Be Very Quiet.....I'm Hunting Wabbitts....

Emma found these old guns that belonged to the boys when they were little and she is having a blast playing with them.

Nothing like getting ready for church and then playing with pretend firearms.

Wordless Wednesday

Wouldn't You Just Know It?

I read a survey last week that said the average family does 7 loads of laundry in a week. At last, I AM ABOVE AVERAGE and I MEAN WAY ABOVE! I want to meet these people named Average and learn their secret...




Today started at 4 a.m. with little Miss Priss waking up with a wet bed and requiring new p.j.s and sheets. We quickly changed our p.j.s and before she could be put back in bed, she leaned in to me and held up that little finger and told me "Shhhh, night night" and headed straight for our bed. What's a woman to do? I'll tell you, you lay in bed next to the little rat and remind her that she needs to be sleeping and not talking and kicking and slobbering because it would be nice to get another hour of sleep. Needless to say, we were up at 5 with daddy and that was that. She started her morning off with Winnie the Pooh and a sausage biscuit and juice. Does it get any better?




You would think that a little girl would be extremely tired when she was picked up at school but she managed to go strong all the way home and then some. She was especially funny when I went around a curve and apparently her car seat is a little loose and she leaned heavily to the left. Her eyes got huge and she cracked up laughing. Me, not so much.




It is finally quiet and I know it won't last long. Brady will be home soon and Ashton will have to be picked up from practice and Emma has gymnastics and there's dinner to make and clothes to fold and the list goes on and on. I refer to it as domestic bliss and I know that in the not so far off future, I will miss it all.



After doing laundry all day, it's a chance I might just be willing to take:)

Another Snow Day.....

Yet another snow day......Even though I am about over snow days, I will say this particular snow is beautiful. It was very wet and just covered the trees so beautifully. Unfortunately, I had to drive to work in it last night. My 15 minute commute took 1 hour and 40 minutes. Life lesson...never drink a cup of coffee before you take off and get stuck on the road. My bladder was screaming when I finally made it to work. I also managed to drive back home in it this morning at 1 a.m. and I was very proud of myself. When I got home the snow was just amazing. It looked like diamonds all over our yard. A very nice God moment indeed.




Just a few pics of the kiddos. I cannot for the life of me get a good picture of Ashton playing ball.

This little rascal was looking so cute peering into the oven while dinner was cooking and when I attempted to get her picture, she had to run get her camera. Needless to say I didn't get the shot I wanted but I did manage to snap a few cute ones. Cheer leading uniform, apron, and cowboy boots. What can I say...

Our Little Monkey Girl

This has become Emma's new favorite thing. Aunt Jamie gave it to her for Christmas and it's basically a wrap with a money tail, head, and hands. She insists on having it tied around her for nap time and now for bedtime. (Look at her little fat belly sticking out of it.) It coordinates well with cowboy boots as well.

Free At Last - Almost

As I sit here drinking a cup of coffee and catching up on life, I can't say how thankful I am not to have to work another shift tonight! Yes, I did steal Dr. Martin Luther King's line, but it does feel like I'm free. I have worked the last 3 nights and although Saturday night was only 7 hours, it felt like an eternity due to Flu season being upon us. Be ready folks, it's here. Wash your hands, get out your Lysol spray, don't shake hands, sneeze in your elbow, up the vitamin intake, have plenty of Tylenol on hand, because it's that time of year and why anyone in their right mind would sign up to work extra shifts during the dreaded season of crud is beyond me. Oh that's right, I'm not independently wealthy and I have children to feed. It's all coming back to me now.




So I have sort of survived the weekend and although our house looks a bit like a nuclear bomb went off and it's going to take a while to get things back in order, it does feel good to be home. I would bet that Bo would agree, having played Mr. Mom for the last 3 days. When he stormed in to our bedroom yesterday morning while I was attempting to sleep and used a certain tone to ask "I hate to wake you, but do you know where Emma's belt is?" I could hear her screaming in the background and he looked as though he had reached stroke level. Funny how a little girl can do that do you. Not that I would know anything about that......I suspect it was a good thing that he was on his way to church. I think somebody stood in need of a little prayer.




After 4 snow days and a holiday today, I am so HOPING and PRAYING that my children go back to school tomorrow and that life can get back to our crazy normal routine. After that many days at home, togetherness is all but lost. I love these kiddos but am really willing to share them with the public school system.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for many things and will be especially thankful when school starts back......I have been in the house for 4 days now and I stand in need of some routine. We live on top of a big hill with a very long and difficult driveway. Bo has made it out, but I have not. Brady got stuck Tuesday, which was a good experience for him because he seems to think he is some amazingly capable driver. When he had to walk up the driveway he received a revelation that he is indeed not that experienced.




