursday. My Tahoe (or "Van", as Nanny likes to call it, haha!) was loaded down. We packed all of our stuff in and left only enough room for our bodies. No lie.

After making two stops on our three hour trip, we arrived Thursday night around 9:30. We checked into our hotel and unloaded ALL OF OUR STUFF. Oh my, I packed extremely light for me and the girls and we still had a LOAD!

But it was worth it. And I actually needed all the stuff I brought. Anyway, my packing triumph is not the point of this post....

Friday morning we got up and got going. We met Whit in her classroom so we could all get to work! We started a movie for the girls and gathered some books and such for them to play with and we started in. I'll admit, her classroom was not a pretty sight Friday morning. But we got things moved around and hung on the walls and it started to come together. And once the bulletin boards were covered, it magically transformed into a real classroom!

Above the computer desk.

The cubby hole area.

The reading corner.

Beside the whiteboard at the front of the class.

Hanging on her classroom door - don't want the kids to end up in the wrong class!

The other side of the cubby area.

Doesn't the bulletin board change the whole look? This board eventually got a Fancy Nancy added to it, of course I didn't get a picture :( It was A-dorable, though. Trust me.

The bright colors make it such a fun classroom!

This is the bulletin board outside her classroom, in the hallway. It eventually got cute little people put on it. Again, I didn't get a picture.

She and I worked all day Friday. The girls went back to the hotel after lunch with Nanny and Mimi to nap and swim (lucky babies!).

We all met back up for dinner - Marketplace!!! Oh how I love their Strawberry Stack! I enjoyed introducing my girls to it - they loved it too. :)

Saturday started early and back in the classroom for a couple of hours. We finished some things up in there then left to go eat lunch and do some shopping! We just thought we had gotten rid of so much of the things we brought with us (we brought a lot of stuff for Sis and her room).

After a quick lunch, we hit up Sam's and then the mall. Peyton needs new fall/winter clothes but the younger babies are pretty much set. I love being able to pass down their clothes. I don't feel so bad about spending so much money on them because I know they get SO MUCH use! Anywho, we were able to find some cute, cute stuff for P.

We came home with more than we left with, I believe. We came home with skinny jeans for my big girls. Ha! They are ever so adorable. Some cute tops and down vests for the big girls. New shoes for Mommy! A license plate for Daddy's new ride. A new shirt for Daddy. Pig bookends that I couldn't leave in the store :)

Seriously, how cute are they? They have a new home on our media cabinet in the living room. Right now they are holding up picture albums, but that may change when I have some time to play around with it.

And finally, we came home with one more tooth than we left with!

I realize it is hard to see, but there are now 2 teeth in that precious mouth.

It was a great girl weekend and I can't wait until the next one (we have one planned in October if we don't get to do another one before then). We had a lot of fun and got A LOT accomplished. I'm so blessed to have my mom and Nanny. They are SO GOOD to me and my family and we wouldn't know what to do without them. And I'm so thankful I was able to help Whitney. She was overwhelmed before we got there, but we buckled down and got her room fixed up. She made it through open house tonight and is ready for school to start Thursday.

Now we are settling into a normal, slow, not-much-going-on week. I hope it is a great one, for me and for you!

It Isn't Pretty....

2010-08-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

but it works.

Today. I've been looking forward/not looking forward to it for a couple of weeks now. Looking forward to going to my sister's tonight to help her with her classroom. NOT looking forward to taking baby girl to the doctor this morning.

While doctor appointments aren't normally a big deal and are something I've come to accept as routine with all the babies and such, I always dread going when I have to take more than one of my girls with me. Nana and Aunt April are relaxing on the beach this week (I'm not jealous.... yeah, right!) so I didn't have my handy babysitters.

So this morning I loaded up all three girls and headed to the doctor. I did my best to be over-prepared. I brought out the BIGGER bag (my diaper bag is big, but this called for the bigger bag) and filled it with crackers, juice cups full of pink lemonade (a favorite around our house lately), fruit snacks, books, Barbies, and anything else I could put in there.

We arrive. I start unloading the kids and start walking to the door. I am carrying Mika in my arms. Huge bag over my shoulder. Two little girls holding onto my free hand. It isn't pretty. Six feet stumbling over each other, three hands tangled together. But it worked. We made it inside.

Not only did we make it inside, but we made it through the appointment, shots and all! And I'm so proud of how good the girls were. It turned out to be a very good experience, minus the shots. And now we are all home, resting and packing for our little trip. And hoping it goes smoothly.

