All My Little Blessings...

The Family Dinner Table

2010-02-02T08:03:00.002-06:00

Funny thing about that Dinner Table... We use to never really sit together at it until just recently. My eldest child, bless her heart, has been on eternal groundation lately or at least that what it seems, Ha! Anyways, because of this, probably out of boardum she started helping me out with dinner more and more and then she decided that we were going to sit at the dinner table as a Family! What? I mean don't get me wrong we do sit there on occasion but for the most part, William and I sit in the living room by the TV, I know horrible parents that we are, and the kids sit at the table or by the TV as well. Sooooo..... for the last few weeks we have ate just about every meal together at the dinner table. Can I just say how very much I LOVE this!!!! And WE all do! If we don't for whatever reason the kids get upset by it. I am enjoying it so very much. We talk... even if it's about the silliest of things, we are trying to learn table manners. Which has been a fun learning experience for ALL.. Even dad who has had the privilege of doing dishes a time or two as punishment for burping at the Family Dinner Table. Which by the way the kids absolutely LOVE! he he he.... Mom has no problem with this rule so I'm good... Just saying! Anyways, a few weeks back we were discussing the fact that some of us were getting tired of the same old food that mom cooks. Yadda Yadda... So we decided that every Monday would be "New Meal Monday". Each person would take turns and go online or go through a cook book, however they choose and pick a meal we've never had. This has been really Fun! So last Monday we had Orange glazed Talipa and then yesterday Hailey chose the Spaghetti Pie, which was absolutely Delicious! The fish was really good too! But so far the Spaghetti Pie has been the favorite. I'm telling you the kids are loving this. They can not wait for their turn. Next week is Lauren's turn. She's so excited. I guess I will have to post each week what we have since so many of you wanted the recipe. I will try to do that. Unless it's yucky! He he he...

I guess what I really just wanted to share is there's just something about the Family Dinner Table that is so special. Ya know... before too long, I'll turn around and my time with the kiddos will be done and I'll be wishing I had some kids plates to fix. Sometimes I forget that! I get so wrapped up in all I have to do,get done and how tired I am that I forget just how little time I have with them. So lately I'm trying really hard to cherish these times like our Family Dinner Table because before I know it... it will be just William and I there at that dinner table. So I want to enjoy every minute that I can! I only wish we had done this sooner! There's just something to be said for the Family Dinner Table....

"These are the Children God has given me, God has been good to me..." Genesis 33:5

Finally Chirstmas Pictures!

2010-01-13T11:02:00.006-06:00

Christmas 2009

Just Us...

William and His Parents

The last few years we've been able to have a McGregor Christmas party. It's mainly the McGregor side of the family but my brother and his wife comes too. We always have a good time. William and I look forward to it every year.

One of our biggest and favorite Christmas Traditions is that we have a Birthday cake for Jesus every year. But this year we had a full out Birthday Party. The kids love it and they don't let me forget about it. I hope that this is the one they remember more than anything else. Because really this is more important than anything else. WE are celebrating His Birth!

"Transformers"

This was our big gift for the kids! It's been a HIT! With ALL of us! He he he...

Landon is big into Dinosaurs so this is his big present from us! He loved it!

I think this one was more for dad but whatever, they love it! he he he...

Waiting to open their Stocking....

Playing in the Snow....

Daddy's Christmas

Momma's Christmas! Yeah!!! :)

Ramdomness....

2009-12-03T22:25:00.008-06:00

Yea I finally got them to transfer to the computer. I don't know how but oh well.... I got them off the phone. Ha! Most of these are from Thanksgiving. We went to Oklahoma and visited William's family. We had a great time. We went to the Tulsa zoo one day and the kids had a gingerbread house contest as well. That was alot of fun! I also threw in a few of Drue, how could I NOT, Please! And one of Allen and his football trophy. He's still so proud of that thing, as it sits on my fireplace mantel. Enjoy!

Ok... sorry these are so jumbled up and not in order. I've worked on it forever and can't get it right. Sorry! It is what it is. But they are all there. You just have to figure it out. Somehow or another they got all mixed up. I'm pretty sure it wasn't me! Ha!

Jordan & Allen (they took 4th place for most Out rageous!)

Bryan & Landon (they took 2nd place for most original)

Zoo trip with Grandpa

Me & The Princess

They were all winners in their own special ways!

Me & William (duh)

Amy & Gary

Winner!

Gingerbread Contest

Hailey & Allie (They took 3rd for most colorful)

Lauren & Ian (They took 1st for Most Creative)

Little Monkey's

George & Carolyn

Lauren & Allie

Terrible Teen! Jordan & Hailey.... Ugh MOM, please...

Ian... excuse me that would be Fred, Bryan, & Allen... He he he

Thanksgiving Dinner! Yum Yum

Hailey & Landon

Me & Landon

Drue

Landon and "His" baby Drue

Allen and his trophy!

Crazy Blog

2009-12-02T17:21:00.003-06:00

Okay I'm really not crazy... but I really did write a whole lot more than that. Twice now and everytime I post it it deletes all but that little bit. So sorry! for some reason I can't tell you any more than that! ARGGGGG!!!!!!

Some catching up to do....

2009-12-02T15:24:00.005-06:00

Yipes! It's been a long time since I've been on here. So sorry! Facebook is to blame really... Most everyone is on there now and I forget about my blog. Well, that and the fact that I've just been a little bit busy too.... Here's a quick update with a few pics. I'm trying to figure out how to get the pictures off my phone too. If I do I'll post more pics later. Th

2009-10-05T10:25:00.003-05:00

My Hailey turned 14 yesterday! Can you believe it? Where did the time go? We had a busy weekend. She had a sleepover Friday with all some of her friends. Then we went to Six Flags on Saturday. It was fun! She's getting be be quiet he young lady I must say. William woke her up yesterday and told her she only had four more years until she had to get out! I was like William! That's awful, nothing like ruining mom's day. Of course he was kidding but I didn't think it was funny. Actually very sad when I think about that. Yipes it's going fast. 'Before I know it she will be gone. Anyways! Here's some pictures from the weekend.

More baby Drue....

2009-08-27T22:42:00.001-05:00

Drue Tyler Hamilton

2009-08-27T22:32:00.002-05:00

Here's my precious sweet nephew Drue... He was born August 19th at 9:13 a.m. He was 7 lbs 14oz and 21 inch long. He's truly one of God's most precious gifts....

My Brother... proud parents!

Proud Aunt (Best Aunt) he he he...

Oh I just love this....

Just a little bit angry! Pretty sure daddy did it....

My Cake....

2009-08-14T14:28:00.002-05:00

This is just a hobby of mine... I had been asked to post some pictures of the cakes I've made so here ya go... These are the ones I've made recently.

Caching up to do....

2009-07-27T08:13:00.005-05:00

Can you believe my Bryan just turned 8??? I know when did that happen.... But it did! We actually celebrated it while we were in Oklahoma at my in-laws house. We took him to see the new transformers movie, which he loved. Then we had cake and ice cream with them and his cousin Joseph. And had some presents. I think the biggest hit though was the Star Wars Lego set. Yes, he's are smart Si-fi nerd. He loves all that stuff. But that's okay he's going to be super smart and make more money than all of us probably. Ha! I can assure you he won't be the one who stays home with momma and lives in the basement! I won't let him! He he he.... Just saying! Anyways, he had a great birthday and is growing up way too fast. Yipes! What a Blessing he is to our family. I love him so very much! Happy Birthday Bryan!