Back to being thankful....I am especially thankful for these goofy kids who had a lot of fun playing outside yesterday afternoon. I realize that allowing your children to be pulled on a sled behind an ATV may be a dangerous way to have fun, but we tend to live on the edge around here. That and they were afraid that mom would beat them in they got too careless.

This boy and this girl have become pretty close. She wants to be down in the man cave with them a lot now. She fell asleep on Ashton's bed with him Monday night while watching a movie. It was adorable and he was very pleased with himself when he came upstairs to tell me "your daughter is sleeping in my bed."

I personally think this guy is extremely handsome. Goofy, yes, but very sweet.

A new wardrobe discovery. The helmet weighs almost as much as she does, but she managed to wear it all evening and again this morning. I am thankful for a girl who has style.....

Snow Days and Cupcakes

We have spent the last 3 days home due to the snow. Emma and I decided to make some sweet treats for the boys and their friends last night. Needless to say, she loves to cook just like her mom and had a lot of fun pouring batter into her little cups. She really liked it when she got batter on her arm and was able to lick it off. I have never let the kids eat batter off the beaters although as children it never occurred to us not to lick it off. What happened to the good ole days before we knew about the dangers of batter licking and snow cream......

I love this picture with her little hand on mine. There was nothing tender meant in this picture, she simply didn't want me to put the icing on and was telling me to stop.

This, That, and Emma Meets an Emesis Basin

Catchy title isn't it?



As I sit here at my desk in my pajamas at 1 p.m. with Mulan, Belle, Ariel, and the entire cast of The Princess and the Frog sit on my desk mocking me, I am reminded that sometimes plans just don't work out.



I was,and still am, fired up about the new year and getting organized and some other top secret plans. I had my week planned and just knew that my accomplishments would be many. Oh, plans, such fickle things.



Emma went to the ENT Monday to have her hearing checked and tubes evaluated. She didn't pass the hearing exam, partly due to the fact she didn't want to pay attention. We scheduled another appointment for today complete with a "special treat" when she payed attention. This girl is loving her some Hershey's Kisses and they were packed and ready to go. Meanwhile, upon looking in her ears, Dr. C saw the right tube in the canal and removed it, not without some kicking and screaming on Emma's part. Needless to say, she was very unimpressed with the whole deal and I'm sure would have been equally unimpressed today had she made her appointment. She did however discover that when the chips are down, nothing can pick you back up like Krispy Kreme doughnuts. That was "her" treat after the visit on Monday. I may or may not have eaten 1 or 4 of them.




Home to meet the cable/Internet/phone person to work on our wireless. It was all too crazy and Emma missed her nap, I got called to come to work that night if I could, Ashton had ball practice, Brady had something.....The list goes on and on.



I did work Monday night, but only until 1 a.m. so that wasn't too bad. My wonderful husband decided that it might be in every one's best interest for him to take Tuesday off to help out and thank God he did. We ended up with 6 boys between early dismissal from school until ball practice. Emma missed her nap AGAIN after going to school, Bo had to take a bus load of boys to a game after playing Mr. Mom all day. Emma and I decided to stay home and turn in early. Good decision on our part.




Yesterday was a repeat of the day before minus the work part and I was down to only 4 boys in between early dismissal and ball practice that I was instructed by Ashton ended at 4. Apparently there is some type of conspiracy. Ashton was the only boy on the team who wasn't aware that practice ended at 5 p.m. while his mom and sister sat in the car trying not to freeze. Interestingly enough, when all of the other parents began pulling in at 5 p.m. it became clear that my sweet, dear Ashton was clueless and I had just wasted an hour. Oh that sweet boy. And don't even consider texting your mother when you get a 30 second water break......




Rushed home, made dinner, cleaned kitchen, began to attempt to relax. Bo and Emma appear upstairs and suddenly she looks a bit green around the gills and as I comment on that, she vomits all over her and me and our bed and the screaming begins. NOT ME - her. She was not impressed with this particular bodily function and the fact that it had gotten on her favorite scrubs. We made it to the bathroom and a quick bath and it was nothing but mommas lap from that point on. During that time, I introduced her to the emesis basin and she became a champ. Poor kiddo was sick a couple of times after that and then the Phenergan suppository appeared and if you think the vomiting was bad, well let me just say......She was none too impressed with that at all. Luckily the vomiting subsided and she slept in my bed all night. She slept. I was on the receiving end of all the kicking. She has not been sick today and has managed to keep some soup and very dilute juice down. I'm hoping it was just a 24 hour thing and no one else has the privilege.