This is about how my life as a mother is..... It isn't pretty, but it works.

Sneak Peek

2010-08-10T15:24:00.000-05:00

For your viewing pleasure.

A peek at what I've done for Whitney's classroom. She wanted me to paint some canvases with some quotes for her room.

This is my favorite of the quotes. For some reason it makes me think of Winnie the Pooh... weird, I know!

All of the projects I've completed for her so far. I love the "K" - it is pink houndstooth print with a turquoise flower and a white flower on it. There is also a bag of magnets that I made for her which I LOVE!

And one last thing....

It is almost football season so I decided I needed to paint us a Hog for our front door! Woo Pig Sooie!!!!!

This is why I've been so absent from the blog lately. I've spent a lot of time on these paintings. I hope they look good in her classroom. I'll be sure to take pictures when we get her room decorated this weekend.

Love.

I didn't know...

2010-08-09T13:20:00.000-05:00

that when my sister got her first teaching job I would be working so much!

Sis called Thursday evening saying she got the job she had wanted. Then she went into panic mode. She is in meetings until Thursday of this week and has open house for the parents next Monday. And she has a bare room (well she's done a little over the weekend).

Since I'm so very protective of her and have always taken care of her, I told her not to worry. I'm going to help her on Thursday for a couple of days. I also have been making cute things for her classroom since Thursday when she called. I have been working non-stop on one project or another and that has left little time for the blog. I can't wait to show you pictures of what I've done for her, but for now that will have to wait. When I get it all done I'll take some pics and share them. Until then, I'll leave you with a list of our projects.

Inspirational quote paintings - two done, three to go
Cute magnets - done!
Letter "K" for her bookshelf (her last name starts with K) - done!
Welcoming sign for her classroom door - done!
Crayon wreath - done!
Bulletin board - not yet :(
Curtains - not yet :(

She's doing her room in bright colors - pink, turquoise, orange, green, purple, black and white. I can't wait to see it finished!! I also have some other cute things I've made to show you, but I haven't had a chance to photograph them yet. Things should calm down after I get everything done for Whit's classroom.

Happy Monday!

Wednesday Memories

2010-08-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to record these things for some time and I've decided today is the day. Just a few things about my babies that I want to remember:

Laila calls Pocahontas (the movie) Ocapomas! Absolutely hilarious.
For some reason, the girls have decided to start calling Jared "Daddy Louis". That is his middle name and they've decided to put it after "Daddy". HA!
The other night, Peyton introduced Nanny to my dad (they most definitely know each other) by saying, "This is my Pappy, James." Crack. Me. Up.
Mika is trying so hard to imitate sounds, her little mouth is so cute as she tries to make the "M" sound and the "B" sound. Love her!
Mika finally rolled over (yay!) and now the big girls have to show me every day how they can roll over. They are so funny.

Ok, so I had grand plans for this list and I find myself completely exhausted and distracted while typing this post. So rather than draw it out for another 30 minutes or an hour, I'm going to quit now. When I'm done looking for Peyton's disappearing white sandals and I get my house cleaned and I stop sweating because it is hotter than fire outside, then I will be back with some pictures and such!

Love.

Oh my....

2010-08-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

We have been a busy bunch of bees lately and I'm SO BEHIND on blogging. I haven't been reading or composing or commenting. But we have been having lots o' fun, so I don't mind being behind. In fact, right now I'm typing on the laptop, in the playroom, on the floor, with a baby sitting in my lap... so don't expect much of a post!

I have no pictures to add, sorry.

The girls and I spontaneously decided to spend last week with my dad. It was wonderful and I will take the time to post much more detailed posts of that week asap! We got to visit some family and some old friends that I haven't seen in FOREVER! It was a great time.

I've been asked to make some shower invitations and a party banner for some people. I managed to get the invitations in the mail today! I plan on finishing the banner tonight so that I can open up my week for some future projects that I hope to be working on. :) As soon as I'm finished with the projects, I'll have some free time to get caught up on the blog.

And a final thought for today.... Is anyone else ready for Fall? It is a cool 100+ degrees here and while I love sweating as much as anyone else (ha!), I'm ready for a cool down! To make my longing for Fall worse, my sister and I did a little shopping last week and I picked up a few things for the girls for the Fall. Now I'm ready to do some serious Fall shopping (within a strict budget) and get them all set for the cooler weather.

Looks like the girls need a customer for their kitchen, so its time for me to "eat" some play food. Hope you all have a great Monday.

:)

Thursday in a Nutshell

2010-07-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

It has been a rough week. I'm so happy tomorrow is Friday!