Here we are fishing at Grandma and Pawpaw's house in Oklahoma. We had a good time. We all managed to catch a perch or two. Except Allen.... don't think he was watching very good or patient enough. Imagine that! Bryan caught his first fish though. He actually caught three but only was able to get one up out of the water, bless his heart. Lauren caught one too but Pawpaw threw it back in before I could take a picture. :( And of course Landon didn't catch anything... he just enjoyed caring his fishing pole and eating the pepperoni we were fishing with. he he he.... fun fun fun....

A couple of week ago we had my nephew, Joseph up for the week. He had never been to Six Flags. So I took him and the girls one evening over there. He had a wonderful time! He was funny... it was kind of scary for him but he sure had fun too. Despite it being 150 degrees. ha ha ha.... I think he thanked me no less than 500xs. That's all he talked about the rest of the time he was here. And he already asked if we could go back the next time he came. It was worth the sweat! He had also never been to a big water park so I took them over there one day too. He really enjoyed that too. So I was the best aunt for the week. He he he.... No not really he just lives out in the country and doesn't have the chance to do these things and I was just happy to be able to take him. We had a great time with him! We always do!

Ramdomness....

2009-07-11T17:57:00.007-05:00

Today my dad and baby brother came to visit. We had a wonderful time together. We haven't been altogether in several years so it was a nice day!

Leslie and baby Drue... I can't wait for my nephew to get here. Only about six more weeks I guess. Whoo hooo....

This was our trip to Glorieta, New Mexico. To get the girls from camp. The boys were outside playing and exploring down by the pond and playing up on this hill they called a Mountain. As you can tell they had alot of fun... by all the dirt on their little bodies....

This was Lauren when we picked her up at camp. This was her little friend she made there, Cambri. I guess they were best buds.

Lauren's counselors

Every morning after breakfast and clean-up the girls got to stand up on their chairs and sing silly songs.

Hailey and her best camp buddy....

Father's Day

2009-07-08T19:02:00.005-05:00

I know this is a bit late but better late than never huh? This is what we did for Father's Day this year. Well, he got a phone too.... But the kids wanted to make him something and this is what we came up with. The girls had done this years ago in Mother's Day Out so I just thought we'd do another one, just updated a little bit. They had alot of fun doing it. Dad loved it of course and yes he wore it all day Father's Day. he he he... Because he's a good daddy. It was a fun memory that's for sure.
And yes, we are so very Blessed to have such a Wonderful Daddy! He is the Best! In this day and time there's just not to many times you can say that, but I truly can say that I'm so very Thankful for My wonderful husband who truly is such a loving and Wonderful daddy! He adores each and everyone of them and loves them so very much! We are truly truly Blessed!

Hawaiian Beauty

2009-06-21T12:26:00.005-05:00

This was some of the Beauty we were able to enjoy while we were there.... Enjoy!

Back from Hawaii...

2009-06-13T10:12:00.010-05:00

Hey All! Well, we are home from our wonderful vacation! It was wonderful! It was a long trip though and we were all ready to come home by the end. We did alot in those seven days. I'll try to tell you about the trip. It's not posting the pictures in the order I wanted them. For some reason it keeps mixing them up. So I'll just have to deal with it. I'll just tell ya about it as I go. How about that.... I took over 300 pictures so I'll just share as few as possible ha ha ha..... What's a girl to do? So much to see....
This was our first hotel in Maui, Aston Kaanapali Shores. It was very nice. It was a condo. We had a kitchen and living room and washer and dryer so that came in very handy. We were able to save a little money that way. They outside was just beautiful as you can see.

Okay here we are on the Trilogy. This was our Sailing and Snorkeling day. We really had a great day. We got to see lots of great fish and even some pretty big sea turtles. Some saw a sting ray but we didn't. Personally I'm glad I didn't. I think I would have panicked a little bit, well I guess depending on how close it was. I guess he was pretty close to them. That would have scared me. But I loved seeing the sea turtles. Lauren and I had one swim right up to us. It was awesome!

Here's the girls being pure silly. We had to have this outfit ya know?

Here we are headed to the Luau. We loved it! It was great! The food was wonderful. With the exception of the poi. That is some nasty stuff. But we all did try it just to say we did. Disgusting! Just so ya know. Can't even describe it. Just nasty. But everything else was delicious. And the show was great! Everyone should be able to experience one of those.

Hawaiian Beauties....

Playin at the beach..... The beaches were so beautiful. Just pristine blue waters. You could see from your neck down. It was just Beautiful. I love the beach!

This is Akaka Falls. This was one of the things that I really really wanted to do while we were there, was see a water fall and man was it beautiful! It was even worth walking in the rain to see. It was misting rain and I was thinking man this is miserable but man was it worth it. That has to be one of God's finest touches!

We also spent the rest of the day at the Volcano. Wow! Did we enjoy this. There is just so much to see and do. We were not able to see the actual flowing lava because silly me only packed flip flops to save on room and you had to have tennis shoes. I so regretted that! But what can ya do. We did stay however and see it from afar and it was awesome. We got so lucky, they had to close the park the day after we went because the lava is getting to close to the top and is threatening to overflow. So if we had waited one more day we wouldn't have got to see it. This was really a highlight of our trip! I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it. It's just so interesting to see.

This was another Highlight! I must admit I thought it would be boring. But we ALL really enjoyed it, even the girls. William really really enjoyed it though. I'm so glad we did it. It's a neat part of history to visit and a must see if you ever get the chance!

This is the Dole Plantation obviously. This was alot of fun. We rode a train around the plantation and to see and hear about how they grow them. They have some beautiful gardens there as well. They also have a giant maze but it was way too hot and we didn't do it. The girls wanted to but we didn't do it. We did enjoy some of their famous Pineapple Ice Cream though and it was quite delicious, very sweet.

This is the view from our hotel in Waikiki. Isn't it beautiful?

There's just so much more but I think I better stop at that. I know I'm probably boring you all. I will try to post more again later. I do have some scenery pictures that I'd like to share. But I've been on here forever. So I'll work on that another day and just let you enjoy these for now. Have a good one. Aloha!

Little Updating...

2009-06-01T08:33:00.002-05:00

Hey All!

I figured I'd post an update before we left. We are super excited. We leave on Wednesday for Hawaii. Whoo Hoo!!! I'm can't even tell you how excited I am. We all are actually. I still have a ton to get done and ready for. But I'll get there! William's parents are coming in tomorrow to watch the boys for us. Anyways, we will be back June 11th. I will try and post some pictures as soon as possible. I will try to post some with Williams phone if I can figure it out. I'm not that savvy though. But I will try!

The kids are all doing well. This is their last week of school. The girls actually only go today and tomorrow. They get to miss the last two days because of our trip. But they are excited about Summer. Hailey is jam packed with camps. She will be gone the entire month of June. Yea I know it's insane. We get back from Hawaii on Thursday the 11th and she leaves for youth camp on the 15th then comes back on the 20th and leaves for camp in Glorieta, New Mexico on the 21st for two weeks and we will pick her up on July 3rd. She's gonna be on tired girl. It's just the way it all fell. And then she has one more mission week a little later in the summer. Yipes! I feel like she won't be here all summer. Oh well, the joy of teens, huh? The others aren't near that busy just VBS and playing. Thank goodness....

One more thing I wanted to share and then I'll leave ya alone... I had some exciting news that I wanted to share. Ya know I've been going to the gym and exercising and such for awhile now. I've shared several stories about that fun adventure. Well, back in January I started trying to work on my weight and such... Well I haven't really talked about how that's going but I wanted to share that. I usually don't like to talk about this kind of stuff but I'm proud of myself and I've been working really hard at it and I know several of you have asked. As of this weekend I have lost 50 pounds and this is horribly embarrassing BUT I was wearing size 30/32 and now am wearing 22/24! :) So I'm super excited at the progress I've made in just five months. I still have a long way to go but I know I WILL get there! I'm doing things I never dreamed I would or could do. I can run on the tread mill. Can you imagine? Holy Moly! Not for very long but it feels good to know I can do these things. I'm not having to sleep with my breathing machine anymore. It's just been a huge blessing! I just feel good about myself! I just really can't explain it. Anyways, I just wanted to share my news. Thanks so much to those of you who have been supporting me and encouraging me along the way. I can never tell you how very much that has helped! I appreciate it so very much! I love ya! Okay I'm off to Hawaii in a much thinner me! he he he.... Well, a little thinner! :)

Splash Bash Day.....