Alas, we ended up canceling our hearing test for day and will have to reschedule. I have used this day to attempt to finish laundry and clean while holding her and playing. She has been a bit melancholy and doesn't want mom too far from her sight. That's not such a bad thing....




As I have shared before, I have a constant battle between the desire to adopt again and the desire to maintain my sanity. I have looked at the pros and cons on both sides and I try to weigh them out. I don't believe that we are supposed to adopt again but it is hard. While Emma was in my bed last night and I was stroking her little cheek, she reached up so sweetly with her little hand and rubbed my cheek as well. I couldn't help but wonder if she had ever had anyone to rub her cheek or hold her closely when she was sick. It hurts to think that she spent 19 months of her life in an orphanage with no mom and dad. I choose to put it out of my head as much as possible, but in those moments of quiet it's there.





If you want to have your heart touched, please visit my friend Stephanie's blog. They say a picture is worth a thousand words. It might make you understand just some of the reasons why I struggle with the whys and why nots of adoption.

Happy 2011

Happy New Year!!



I have really been pondering the new year over the last week. It's so interesting to think that you have been given a new year with a fresh slate and more opportunity to improve in all areas of your life. I don't make resolutions because I personally think that is a waste of time, but I have my "goals" that I would love to achieve. I did put them in writing but I'm not putting a lot of pressure on myself. I think we do way too much of that.



So at the beginning of this new year I would just like to say how thankful I am for GOD giving me another year. HE continues to bless me and my family and even though I make so many mistakes and am often disappointed with myself, HE continues to love me. How incredible is that?



Okay, so enough sappy stuff.




I worked last night and it was not a particularly eventful New Years Eve and for that I'm also very thankful. I am too old for drama and craziness and love a night when I don't have to deal with it.




I did have the "opportunity" to deal with a bit of a attention seeking preteen who I'm sure would not want me as his mother. After listening to him for about as long as I could, he finally made a statement about leaving a tourniquet on too long and wouldn't that cause his arm to fall off. I told him that if I left it on too long (perhaps hours, days, weeks.....) then that could happen but I had no intention of doing that. He proceeded to inform me that if I did could I just leave it on his pinky fingers because they were useless anyway. HELLO. I had to immediately inform him that they were indeed quite useful especially when that was all you have. I told him my daughter used hers without much difficulty at all. He then asked me (in that annoying know it all voice) if she could play the piano. My reply "No, not yet but she's trying. Can you play the piano?" Uhhh. His answer would be no. I rest my case.





I had the chance to watch Extreme Couponing on TLC this week and have had some time to reflect on it. If you know me, I am a big time couponer, or at least I thought I was until I saw that show. I am apparently an amateur. I think the show attempted to portray the people as a little on the crazy side and that bothers me. However, I would probably think the same thing if I saw someone buying 1,000 boxes of cereal or causing the scanner to stop working because apparently you can't use over 1,000 coupons in one transaction.......They all seemed to thrive on having a stockpile and I think that's great. I have a much smaller version of one myself and hope to continue to get lots of free or almost free items. However, I can't imagine having that much stuff unless I was donating a lot to a food bank, shelter, etc. The person with the 1,000 boxes of cereal was doing that and that was great, the other lady....well, I'm not so sure about her. However if she lived nearby and I needed to borrow some toilet paper I would certainly know who to call.



On the coupon note, I did my year end tally yesterday and if my calculations are correct I saved $2,538 this year which was $3 less than last year. I also received $391 in rebates this year. I had imagined that I would take that money and save it for vacation, emergency fund, etc. but I didn't manage to do that. That is a goal for this year, but we shall see.




I enjoy couponing and the challenge of seeing how much I can save. I think it's crazy to toss away coupons when it's like throwing money in the dumpster. I realize that if it causes you to buy things that you wouldn't normally buy, then that is wasteful, however if those items are free or close to it then there is your deal. Yes, I have approximately 10 tubes of toothpaste right now and I have lost count of the body wash and deodorant, but I have 2 teenage boys so it's not going to waste. If you are not a couponer, then I encourage you to rethink it. It may take some time to clip them and decide where your best deals are, but in the end it's worth it.




Cory (Brady's best friend) asked me if I could teach him to coupon when he goes away to college. Apparently he was very impressed when he saw some of my loot recently and wants to learn the strategy behind it. It made me chuckle to hear a 17 year old boy talk about couponing.




So, enough already. I need to get busy. Apparently laundry and dishes don't take a New Years break.