Why is it that I think the weekend will automatically make things better?

The girls played dress up today and I took some HILARIOUS pictures with my phone and because I'm so cheap/old school I don't have email capabilities on it and can't exactly share them on here. Trust me, hilarious!

I painted my fingernails tonight for the first time in probably 4 years. Seriously, I think the last time I painted them was for a wedding I was in 4 years ago! I'm diggin' the hot pink nails though!

Is it crazy that I'm planning my weekend outfits to match my nails? :)

Is it crazy that I'm planning my weekend outfits?

I so love making baby food and it appears that I have a little girl who loves to eat it! And thankfully I have a Nanny who sends me fresh peaches (not from the grocery store) to use! They were a huge success with Mika Lynn.

My sister and Nanny have been gone this week to Tennessee to visit some of Nanny's friends. I hear they are coming home with moccasins for all three of my girls! I cannot wait to see those little feet wearing moccasins :)

If you've read this blog for long, you know that when I'm having a hard week/day I like to sit down and list out things and it usually makes me feel better because my list is usually full of blessings. Even this list of silliness makes me feel better :) I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!!

Love.

Play Date

2010-07-20T19:48:00.000-05:00

Today we planned a play date at Heather's house. I loaded up the girls (as P says) and we headed over to play.

The girls have been so good for me the past couple of days so I was a little worried about how they would act. Plus, Laila woke up with a low fever this morning and wouldn't take a nap before we left so I had no idea how she would handle being gone all afternoon.

Thankfully they were all wonderful and we had a great time! Mika Lynn even managed to fall asleep over there (after fussing for a few minutes) and take a little nap, sweet baby.

We were celebrating another friend, Hannah's, Birthday today, so that made our afternoon even more special!

Heather made cake for us and cupcakes for the girls to decorate with homemade chocolate frosting and Sparkles (that is what Peyton calls sprinkles!). Heather is so great! We just love her :)

I think all the little girls had fun! I know I did and I hope all the other "big" girls did too! :) Thanks Heather for having us over! You are so sweet and such a special person!

And I'm so thankful that I got to spend some time with Hannah and Heather. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better! They are both so sweet and are part of my Ladies' Group. I'm so proud of my girls for acting so wonderfully today. They couldn't have been better! And as a reward, we had Sonic for dinner!!

What will we do tomorrow??

** Laila isn't feeling well, her fever rose throughout the day (which I know is normal) and she became a little achy. I'm hoping it is nothing that a good night of sleep can't fix. Bless her heart. It is so hard to just hold and rock her like she needs to be when she is sick and still take care of the other girls. I guess I'm still figuring out how to be a mom of three! She's sleeping now and I'm praying she wakes up in the morning feeling GREAT!

Happy Tuesday!

It Once Was a Garage....

2010-07-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

And now it is a Playroom!!!!! The big girls spent the weekend with their Mimi so Mom and Dad could get down to business in the garage. We worked all day Saturday and for a few hours today and managed to get it done! We are worn out but it was worth it.

The Before...

That's a lot of stuff!

The After...

The view from the door.

Kitchen, toy rack, the piano that I may start playing again!!! I can't wait to teach the girls how to play when they get a little older.

The TV and fridge - two must haves for the playroom :) The table by the fridge has all of my law books and stuff... ready for when I'm able to study for the Bar Exam.

The couch and Lucky the Horse.

I'm looking forward to some fun times in our playroom. It brought us such joy and happiness to be able to give this to our girls. We feel truly blessed! Our girls love their room and were so excited to get in there and play tonight when they got home. Now it is time for some playgroups!!!!

Finally Friday!

2010-07-16T12:50:00.000-05:00

What a crazy week! Right?! Was it for you all too?

I have a few pictures to share from this week so I'll put them in this post.

J and I have big plans for this weekend - Project Finish the Playroom will begin at approximately 8am tomorrow morning. We are sending the big girls to my mom's for the weekend so we will just have Mika Lynn and should be able to get SO MUCH done in the playroom. I'm hoping to finish it, but I'm being realistic too and I have no idea how things will go once we get in there.

Be looking for pictures of a super-fun playroom for three super-fun little girls!

I also gave Mika Lynn her first REAL baby food this week. We've been doing oatmeal for almost two weeks now but she got to eat some carrots yesterday. It was definitely love at first bite!

I know she is mine and all, but that is one cute baby girl! That smile warms my heart daily!

Yummy deliciousness!

And just because I love them so much...