2009-05-22T16:50:00.004-05:00

Today was Splash Bash Day at the kids school. It's a fun day were they get to play in the water, basically. They have all kinds of different stations and water slides. It's alot of fun! They had a blast. :)

Lauren's Field Trip

2009-05-19T09:38:00.003-05:00

Last Friday, was Lauren's Field Trip day. We went to Fossil Rim. It was a Beautiful day. We had a wonderful time! We rode with another parent and so we got to ride in the back of her truck, that was fun. So when the Giraffe came up he just came right in there with us, it was awesome! They were loving it. He was fun! But I will admit I'm glad all field trip are DONE! Yea for Mommy! I enjoy them for the most part but after three or four I'm good till next year. We have just two weeks left of school and this momma is counting down the days. I can't wait for it to be done! Whooo Hooooo!!!!! We need a break! Anyways, here's a few pics, enjoy!

Hailey's new Boyfriend...

2009-05-09T06:41:00.003-05:00

.... oh my I'm not even sure where to begin with this one. he he he... Here's Hailey and her new boyfriend, Chad. He came and spent the evening with us last night. He was a pretty nice kid. Wow! I must admit that momma is not sure she's ready for this stage. It's kind of weird! He's a nice a enough boy but come on what boy will ever be good enough? Ha! It was funny and kind of cute, we went to Peter Piper Pizza and he was trying to win as many tickets as possible so he could get her a stuffed teddy bear but he didn't quite make it so she ended up with a giant blow up hammer. I must admit, it was cute to see the smile on her face. You couldn't wipe it off with a ten foot pole. He was quite a gentlemen too. He opened and held the doors and was very polite. I don't worry with her too much! She broke up with her last one because he asked to hold her hand. She told him that was disgusting and so that was it, don't talk to her ever again! So for right now we are good! I know that probably won't last for ever but I think we're good for a bit longer! He he he... Although having a daddy like William, that's in your face helps too! William informed him that anything he does to Hailey he'll do to him. The poor kid just smiled and looked at the floor. Right now I think it's just a name mainly but it's fun. He's a sweet kid! Oh I guess the fun has only just begun..... What happen to my baby girl? I want her back!

Landon't 1st Haircut

2009-05-07T11:24:00.003-05:00

Landon has been needing a haircut for sometime now. But I was really really dragging my feet on this one. There's just something about getting that first haircut. Ya know? It's like taking all the baby out of them or something and sure enough it happened! He went from baby to big boy in just a couple of minutes. I usually cut all my boys hair so I've been really debating on whether or not I could do his or not. But I also didn't want to go pay $12 flippin dollars either, I'm sorry I'm el cheapo! That's why I thought myself to cut the boys hair. It just gets way expensive when you have this many to do. Anyways, I did it and it was fine and it turned out really cute. He looks so big and cute! He did good too. At first he kept saying, "No mommy, I done!" "I no like haircut!" But he did good and was fine. A little figity but fine! Cute as a button! Little stink!

Before....

After....

Hailey's new do....

2009-04-28T16:06:00.003-05:00

Hailey got a cute new hair cut yesterday. She loves it! Heck, I love it. I wish my hair looked that cute. I'm not that brave. I'm too chicken. She looks so cute though. I have to brag on her too. She's been working on her weight too. She's lost 15lbs and went down to sizes! Whoo hooo. She was absolutely beaming when she left for school this morning. She realized she could wear some pants that were two sizes smaller! She looked super cute. As you see in the picture. Just wanted to share how proud I am of her... She's a beautiful girl and a joy!

A litte Modesty....

2009-04-27T12:38:00.004-05:00

Decency and Modesty.... Whatever happen to that??? Someone please tell me where we lost that? Okay, I think I talked about this before in another post as well but we are going to talk about it again! Most of you know that I've been working out at the gym again faithfully since January. I've been going several times a week so I need to use the Locker Room. Here in lies my problem. Why oh why do women feel it necessary to just walk around buck naked??? Please, please explain it to me!!!! Did I miss the memo on this??? Was there a letter that went out that said your not allowed to cover yourself with clothing or towels when you go to the gym locker room? I mean for the love of Pete! And what makes it worse, ninety percent of this nakedness is the sweet older ladys! Yea that's what I said! Runny around Buck Naked!!!! Comparing parts and undergarments with one another. It's just more than I can take and the conversations in the locker room, WELL, I'm just too much of a lady to talk like that! So... I've now decided, when I absolutly have too, yes I have to lock my purse up in the locker but no longer will I shower and change because I just can't take the nakedness flopping around! I will just go home stinky and sweaty! I just want to say, " Honey, it's okay to use that towel!" I mean for real... who does that? Even if I was HOT and I mean looked good, I couldn't just walk naked through a room full of other women. Please! It's okay to be modest and have some decency! Not everyone wants to see what you have. And how are you not suppose to see when it's running around all over the place. ARG!!!!! Gees O Pete!!! Just sayin!!!

Just for Fun.....

2009-04-15T14:29:00.005-05:00

These are pictures I took just for fun... This was the view we had from our trailer. As you can see I had lots of opportunity to just play and so... I did!

Camping at Lake Whitney

2009-04-15T11:35:00.004-05:00

This past weekend we went camping again, imagine that! Yes, that's our favorite family thing to do. We love it! In fact, when we got home Landon started crying and saying no no no... go bye bye go bye bye! Anyways! We always have fun! This was a beautiful spot. I love taking pictures as you can tell. I've decided I really love black and white shots. I played alot with my camera. I got alot of good shots though. I love the just natural ones, not posed. There the best! Some friends came out one evening for dinner and took the picture of our whole family for us. Lots of great memories!

Wonder what they are talking about?

Throwing Rocks

He still loves me...

Pure Cuteness

Contemplating what trouble he could get into....

Easter

2009-04-15T10:42:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from our Easter Egg hunts. The kids all had one at school and then we did one while we were camping too. Landon wasn't real sure about it but he sure enjoyed eating the chocolate. He loves his Chocolate!

Bluebonnets

2009-04-14T19:29:00.001-05:00

Bryan's Field Trip

2009-04-13T15:13:00.002-05:00

I know I have alot of catching up to do so I'm going to try and do that in the next couple of days....

This was last week... Bryan had a field trip to Dinosaur Valley State Park. We had a great day! We learned all about them and did lots of funs stuff. We got to hang out with his best buddy Simon too. Simon now thinks I'm a really "nice and smart" mom. But Bryan said I am only sometimes... Little stink! It was fun spending the day with just Bryan!

Spring Break At Lake Whitney

2009-03-26T11:57:00.003-05:00

These were from Spring break a few weeks back. We went camping of course.....

Special Day....