This is their new favorite thing - they will hug each other until they fall down and then giggle. Precious!

And my sweetie and his babiest girl...

Happy Friday Y'all!

Internetless...

2010-07-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

We had a storm Monday evening that knocked out our power and caused the internet to mess up. I must admit that I enjoyed the break from all the connectivity. But we got it back on yesterday afternoon so I've been trying to get caught up on some things. Stick with me as it may take a few days.

I've had a big week for me though....

Tuesday night I went out to dinner with a friend. I honestly cannot remember the last time I went out to eat with a girlfriend and no kids. Actually I can remember and it was in December. Anywho, I had the best time visiting with her. Love you Katie! Jared kept all three girls at home while I went out and I have to admit that I have felt guilty about it since I left the house. I feel guilty that I asked him to watch the girls after he had been at work all day just so I could go out to eat.

Then last night I got the opportunity to meet up with my Ladies' Group. I was there when the group formed and have had to stop going to regular meetings because of having all the babies and then with Jared's weird work schedule. But I'm hoping to get back to it in the fall! So we had an impromptu meeting last night and it was such a blessing to be able to get together and pray for each other. And to see those prayers being answered (and they are being answered as I write this) is amazing!

Did I feel guilty about going to the meeting? Yes. Jared stayed home with the girls again and even as I was walking out the door I couldn't believe I had asked him to do that two nights in a row. I realize this is something I'm going to have to work through because I know I need to do things for myself some, but dang, it is hard to start doing that after so much time of not doing it.

And finally - my sweet baby girl has her first tooth! I absolutely cannot believe it - she is only 5 1/2 months old (both of my other girls had their first tooth come in at 7 months). I was definitely not expecting to feel it when I was massaging her gums yesterday. She's been teething but I just thought we were in the beginning of a long process. Guess that's what I get for thinking because there it was, a little tooth poking through her sweet little gums. Bless her heart!

I'm thinking of cancelling our internet because I so enjoyed not getting online for a couple of days.... I doubt J will go for it though! :)

Party for a Princess

2010-07-11T20:59:00.000-05:00

My little Princess Laila turned TWO this month and we had her party Saturday.

Menu:

Barbecue Chicken or Beef Sandwiches

Cheese Dip and Chips

Watermelon

Birthday Cake

Homemade Ice Cream (my favorite!)

Party Punch

Lemonade

*Nanny brought her a Princess Cake*

I did a few decorations... not much, but enough to make our house feel special for Laila's special day. I like to do color themes for my parties and this party was pink, turquoise and brown. I also like to try to dress myself the girls to match as best I can :)

I also had a lot of help from my mom and Nanny. I love having them here!! And a BIG THANKS to my sweetie for working himself sick outside on the yard. It looks spectacular!! I did not get any pictures so you'll have to take my word for it!

I could not be prouder of my girls. I wanted a picture with the Birthday Girl but I couldn't refuse Big Sister when she asked to be in the picture. Unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of L looking at the camera.

*Check out Big Sister posing.... she is such a mess!*

*And I'm sporting my fresh hair cut thanks to my dear friend Katie and her salon!*

We sang Happy Birthday and I LOVED watching Laila's face - I think she felt special and loved, at least I hope so!

Make a wish sweet girl!

It was a great party with some of our family (we have already partied with some and there are some that couldn't make it). I love having people over to our house and I LOVE doing it for special reasons like celebrating my babies. Thanks to everyone who made this a special day for the birthday girl!

Too Much To Do...

2010-07-06T10:38:00.000-05:00

I have a HUGE list of things to do this week. I mean It covers about three pages! Yikes! I make a list for everything... I love lists! This week, however, it has gotten a little out of control! We are having a birthday party Saturday evening at our house so I have to prepare for that on top of all the normal stuff that needs to be done.

I'm a little overwhelmed at how much I need to do. I'm hoping the girls decide to cooperate with me and let me get some stuff done during the day so I can actually sleep at night rather than staying up and tackling my list. We shall see. Whenever I get this way, I always think of my grandmother and how hard she worked and how she was able to still care for her eleven children and her husband. It makes my list of things to do not seem so long and daunting. :) Nevertheless, it will be a busy week around the house.

Just so you know what I'm talking about here is an little snippit from my To-Do List:

Laundry
Unpack
Make baby food
Grocery for party
Clean blinds
Hang pictures in hall bath
Clean up flower beds
Normal housework
And much, much more!

So I'm going to go put the computer up and get back to work!

Hope you all have a great Tuesday!

Weekend at the Lake

2010-07-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

J had Friday off so Thursday afternoon we headed to my dad's for the weekend. We were both SO READY for a fun, relaxing weekend on the lake. I knew we were going to have fun when the girls wanted to jam out to Bon Jovi and Daughtry in the car on the way there! It was hilarious to see them "dancing" in their car seats.

When we got to dad's Thursday night we met him at the store to get what we needed for a cookout that night with some friends. Burgers and hot dogs... perfect. We finished the evening with cake and ice cream for the Birthday Girl.

Let me just go on the record saying that I can't believe she is two! TWO! My heart is having a really hard time with this. Thankfully she will still let me hold her.... sometimes.

Friday we hit Wal-Mart early. Pappy had to take his girl birthday shopping! We also needed a few things to take to the lake with us... yippee! Dad and I were talking Friday and we decided we needed to buy another life jacket in the 30-50 lbs size. It was time for Laila to move up to the bigger life jacket. So while we were filling up the boat at the marina, I went in and got a new life jacket. Little Girl LOVED it! This year she has been preferring to sit up on the boat and snack rather than swim.... until now. Now that she has her new life jacket she has more freedom. She was moving around and swimming on her own within minutes of getting in the water. She has never really swam on her own with a life jacket so this was a BIG deal!

So Friday we swam, then came home and had pizza and hung out. It was a perfect Friday, in my opinion.

Simply beautiful.

There is a big fireworks show on the lake on Independence Day Eve. My girls have never seen a fireworks show... I know, I know, I'm a lame mother. :) It just hasn't ever worked out with their ages and with Jared's work schedule and such. But this year we did it right!

Saturday morning we got up and had a huge breakfast (thanks Dad) and early naps before we headed to the lake. We got out about 2pm and got ready for a long, fun day on the water. Let me just say, my girls were nearly perfect. I only had to get on to the big girls a few times and Mika Lynn was as good as can be. We swam and swam and snacked and played. We met up with friends and tied up together.... think of the song "Redneck Yacht Club" and that was pretty much us!

Sis and me! I know I desperately need a tan, but it is so hard to get one when I spend most of my time outside making sure Baby Girl stays in the shade and cool.

This is how it goes when I try to get a picture of all three girls....
Take One:

Take Two:

Take Three:

The last one would have been good if my hand hadn't been in it. They are such a mess, these girls!

Mika Lynn and I hung out in the back of the boat, in the shade. She was especially fond of Pappy's Captain's Chair.

Ooooh, I love this baby. :)

We were out on the lake for over eight hours. I am still in awe at how good my girls were. And I must say that I had a great time. The girls spent the afternoon and evening jumping off the boat and swimming. They had a ball and I loved watching them. As long as my girls are having a great time, I don't mind being the palest person on the lake!

Seriously, this is one of my favorite pictures - how cute are these two "Whitneys"?! Laila Whitney and her Aunt Whitney, they are big buddies!

SPLASH! I kept trying to get an in-air shot of Peyton jumping but she jumped too fast and I was always too slow with the camera. Eventually I'll get a good shot of her jumping. She did so good!!! I'm so proud of her for jumping and Laila for swimming and jumping so well. They amazed me!

A little sass for the camera! She was posing and showing off some dance moves on the boat. Needless to say, we were cracking up. So much personality wrapped up in such a small package - love it!

Here we are, our little family, waiting on the fireworks show to start. The girls loved it! Peyton got super excited over the red ones (her favorite color). And after each firework went off, Laila would either say "Oh that one did" (I think she meant that one exploded) or "that was cool". They had a great time and I loved every minute of this special day with them!

I hope you all had a wonderful celebration of our country's independence. We definitely did!

Happy Birthday Laila-Bean!

2010-07-02T09:11:00.000-05:00

A Little about my Laila Whitney. Her birthday was yesterday, but I waited to do her birthday post today...

July 1, 2008 we welcomed our Laila Whitney into this crazy world. She was a full three weeks early and her birth was a surprise.

I had my first actual surgery because of her - c-section.

She was so sweet from the beginning, but she was a hard baby.

There was some serious Mommy Attachment in the first year of her life. She hated for anyone else to hold her. I had to leave a funeral once because the babysitter called me crying and said she couldn't get her to calm down. Oh my.

She has always been a good sleeper. She never wanted to be rocked (sad) and still doesn't.

She has some serious, real love for her blankets. She started with one.... we lost it. So we bought her another to "replace" it, but she decided she needed six replacement blankets. And that is how many blankets she sleeps with now - 3 big blankets and 3 small ones.