2009-03-06T13:18:00.003-06:00

Well... this was a special day a few weeks back but still a special day. You guys just have to bare with me. I just can't seem to keep up anymore. Anyways, I think I did mention in one of my last notes that William had won Manager of the Year and this was his big picture day and where all the area managers came in they gave like a little ceremony type thing. It was nice. I took the kids out of school for the morning and we all went up there to be with him on his Special Day! I'm so proud of him! He really has worked hard and deserves it! Anyways! They took this first picture of us and then emailed it to him. I thought it was a nice picture of us. Then I took the other ones when we got home. Of course, the boys didn't want to take pictures but oh well huh? Remember as reward for winning manager of the year they are sending up to Hawaii. So we have that all set up! WE are SUPER excited. We go June 3-11Th. We will spend three nights in Maui, three night on the big Island, and one in Honolulu. We can't wait to go. We were able to take the girls on Williams frequent flyer miles, he had enough free miles that we got them free tickets. And we didn't have to pay for their room. So we decided to take them. William's parents are coming to stay with the boys. So it will be fun. The girls are really excited too. So anyways...

Let it go....

2009-02-18T16:03:00.002-06:00

Okay... I know it's been awhile and that seems to be the new theme for me here on my blog. Sorry! :(

This is just one of those blogs that I just share my heart! Nothing cuties and fun just from the heart. A few weeks back I told you that God had been really working in my life and trying to teach me in new areas. He still is and man is He good! I'm so grateful that He's a gracious and merciful God, aren't you? Cuz man sometimes I think I just don't get it. He's really been trying to drill into this thick head of mine just how much He loves me. JUST for me! Not for who I think I ought to be or who I want to be but JUST me! Could it be that simple? I really think so! He's also been teaching me to just, "let it go." Man this has really been hard for me. For some reason, I want to just fix it all... But every time I turn around there He is again, saying "let it go, Misty. Just let it go!" As most of you know, the last few years very trying and difficult. I went through some things in my life that just rocked this little preacher girls perfect world or at least my idea of it. And to be honest I've had a very hard time knowing what to do with all of it. The pain is very real and very deep and at times just suffocating. But God has been telling me and showing me, in that ever small voice, "Just let it go precious one... let me have it, let me love you!" I wonder how many others of you know, exactly what I'm talking about? Don't you know God must feel much like we feel as parents? Why don't they just trust me enough to listen to me? I know He has my best interests at heart but for some reason I want to hold on to that hurt and that pain. Why? Why do I do that? Why can't I just let it go and let Him have it? I just know that, at this point in my life, deep in my spirit, something has to change. I have to trust Him, maybe in way that I've never trusted Him before. I think there's alot of us out there that feel this very same way. Something has got to give. There's alot of hurting people and we need God to save us, save us most of all from ourselves! So today I leave you with this... Know God loves you and You are His prize possession, not for who you think you should be, what you've done or haven't done, despite the many mistake BUT just for who you are! You do know, you've never gone too far, right? He loves you so much more than you can imagine! We just have to let Him!

Just let it go....

Phil. 3:13-14 "....Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal...."

Landon Josiah...

2009-01-29T16:21:00.004-06:00

These are Landon's Birthday pictures we had made today! He's did so awesome! I love them....

Mr. G.Q.

"Excuse Me! You want me to do WHAT?"

This one is our favorite

Just Chillin...

A little empish huh?

My Baby Brother got Married...

2009-01-27T11:05:00.003-06:00

My baby brother got married on Sunday. It was a sweet little wedding. I was a proud sister! I'm so proud of him and the man he's become. I couldn't ask for any better of a brother. He's truly one of my very best of friends too. I love him so very much. I'm so happy for him and his new wife. I know he loves her dearly! She's a precious addition to our family. We think she's a keeper for putting up with him, he he he... We went to a park after the wedding for some pictures and here are a few of that I took that are my favorites.

Mr. & Mrs. William Riley Hamilton

January 25, 2009

My Sweet Birthday Boy

2009-01-26T11:22:00.003-06:00

I know... I know... I can hardly believe it myself. My sweet baby boy is two! He turned two last Friday. Man where did the time go. It flew by, as I knew it would. It just seems to do that. I very distinctly remember saying how I wanted him to stay little because I knew how very fast he was going to grow up. And man has he. He's so stinkin cute it's just not even funny. I forgot just how much fun this age is, well and trying! ha! He's just like a little tape recorder following you around repeating what ever you say. It's so funny, for the most part. One of our favorite things he does though is, he's big into scaring you. If you go to the bath room. He runs and lays down outside the door and when you open it he screams and then just laughs saying, "i scare u!" It's so cute. He's quite the character. He loves Elmo and lately has decided that he's Cookie Monster. So he runs around pretending to eat up things like Cookie Monster would. We dare not miss Sesame Street. That's a sin around here. So mom has plenty on tape, for emergency situations. You never know when Elmo might make it all better. Poor thing didn't get to have a party for his birthday yet. We had planned on but we all sick so had to cancel it. He barely got cupcakes but at the last minute I made them. We ate cupcake at like 9:00 p.m. It was bad. But I felt so bad. At least he's little and doesn't understand. The rest of the kids are just appalled but he's okay with it. We've just been so sick, I haven't even been able to go get him a present. So we will celebrate it in a few weeks when we get better and are all germ free. I'll post more pictures of his actual party then. Since we sang to him that day. He's been singing. "Happy Happy to me!" "I tooooo" Did I mention how cute he is??? Oh okay! I guess I best run! The other pictures are just ones I took of him playing out in the yard on the play set. He loves it out there. Have a great day!

Take me away....

2009-01-20T08:44:00.003-06:00

Okay for all you mommies... You'll totally appreciate this and get where I'm coming from with this one. I don't know about you guys but I NEVER have a moments peace, not even in the bathroom. Not even if I have to, excuse me, for lack of a better word, poo! They just don't care! They are right in there right in the midst of it talking ninety to nothin.... and now Landon is the worst, God forbid I should be out of his sight. I might just leave him ya know. Are ya feelin me??? Well, we've been passing this stomach bug around and I just didn't feel well, so I decided try to take a nap but gave up after about the third time one of the kids came to ask a question or discuss something with me so then I decided to take a hot bath. It was at the end of Landon's nap so I took the baby monitor to the girls and said listen for him and get him if he wakes up. Well... I hadn't even got the tub filled when I hear the door knob rattling. I knew who it was because see he can open all the doors now so I bought those door knob locks for the bath rooms and outside doors. So he stands there and spins them. So I quickly turned off my water and thought if I be real quite he'll give up and think I'm not in here and go play. I know I'm a bad mommy. But instead this is what I heard...

Landon: whispering- "momma"; "Momma"; "Mommy"
Again but different in case I didn't hear the first ten times... "Moommaa";"MOMMA!" Spin, spin, spin, spin of the door handle.

Then I hear little pitter patter of his feet run off and I think okay good he gave up. But no, I hear him say, "Hey-Bear!" (that's what he calls Hailey, short for Hailey bear) "Hey-Bear mear!" "Hey-Bear mear!" But she gave him no response so he gave up and came back. I think he was trying to get her help to open the door but she wouldn't help him. So then, I heard him sit down by the door and then I saw his little fingers run under the door. I still never said a word. I know, bad bad mommy! Then this is what I heard...

whispering again... "o momma... I nee see u"
"o momma... pweez" "I nee see u"
tap tap tap on door ever so gently...

I was trying so hard not to giggle, be mad or jump up and open the door because he was so stinkin cute. But I really wanted just a few quite moments! I know I was being selfish!

still whispering and tapping ever so gently "momma, momma... pweez... i nee uuuu pweez momma!"

So what's a momma to do? I got out and let the poor baby in. I mean, it was bad, he nee see his momma! I open the door and he said, "o dere u r momma, I see u!" as he hugged me. What's a momma to do?

A New Year!

2009-01-15T09:45:00.003-06:00

I know... this is a little late but better late than never huh? Well, I'm not really the new years resolution type of girl. Never have been really. Nothing against it or anything, just every time I've given that a try by the next week or two... that's just shot right out the window and I end up feeling like a big loser. Ya know what I mean? Not to knock anyone who's into it, just not my cup of tea! All that being said, the week before the new year began. I heard a sermon out of Nehemiah 1 and then again the very next Sunday! Now, when you hear two sermons on the same passage from two different pastors, I don't know about you, but that got my attention, and I felt as though I best listen up. So... I've been really dwelling on Nehemiah 1 for several weeks and what I learned from the sermons. I thought I'd share that with you. In short, Nehemiah, took and assessment of the situation, then took ownership of it, then he made a plea to God for his help. Now, both applied this to life. One of the sermons I heard described Nehemiah as having a time of deep contemplation, a scoreboard moment. A time of reflection, seeing that things were not working and then he owned up to it. Does he go for the winning touchdown or play it safe and keep things the same, SAFE, in the comfort zone? That's where I find myself. Realizing that in alot of ways, I want to be safe and in my comfort zone, I've wanted to do things my way and it's not working for me very well. Essentially what I want is God to meet me in my box and tell him he can only work within that space, but that's not really how it works. Do I want 2009 to be the same as it was in 2008 or can it be better? I want it to be better. I want at the end of 2009 to be able to say that I'm no where near the same place I was at the beginning. I want to be where God is. It may not be where I want to be but that's where He's at and that's where I must be out of my box. I've come to the realization that I may not enjoy every step of this process but it's necessary. One of my very best friends reminded me that, isn't this all part of the journey? Yes, I think it is. Thankfully, I haven't arrived and I'm not perfect so He still sees fit to mold and shape me. So, for me I look forward to 2009, and the new that it brings. Sure there's alot of uncertainty and unknown but with God we don't have to fear. I look forward to what God's gonna do. I'm so Thankful... for his mercies they are truly new everyday! I hope you all are happy and Blessed in this new year!

A little bit of all....

2009-01-05T13:57:00.006-06:00

Hey Ya'll! I hope this finds all well! All is well here. This is just a little bit of all here. It seems like it's been forever since I've been on here last. I think it might have been. We left for my dad's the day after Christmas and spent the week with him. It was nice visit. I had major withdrawals from here and facebook though you guys. I'm just and old fashioned girl, you see. I don't have these fancy smancy phone things that you can do. Look at me I don't even know what it's called. So I had to go a whole week with out you guys and I had major withdrawals. It was sad, so sad. I missed you all! I really really did! Okay back to the more important stuff. he he he... We had a good Christmas. It just flew by. Man what happened. It was here and went just like that. I don't think I even knew what hit me. I had William's party but I think I told ya about that one. William and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on the 1st. Woo Hoo... We went to dinner and a movie. It was very nice. And yes with NO CHILDREN~!!!!!!!! Oh and I found out that I'm gonna be an Aunt. I'm so excited about that. My brother is having a baby. They just found out so still to soon to know anything but he's super excited. It's his first and I'm super excited. I'm gonna be and AUNT! That's way cool! :) Anyways, we've just been way busy the last few weeks. I'm finding it very hard to get back into the swing of things. The kids all went back to school today. I like things to be just so so and everything is so out of sorts I'm just a mess. I can't seem to pull myself together. Of course, you see where my priorities are. They lie with you all! At least, I have them straight right! He he he... I should really go and at least get the groceries put away before I have to go get the kids. Oh, about the pictures. Hailey took most of them. She love to take pictures and I let her play with my camera one day. I thought she did an awesome job. She took all of the black and white ones. She's starting a photography class here in a couple of weeks. She'll love it and I think she'll do well in it too. Have a great day!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-26T00:52:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas you guys! Well, I guess it's not actually Christmas anymore but it's only a few hours past now. I know it's late but I wanted to get these posted before we leave tomorrow. We are headed to Houston to spend the week with my dad. So anyways here we are. We had a great Christmas. I hope you all did too. The kids are so much fun aren't they? I had especially forgotten how much fun little ones are. Landon just had a ball. He was too cute! The big hit though was our family gift. We got them "Guitar Praise." It's the exact same thing as "Guitar Hero," almost except it plays off the computer and it plays christian music. So that's been the big hit of the day. Even with mom and dad. It's pretty fun, I must admit. It's alot harder than it looks too. Or at least for this momma. Guess I should have gotten some pictures of that huh? I'll have to do that when we get back. Anyways! I guess I need to get to bed since it's after 1:00. Hope you all have a great week and get to relax after this hectic week of Christmas. I will be! ;) He He He...... Or as least that's what I hope to do.....

William's 40th Birthday

2008-12-22T08:38:00.004-06:00

William turns the big 40 on the 29Th but we had a surprise birthday party for him last night. He was so surprised. I can't believe I was able to pull that off but I did. He was truly surprised. He had a great time. He kept saying it was his best birthday he's ever had. I've had several I love yous too. So I know he enjoyed and appreciated it. We had some really good friends come and family so it was very special. We also had a video made up for some of those who could not make it and he loved that, thanks Sharon! In fact, he watched again, as soon as everyone had left. He loved it! We had a great time. I'm exhausted. Being so sneaking is hard work. he he he... But very well worth it. You only turn 40 once. The look on his face was worth every grey hair on my head! Ha!

His Birth

2008-12-16T08:33:00.001-06:00

Birthday Boys and my sweet uncle Harold

2008-12-13T08:19:00.002-06:00

Hey Ya'll! How's it going? I hope this finds all well. I'm sure you are all just as busy as I am. It just seems to be crazy busy around here. With this and that to do, it just seems never ending. Anyways! I wanted to share a few photos with ya. My grandparents came in this week and spent the night with us one night on there way back home. They live in New Mexico. My brother came in as well to see them too. He and my pawpaw have birthdays just a few days apart so we celebrated their birthdays. I really enjoyed getting to do that. It's been a very long time since I've got to spend any time with either of them for their birthdays so I really enjoyed doing that for them. It was just a really nice visit. I love my grandparents so much. I wish they lived closer so I could see them more often. I don't get to see them very often maybe once a year if I'm lucky. So I really enjoy every minute when I do see them. Anyways, the last picture is of my sweet Uncle Harold well, great uncle. He passed away a few weeks ago. He was such a precious man! He was 76 and had a wonderful life. He lived in Texarkana so we got to spend some time with him while we lived there and really enjoyed the time we had with him. He was such a joy to be around. He was a very important part of my life and I will miss him terribly. But we know he's with Jesus and we will one day get to see him again. I look forward to the day I get to hug his neck again! I love my sweet uncle Harold! Anyways! I hope you all are Blessed and Healthy. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas filled with joy! I find myself getting stressed and forgetting what's this season is all about. I hope we can all take time to remember what it's really about. I love you guys! Have a great day!

74th Bithday!

33rd Birthday!

What happens when you mix a 22 month old, Albuterol, & Vaseline....