Every morning she comes out of her bedroom with all 6 blankets in her hands.

Laila was also my pacifier baby. P didn't take one for long but Laila did. We took it away last winter. She had gotten to where she wanted one pacifier in her mouth and one in her hand (which she would put up to her eye). Two pacifiers and a few blankets and she was ready for bed!

Laila has always had the sweetest smile and funniest expressions. Her big blue eyes are full of life! I love it that she almost closes them completely when she really smiles.

My girl loves to eat. She has only met one food she didn't like - cucumbers. She will eat and eat until she throws up, so I have to be careful how much I put on her plate at meals. She gets so excited to eat sometimes, it is precious. And if you ask her what she wants to eat (for any meal) she will tell you Macaroni and Cheese. Every.Time.

Did I mention her love for powdered donuts?

Laila also ALWAYS has a baby doll. She loves them. They are her babies and she takes very good care of them. She also loves books. That makes this Momma very proud, as I love books too!

She loves to play outside...

And ride Pappy's horse...

And she LOVES her sisters!

Laila, you are my little doll, my buddy. I have enjoyed every minute of watching you grow over the past two years and I can't wait to watch you keep growing into your own person. You are hilarious. You constantly make me and Daddy laugh. You have such a big heart. If someone seems hurt or upset you quickly go love on them, rub their face and whisper "its ok, I'm right here."

You love to sing and dance and do anything your big sister does. Peyton and Mika are so lucky to have you as their best friend. I'm so blessed to spend my days with you. Daddy and I thank God daily that we have you as our daughter. You are a special little girl.

Happy Birthday Baby Doll!

Hump Day...

2010-06-30T11:11:00.000-05:00

Ok.... I typed that title and then I had to double check that today is actually Wednesday. I'm running on about 5 hours of real sleep over the past two nights and I'm a little less than together this morning. But since I've been so good about blogging lately I didn't want to let today pass without a post.

First, I was reading some of my old posts last night and hello.... I was so much more creative with my writing back in the day (the day before I was wrangling three kids all day long and trying to find a minute here or there to post). So... I've been inspired to add a little more creativity and thought into my words. We'll see!

Next item... tomorrow is my darling Laila's second birthday. Two. I can't believe it. I will post her birthday post tomorrow or Friday... depending on how things go around here. But be looking for some cuteness in pictures by Friday.... one thing this baby girl definitely has going for her is her cuteness.

I'm having a bit of a week, if you know what I mean. Apparently a two-year birthday means that the child gets the attitude of a teenager. It seems my favorite phrase this week is "stop crying and whining." If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. Add to that a crazy schedule for Jared (translation: I'm home alone with the girls more than normal). And if that weren't enough, Mika Lynn is sick for the first time and is not sleeping well. That means this Momma isn't sleeping well, or at all. I actually looked in the mirror a little while ago and almost didn't recognize myself. Beauty sleep is a real thing people. Just saying.

I spent most of Tuesday doing this.

And this. Poor baby.

Finally, guess who is sitting up all on her own....

We are still working on it, of course, but she's getting the balance thing down really quickly! She won't roll over, but she's sitting up! Silly, silly girl.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Guess Who...

2010-06-29T11:13:00.000-05:00

had her first trip to the movie theater..... Peyton Lou!

We have been wanting to take her to a movie for a while now and we thought Toy Story 3 would be the perfect first movie experience. And since we were going to see TS3 we decided to do it "right" and see it in IMAX 3D.

So Monday afternoon, we took the baby girls to Nana's and headed across town to the movie theater.

She was so stinkin excited!

We got there and P immediately spotted the TS3 movie poster so we had to go check it out.

Peyton and Daddy

And Momma with Peyton

I'm not sure who was more excited to do this, us or P! Actually I was both excited and emotional... I fought back tears all day thinking about how big she was getting and how happy I was to get to make this memory with her. Anyway, I overcame my emotions and we had a blast!

Before we left, we explained to her that she had to keep the glasses on or she couldn't see the movie. I knew she'd be cute in those glasses, but I had no idea how cute she would be....

We had a great time and it was a great movie! I think her first trip to the theater was a huge success! And just because she is so darn cute, I'll leave you with another picture of my big girl.

Happy Tuesday!

Reunion Top Ten... well, Top Thirteen!

2010-06-28T09:53:00.000-05:00

There are a few more memories I want to document from our Reunion weekend. So I thought I would do it in Top Ten format....
These are in no particular order other than the order in which they came to mind just now.