2008-12-03T16:07:00.004-06:00

Okay... I know it's been like forever since I've written on here. But we've been sick and that just wears me down. Anyways! Week before last Landon started with a stomach bug on Monday and then by Thursday I took him into the Dr. I was just concerned because he had it for so long. Come to find out he had a throat infection, probably strep, and double ear infections. I had no clue. He had no fever or nothing. I felt like hill. So anyways they put him on antibiotics. The following Monday evening he started running a 102 fever. Then on Tuesday started this real high pitched cough and still was running high fever. So I called the Dr. back and of course they needed to see him. So I said well, I'm gonna give him one more day. I mean he's on antibiotics still. Well, we were up all night. He started wheezing and really struggling to breath. Just about scared me half to death. I just about made a ER trip in the middle of the night. But I held out and took him at 7:00 the next morning. The Dr. really was debating on putting him in the hospital but because I had a breathing treatment machine he didn't send him and I think because the next day was Thanksgiving. But I had to promise to take him if he was not better. Of course, I told him if he felt he needed to go then I would go now. But he said we could try the breathing treatments from home. He felt like he had croup and the start of phenomena. So we got new stronger antibiotics and then ALBUTEROL ;( Okay, have you ever had a 22 month old on Albuterol. It's like putting them on speed. Not much sleeping and he went ninety to nothing. No kidding! It was insane! I was about to pull my hair out. He was like speed Gonzales. I mean I would come into the kitchen and he would be standing on the counters. He's never done that. Or standing in the middle of the tables or the high chairs. I mean crazy insane stuff. Well, Saturday night, we were playing cards with my in laws and I thought he was in playing with the girls. I here this scream so I start running to find this.... He had emptied an entire jar of Vaseline onto his body. Do you know what that's like? We had to laugh because if was quite comical but at the same time I was so frustrated. I had it out on the counter putting it on his hinny with all the diarrhea from the week before and I guess it was in reach. Well, he thought he'd just cover his body with it. His hair mainly. Have you ever tried to was that off of a baby. Yea, it doesn't come off. Especially a whole jar. We washed and washed and washed and washed some more. It was like an oil pit. But he was the softest 22 month old you've every felt. His hair though. OMG..... I washed it like 5000 times. Even tried dish soap. It's been four days and it still looks like I haven't washed it in a week. For the first two days it wouldn't even lay down. It just stood up all over his head. It's been crazy to say the least. But he is so much better and we avoided the a hospital trip. So I guess it was worth it. But I can't say I enjoyed it all that much....

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-11-19T10:43:00.001-06:00

Lauren's 10th Birthday!

2008-11-17T08:53:00.003-06:00

Our little Princess turned 10 last Thursday. She's now in the double digits. So very sad... :( She had a sleep over, which was fun. A little tiring for mom but fun. I'm just getting too old for that mess. It wasn't too bad though. They all crashed about 1:30 but the boys were up at 6:30. But I got to take a big nap so that was good. Except it really made me feel worse I think. I wish I had just stayed asleep. Oh well, anyways! She had a good birthday. Thursday night we took her to Peter Piper's pizza because no one but one girl had RSVP'd so we assumed no one was coming but the one girl. Well, not so and hour or two before they all started calling. (side note soap box: when did rsvp mean call 30 minutes before? I was just a wee bit irritated! I mean how rude can you be???) So we ended up with six girls showing up eight including Lauren and Hailey. I mean I was happy for her just not as prepared as I would have liked to have been. So we impovised. It worked out fine. She had a great time. She's really growing up. She's big into kitty's and butterfly's ans so she wanted a cat cake and that's what I ended up with. I thought it turned out pretty darn cute. All the girls really loved it. It was a big hit. All the fussing and worrying last week about what to get her and one of the girls bought her a "webkin" that was the hit of the night. She hasn't been of this stinkin computer since. It's a stuffed animal but it has a web site that you log on to and you have an interactive site with it. It has it's own room, you decorate it, you feed it, you play with it, walk it, just all kinds of stuff. I wish I had known about the dang thing. It sure would have saved me alot of money. Ha! She's liked her other things too but not nearly as much as the Webkin. Huge it with all the girls. Anyways! Here's a few pictures from the party.

So Silly

We're NOT tired!

Good Morning, Sunshine!

There's five girls on this bed! Four at the top and one at the bottom.

Truly a Wordless Wednesday...

2008-11-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

Just playin...

2008-11-03T22:52:00.004-06:00

Seems like that's all I'm doing these days is just playing and chasing after him. Little Stinker! My baby Landon is 21 months old. I can't hardly believe he'll be two in just a few short months. ohhhh.... I just want to cry. I knew this time was just going to fly by. And sure enough it has. In the last few months his personality has really blossomed and has just become quite a character. Being the last and the baby I thought all along that he would want to be babied and do things slower than normal but not so with him. He's wanted to be right in the middle of what ever is going on. He doesn't want to miss a thing. And he's defiantly no baby. He's become very independent. He can do it all! He can feed himself, as you can see. He just thinks he can do it all. He's talking so big and stating to really put sentences together. His most common one is, "where's sissy? lets go get er" or "i nee see her." (this is Texan toddler talk) He also misses daddy alot too. One day we had to watch out the window for him. Just in case he came home early. He's just been so much fun. He had so much fun at the Fall Festival's over the weekend. Of course, he just mainly wanted "mor cany pwez!" Didn't care a whole lot about the games just the candy. He had his first Hay Ride and he seemed to enjoy it. He wasn't sure what to think about that. He didn't seem to mind it to much until we hit a bump and he rolled over in the hay and then he fussed a bit about that. He really enjoyed the Bounce Houses though. What a mess... Elmo is our whole world right now. We love love love Elmo. Anyways! Just thought I'd update some on him. It's usually just about the bigger kids but today it's just all about Landon! Whoo Hooo...

Trick or Treat....

2008-11-01T09:41:00.002-05:00

I know, I know... I'm being a really bad blogger. I just have been busy. We had a garage sale last weekend. So that put the week before getting everything all ready and going through everything and then this week trying to recoup and put everything back to some kind of normal. Whatever that is supposed to be. Ha! But I survived and I think I'm done! Thank Heaven's. I'm even quiet proud of myself. Not only did I have a garage sale in which I was able to purge and get rid of alot of pure JUNK! I donated what was left of my baby stuff to some foster families and then the rest of my junk went to goodwill. I also took some of Landon's nicer baby clothes to a resale shop and traded them. So that was cool. I felt like I had a productive week. Actually got quite a bit accomplished. Ya know how it is. You don't always feel like you make a difference. oh well... Anyways! Also, another friend of mine got me hooked on Facebook. OMG... So I'm totally hooked and find myself always playing on there. Sorry! It's pretty fun too though. Here's a few pictures of the kids from last night. I took all of them but Hailey to a friends church, fall festival. They had a blast. Well, all but Allen. He was in trouble. I know big shocker, and couldn't participate. So he didn't have much fun but hopefully a good lesson for him. Landon was the best though. He had more fun. Although, he just wanted to dig in the candy buckets. He just wanted to skip the games and go straight for the candy. I got the cutest picture of him. It looks like he's looking to see if anyone is watching him or not. He had so much fun. They even had a baby bounce house and he had too much fun. I loved watching him. I didn't know what he'd do. But he loved it. His personality is really coming out lately. He's talking like crazy and he's so funny. He's just been so much fun lately. We've enjoyed him so much! Oh, and the scary mask! Yea the girls bought these scary mask to scare their brothers with. Well, it worked. Allen is now officially terrified of pigs. Probably will never be near one ever again in all his born days. Hailey has just tortured the poor boy with it. I had to step in yesterday and say enough. I mean you'd think he'd know who it is and not be scared but no, he's still absolutely terrified. To the point of blood curdling screaming and tears. I thought Landon would be scared but he just says, "silly girls." and laughs. Bryan doesn't say anything. He's trying hard to be really big and not be scared but he's not screaming. Sooooo... that's what I've had to contend with for the last few days. Well, I have to run. I have to get laundry done. In the midst of all this, the laundry has been badly neglected and so we are all fixing to go naked. Not a pretty sight, I might add. Hope you all have a great weekend.

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-10-22T08:49:00.001-05:00

Camping Again...

2008-10-14T08:23:00.003-05:00

We went camping over the weekend again... I know you guys probably get tired of hearing about our camping trips. So I won't bore you the details. Here's a few pictures I took. I didn't take as many as a usually do. My batteries were dieing and after awhile they all look about the same. Landon is beginning to enjoy the whole camping thing more, except the whole sleeping thing. I'm still pooped. It's hard to sleep with a baby. He really loved the glow sticks and walkie talkies. He thought those were the best toys ever. ha! Have a good day!