13. Seeing Mamaw walk into the depot Saturday at lunchtime with a bowl of dumplins for my dad. He is so spoiled! She said she knew he wouldn't get in line to get some until everyone had gone through the line and that they would be gone by the time he got up there. So she kept out a bowl especially for him.

12. Laughing with my husband and my dad and the rest of my family.

11. Four words: Nanny's. Homemade. Ice Cream.

10. Watching my girls play with their cousins. They had a blast and it makes me so happy to see them love their family!

9. Seeing my girls get so excited to see Mamaw Sunday afternoon and then watching her feed Laila bites of food. They love each other so much and I know being with my girls (and all of her grand and great-grand babies) brings such joy to Mamaw.

8. Seeing sweet Kohlie run up to Jared and give him a huge hug. My heart smiled at that. He is such a good man and I'm lucky to have him.

7. Hearing the story of my cousin Mike who took the challenge at the Mean Pig restaurant in Cabot, AR. He did not win the challenge, but instead won himself a night in the bathroom, miserable, with a bottle of Pepto Bismol and some pain meds. He said he learned his lesson and it was so not worth it!

6. Getting reunion cups and coozies... my uncle brought them for everyone. This is the first time we have had anything like this and I was so excited. I love coozies because I love to drink Dr. Pepper from a can! And I love plastic cups. Weird, I know, but I prefer to drink from a plastic cup than a glass one!

5. Seeing people enjoy the dessert I brought. I love to cook for my family and friends and even though I'm not that great, I still really enjoy it!

4. Actually taking the girls to church by myself... I don't go many places with them alone and it always boosts my confidence. Thankfully, my sweet cousins helped me tremendously Sunday morning - Thanks Kyle, Kris, Kelsie and Kylie!

3. Watching Laila crawl up in Mamaw's lap and give her a sweet hug. Then she did the Laila thing and rubbed her face so gently. Precious!

2. Uncle Larry recognizing that I work so hard at being a mom and telling me that he sees that. I don't do my "job" for the recognition, but it sure feels good when someone comments on how hard I work as a Mommy.

1. Mamaw telling Uncle Billy not to eat a piece of the cake that she made for us to eat on Friday. There was about half of it left and she wanted to give it all to Whitney. She did tell him he could eat the crumbs in the pan though!

Reunion 2010

2010-06-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

One weekend in June, every summer, we pack up and head to my dad's hometown for our family reunion. My dad comes from a big BIG family. My grandparents had TWELVE children..... yes, 12!!! From that has grown a huge family. I think the headcount for Saturday's festivities was 75. Anywho.... we head there on Friday afternoon usually. **this may be a little much for one post, but I really want to remember it so I'm documenting as much as I can on here.**

This year, Jared was working late Friday so my dad decided he would come to our house Thursday and take me and the girls with him Friday morning. Jared met us Friday night after work. So we woke up EARLY Friday morning so we could get to Sam's at 7am before we headed to my grandmother's house.

The girls wanted me to take their picture in the freezer section of Sam's. They are so funny!!!

After buying our Sunday lunch groceries at Sam's, we headed out. We got to Mamaw's and the fun began. We hung out all day Friday with the few family members who were there already. Friday evening we headed to my mom's to celebrate her birthday (again!) then back to Mamaw's for more fun.

This year, we rented the 3 room suite at the hotel so our room became the "hot spot". We hung out until about 11pm (if you know me, you know that is WAY past my bedtime).

Saturday morning I woke up early thanks to my lovely alarm clock:

She and I got dressed and ready and headed to the grocery store. I had been asked by my darling hubby and brother-in-law to make my banana pudding so M and I went to Kroger and got what we needed then headed to Nanny's to make it in her kitchen. (Nanny and Mamaw live about 10 minutes from each other)

We made banana pudding and then came back to get the big sisters dressed and ready for the day. We got everyone rounded up and headed to start our fun-filled day. Our family rents out the old train depot in town so that we can have a space big enough for all of us. It works out nicely because it is separated into two rooms. We use one for eating and visiting and the other room for the kids to go wild.... and that's exactly what they do in there!

Of course, by "kids" I mean the big ones like Jared and the little ones too!

Lunch is served at noon and consists of veggies, fried chicken, salad, and chicken and dumplins. Mamaw makes them in a HUGE pot and they are the highlight of my meal! And we put a hurt on that pot of dumplins!!

Yes, we scrape it CLEAN!

We all sit around and visit and eat and the kids play and it is really just a nice time for everyone.