My baby is a teenager......

2008-10-06T11:42:00.003-05:00

My baby turned 13 on Saturday. I can't believe it. It was a bitter sweet day I must admit. I can't believe how the time has flown by. It really does fly by. We had a big day. She had her best friend spend the night and then we took them to Six Flags for the day. Let me tell ya, I'm way too old for that. Man I'm still tired. But it was fun. She had a blast though so that made it all okay, sore feet and all. It was Fright Fest too so she got double fun. She loved that, even though all three girls would grab on and hide behind me every time we'd even see one of them. Ha! It was quite comical. They insisted on staying to see it but were scared to death. Silly girls. I made her cake with that new fondant icing. It's pretty and not too hard to do but taste wise, not so good. Let me put it this way. Almost everyone pulled the icing off to the side. It's real gummy. It's just different. It's okay, it's just not mom's butter cream icing. So I guess all the rage is just for looks not taste. But it was cute. Hailey loved it. Did I mention she's a teen? Yipes! It's all down hill from here I guess or maybe the fun has just begun! he he... Guess we're fixen to find out!

Horrible Hair Day

2008-09-28T17:22:00.002-05:00

Last week Allen had a Horrible Hair Day. He picked this hair do out himself. He came in and told me exactly how to do it. One side had to be slicked down and one side sicken straight up in the air, MOM! So there ya go! And take a looksee at his missing teeth. He's so proud to be missing all his front teeth. Isn't he cute?

That time of year...

2008-09-26T08:48:00.004-05:00

Well, it's that wonderful time of year. That time when everyone and their dog is sick. Anyways, I went to my family doctor on Wednesday just because I felt like crud. Just like sinus junk I think anyways, while we were there he said that he felt like it was going to be a really bad year. He said he was already seeing a ton of junk and really earlier than usual. So he would suggest some things that might save us some headaches and office visits. He suggested upping all vitamins and trying to boost our immune systems. Taking 3000 mg Vitamin C (Kids only1000) and also taking Vitamin D-3 2000 units. He also said drink some of those vitamin c immune boosters ever once in awhile and alot more orange juice. He just said it didn't hurt anyways. We already took alot of vitamins but now we really do. We left his office and went to Sam's and loaded up. I mean heck, I don't think it hurts anything and if it's even it gives me the slimmest of chances of keeping us healthier I'll do it. My kids think I've lost my mind. They are taking three vitamins every morning now and some are taking a allergy stuff too. I'm kind of a freakazoid about sickness anyways. I've already started bleaching all of our dishes and spraying Lysol as often as possible. It just seems like once we get something we can't get rid of it. So I try my best to keep from it. Just thought I'd share that tid bit of information. I know a few of you do the more natural foods and stuff. Is there like a protein shake or something, I could make to boost our immune system too. I mean one that we would be able to drink and hold down. Ha! I'd just rather try stuff like this than have umpteen office visits and antibiotics. I'm up for trying it. Can't hurt! :)

Trash Bash

2008-09-21T14:59:00.003-05:00

Lauren is part of a group at school called CEO. It stand for "caring for earth and other's." They do all kinds of community things. Yesterday was Trash Bash Day. They went down to the Trinity River and picked up trash. Lauren really enjoyed it. This is right up her alley. She just thought this was a great thing to do. The boys... not so much... they pretty much thought this was stupid. Well, not Bryan, he was into it for about twenty minutes and then he was done but Allen thought it was pretty dumb from the get go. I tried to explain the importance of us helping cleaning up but he still seem to think this was the stupidest thing he had ever been apart of. Ha! Imagine that. But the rest of us had a good time. Especially Lauren! And we got alot of trash cleanup!!!

Results...

2008-09-11T08:39:00.002-05:00

Hey All!

I just wanted to let you all know how the test results turned out today. Everything came back fine and normal. They found nothing wrong in any of my tests. And the EEGʼs still found no seizure activity. Sooooo 17 tests and $10,000 later (Ha!) he diagnosed me with Migraines. He felt confident that my vision problems are a type of migraine. He said that in the very beginning of this whole thing but he said he just needed to rule out any bad stuff too. He put me on some medication (Topamax) to stop the migraines all together. He feels at this point that the Vertigo has nothing to do with this and that it just so happened at the same time. I see the Vertigo Dr. next Tuesday. He said that they should be able to fix it fairly quickly and easily. He felt confident that they would fix it and that I would almost immediately go back to normal. Whatever that is. Ha!!! Iʼve been dizzy for so long now that I may not know how to walk normal anymore. Ha! Joking aside, I will be so thankful to have the vertigo gone. Itʼs not fun! Anyways! Thanks so much for all your prayers. I really had a huge peace about it all even when all the scary diseases were being thrown around, I was really at peace. I know thatʼs only God! Iʼm thankful for the good report and that they finally have reached a conclusion. Thanks again for all the support. Itʼs nice to know that you can have friends and family who will intercede on your behalf in times of need. I love you all so very much! Hope your having a great day!

Hello....

2008-09-05T16:12:00.002-05:00

Hey there guys! Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. No big excuses, I guess, just life. Several of you have asked about my tests. I did have the Spinal Tap and the 72 hour EEG done last weekend. The Spinal Tap was so not a big deal. It was way easier than I had thought. If you've ever had an epidural, a spinal tap is a walk in the park. I was so panicking and worrying about that test but the day before I had it, the Lord just gave me a peace about it and I wasn't scared at all. It was a breeze. The EEG wasn't a big deal either. It just was a huge pain in the neck. By Monday I was more than ready to have it off. Anyways! I go back to the neurologist this next Wednesday the 10th for all the results of the test and to see if they've figured out what's going on with me. I'm not worried about it. What ever it is good or bad it's all good. God knows and He knows the plans he has for me. It won't be too much for me to handle. I'm just in hopes that they are able to figure it out and get to the bottom of it. I can't afford many more tests! he he he... Anyways! We're all good. It's been, as expected, a rough go with Allen starting school. He's had a rough time of it, so that makes it hard to deal with. But the others are all doing really well. Hailey's 13th Birthday is coming next month and so she's making big plans or trying too anyways. I can't believe it. Wow! Where did the time go? Well, I have to run. Just wanted to update you all. Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. I'll let you know what the Dr. says next week. Have a great weekend!

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-09-03T08:30:00.003-05:00

First Day of School....

2008-08-25T09:17:00.002-05:00

Today all the kiddos went back to school! It was a bitter sweet thing for momma. I enjoy the little bit of quite but I do miss them too. Hailey went off to Junior High today. :( That was kind of sad. Exciting too but more sad. I can't believe she's growing up so fast. It's not fair. Before I know it she'll be in High School. Another big one was Allen. This was his first day of Kindergarten. Yipes! He was so stinkin excited it was just contagious. And yes, we did warn his poor teache profusely! he he he... I can't wait for them to get home and hear all about their day. Lauren started 3rd and Bryan started 2nd grade. Don't expect much trouble out of them. Wow! They are all growing up. Poor little Landon is all by himself. He's called for his sissy a couple of times and put his hands up, like he just can't find her. He'll have to adjust to just mommy. I'm sure he's up to something now! Ha! Just wanted to share the photo's of the first day all in their new clothes. They were equally excited about the new clothes as going to school. Ha! Hope you all have a great day!