Papaw is very sick and we know he won't be with us much longer. What a blessing it was to have him at the reunion this year. His Hospice Nurse brought him and it was wonderful. We made sure to take some family pictures with him and Mamaw.

I will cherish this picture forever! I love to see how much they love each other still.

My dad and his baby girl.... he loves his girls!!

Laila Whitney and her Aunt Whitney!

Mika Lynn and me! I love this baby girl so much!!

After lunch, we decided to take the kids swimming at the hotel for a while before we laid them down for naptime. I am so blessed that Nanny came to the reunion with me and she stayed around to help me with Mika while J and I took the big girls to the pool!

No trip to the pool is complete without Cheetos!

Laila gets really hot and her poor cheeks turn bright red. I felt so bad for her to be out in the 100 degree weather with her face so red, so I decided to take her back to the room early. Jared and Pappy stayed with Peyton and when they came back to the room they told me she was swimming without floaties! I'm so sad I missed it. But I am SO proud of her. Is she really this big?

After we took our naps we got cleaned up and headed back to the depot for dinner. We order pizzas from the best local pizza place and take them up there to eat. The girls were thrilled to get to go back to the depot because they LOVED playing in there.

Hula Hoop!

Jared loved playing in there as much as the girls did! :)

Sweetness!

So we had dinner and hung out for a bit then headed back to the hotel to put Miss M to bed. Once again, our suite was the place to be, so we had a good crowd over. It was such fun visiting and hanging out with them. Jared and I both decided we wished we could see them more often and spend more time together. And the great thing is that we all have kids about the same age and hopefully they can grow up together!

How sweet is this Sister picture! I LOVE it!

Sunday morning we get up and go to Mamaw's tiny little church to worship together as a family. This year we decided to do something a little different for lunch. My dad and Jared stayed home from church and went to the depot to grill burgers and dogs for us all! It was wonderful. They did a great job!! We usually try to go out to eat somewhere but it is just getting harder and harder to find a place to accommodate us. This was the perfect solution.

The Grill Masters!

Enjoying lunch together!

Laila is so in love with her Mamaw. She was so sweet to her all weekend and it completely melted my heart! When Mamaw came in for lunch today, Laila got so excited to see her and asked Mamaw to sit by her.

Look how happy they both are! I'm seriously holding back tears right now thinking about how sweet this is and how much I love seeing Mamaw this happy while she is in the middle of such a hard time with Papaw.

We got home tonight about 5pm and Jared and I both agreed that the weekend was a huge success and so much fun! We can't wait to do it again next year!! What a blessing my great big family is... I love you all!

An Interesting Day...

2010-06-24T19:28:00.000-05:00

Some kids play "pretend" with Barbies or action figures, some play "pretend" with dolls or stuffed animals... my kids play "pretend" with crayons!

This is Peyton's "castle" complete with all of us who she locked in there because we weren't being very good. Thankfully, she let Daddy save us from inside the castle. Ha!! I'm thinking its time for some new toys :)

While Peyton was playing with the crayons, Laila was busy doing this...

Picking up the crayons she dropped. I should have taken a video of this because she was singing "clean up, clean up..." and it was hilarious! I love her sweetness!!!

And tonight while I was giving Mika a bath, a certain little girl (Peyton) decided to snatch up my camera and take some photos herself.... Here is what I found when I put the pictures from the camera onto the computer:

Food Network! Disregard the state of my mantle, it is a work in progress! A few things got stuck there this week until I find somewhere for them to "belong". And the white patches above the tv.... another project we are trying to finish.... I can't believe I'm posting this picture.

This would be our couch.... nice angular shot!

Laundry on the coffee table! At least she took the pictures after we picked up all the toys :)

We have some fun planned for the weekend and I'm going to try to be good and take many pictures so I can share with you all! Have a great weekend!!!

What I've Been Up To...

2010-06-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

I've had quite a few projects going this week:

I've had some people ask me to make some things for them and I needed them all done by this weekend - done!

I've hung some of the pictures and things in the house that needed to be hung.

I finally made a third bow holder - I've been needing one for a while and I finally got it done. Complete with bows!

I've got birthday invites ready to be mailed.

Birthday plans are still in the works. I need to get on the ball since we will be partying in a little over 2 weeks!

And I've working on some things with my girls - little daily projects and such for them to be involved with! Such fun!!

I decided to dress Little Miss up today in some Hog attire - love it!! I made her the red headband to match the red bows and I'm so loving it!!!

Go Hogs!!!

What's Left? Well I still need to pack for the weekend and clean the house and mail the invites.... nothing too crazy!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!