20 Months....

2008-08-23T12:11:00.003-05:00

Oh my, how time flies. I can't hardly believe my little man is 20 months old today. He's growing and changing so fast. He's a little stink, I must admit. I really thought that he being the fifth, he would be laid back and let everyone do for him. Well not so for him! He wants to be right in the mix of things and doesn't want anyone to leave him out. He's developing his own personality and it's so stinkin cute. The big kids are always playing like animals, mainly dogs. So the other day I could hear this tiny voice barking. I hadn't heard that one before so I went up to see what was going on and it was Landon, on all fours crawling around barking, right along with the rest. It was so cute. He's just talking like crazy. He's pretty smart too, I must say. He wants things to be just so. If he spills something, he must go get a towel and clean it up and he doesn't want you help. He's even tells me most of the time when he's pooping or peeing. My others didn't tell me this early but he defiantly does and he wants it cleaned up too. I think I will get him a potty pretty soon, since he knows what he's doing. He also insist that he be the one to put his diapers in the trash, he gets highly upset if I won't let him. Any kind of trash he comes across he must put it in the trash can. If he the door to the trash is closed he pushes under the door. Pretty smart, huh? Funny how you forget how much fun and cute they are at this age. Well, for the most part that is. We are starting into the terrible two, I think. But not too bad so far. Fingers crossed! he he he... He's growing like crazy. He's at 25lbs. He's eating me out of house and home. His favorite thing is cheese. The boy is now eating a whole sandwich by himself and then what ever else I give him to go with. He just age a whole pb&j sandwich, cheese, half a bag of Cheetos, an 6-7 grapes. The other night I grilled chicken breast and he ate 3/4 of one by himself plus his veggies. The boys a human garbage disposal. He likes to eat. Guess he got that honestly. He was going through a real picky stage but in the last few days, he's started trying and eating alot more different things. I'm gonna have to get a job before too long though to feed this bunch. I wish I were joking! :) Anyways! I just thought I'd share a little bit about him. It's been awhile. Here's some pictures of my little brown eyed boy!

Little Updating...

2008-08-22T07:34:00.002-05:00

Hey All! I just thought I'd update you guys a little bit. I finished up all my tests and went in for the results yesterday. At this point we still don't have any ideas as to what's going on. So he's ordered another battery of tests. Whoo hooo..... I still have the "Vertigo." Tomorrow with be two weeks. It's no fun! So he's sending me to a specialist for that and an eye specialist as well. I have to do another 72 hour EEG and a spinal tap. I'm so freaking out about that. I hate hate HATE the spinal tap. It's horrible!!!! But he feels it's very necessary to figure out what's going on. He's also going to be testing me for Autoimmune diseases like Lupus, MS and several others. Sooooo I'm still just in limbo not knowing what's going on. My in-laws are going to try to come in next week to help us out. We are just desperate for some help. I still can't drive and William keeps having to take off work because we just don't have anyone that can help. Soooo they are going to try and come in next week so I can have the next round of test. I have to stay in bed for 48 hours after the spinal tap. So we really need their help. Anyways! We are frantically trying to get ready for school too. They start Monday. They are all pretty excited. Hailey's nervous but excited. It's been really hard to try and get them ready with me not able to drive. I still have a few more things left to get like school supplies but we're almost done. I just have to wait for days that William can take me. Thanks to all of you that are praying for me. We were grateful for the good news of the MRI and CT coming back clean. I think both of us were a little bit nervous. But they were good as far as no bad stuff. Oh yea, and another good thing was that he found no seizure activity so at this time he's not putting me on medication. Yeah!!! I was sure he would and I so did not want to do that. So that was a great thing. Anyways! I guess I'll get. Back to doing nothing... Sleeping an ungodly amount... The medicine for the "Vertigo" knocks me out. So I'm sleeping all the time. It's crazy! I was grateful for the sleep the first few days but now it's miserable. I feel worthless. I can't do too much because then I get nausea's and start throwing up. So it's just been crazy. Thank goodness for the Olympics, which I love! :) Okay, I'm really going now! Talk to ya later! I'll try to post some pictures later!

Vertigo...

2008-08-15T20:30:00.002-05:00

Well, as if I needed something else to mess with... I have somehow managed to get something called Vertigo. Oh... Let me tell ya how much fun this is. Ya know that feeling you have directly after you get off of a merry-go-round, like your head is still spinning but your body is standing still. Well, that's Vertigo. Somehow or another my equilibrium is out of sorts, I guess. Well, that's what they are treating me for at this point anyways. Last Saturday day I woke up with this feeling of dizziness and spinning and it has progressively gotten worse. It's a horrible feeling. I can't drive and I feel like an absolute drunk person. I told William this morning that I just want to hold my head still. Even when I close my eyes, I'm spinning. It never stops! It's maddening!!!!! I feel like I seriously am losing my mind. Seriously!!!! I wish I were kidding. My perception is way off so just doing simple things is insane. Like taking a shower this morning was brutal. Anyways! They have put me on medication but so far I've seen no difference. And of all weeks to get this, being the week before school starts. Ahhhhh!!!! Oh well, I will survive or at least I hope so.. he he he.... I had my sleep deprived EEG done last night. I made it though. It wasn't as bad as I thought. The medicine that they put me on knocks me out. So I took one of those and slept almost four hours yesterday afternoon and then another hour or so last night and so I was pretty good. I got pretty sleepy about 5:30 this morning but I made it. I watched 27 Dresses. It was a cute movie. William rented a bunch of movies so that's what I did to stay awake. If I'm watching a movie, I won't go to sleep. I don't want to miss it. So that was a big help. Of all things we had a storm blow up and our electricity went out for about an hour at 3:00 am. So that was a little tough. I can't really read because I can't really focus and it was too dark to read by candle light anyways. So I had to just pace the house for awhile. It ended up being some good prayer time though. :) Anyways! I best go. If I focus too long on one thing it makes me a nausea's. I wish you guys could see me. I'm typing this with one eye open. Please, forgive me if it doesn't make sense or if I have lots of errors. It's the dang craziness. :) I'll try to get with ya later in the week. Hope you all have a great weekend!

My Baby....

2008-08-12T11:26:00.002-05:00

My goodness... where has the time gone? My baby is growing up guys. Yesterday I had to take Hailey to the Junior high for her orientation thing. She got her schedule, lockers, etc. I have so many different emotions with this new part in our lives. I'm excited for her but at the same time nervous and scared for her. As we walked her schedule yesterday and practiced her locker combinations it made me sad and yet very excited for her too. This is a whole new chapter in her life. She was dreading going back, I think she was just nervous. But since she got to see how it will work yesterday, she's now more excited. I'm probably more nervous than she is. It's just all part of it I guess,huh? I know I can't keep her a baby but man do I want to. She's certainly not a baby anymore being that she's almost as tall as me at 5'4, size ten shoes and only 12 years old. I think she's going to be very tall like her dad. But that's great. I always wanted to be taller, like 5'7. Anyways! Back to the subject. She's in athletics and hopes to get on the Volleyball, Basketball, and track teams. If not this year then hopefully next year. She got in Theater Arts and Photography. She's really excited to take those classes. She still loves animals and has always wanted to work with them in some way. So she started volunteering at our local Animal Shelter. She loves it! I can totally see her running one herself one day. She's totally into that sort of thing. She has a very tender heart with animals. She's just as happy caring for them as she is playing with them. And she doesn't mind the nasty part of it. I don't think I could. It grosses me out. Yuck! She's just growing up and I guess there's nothing I can do about it. Just pray and pray hard! I can't believe how fast this time has gone. Seems like just yesterday she was a baby. Where did the time go???? I pray these are great years for her.

Testing....1..2..3.. Testing...

2008-08-08T15:01:00.003-05:00

I just got back from my testing a little bit ago. I had a MRI done and a CT. Let me tell ya, it is not fun. I had the CT done first. It wasn't too bad it just was uncomfortable for a fat chick. Well, okay let me back a bit. I couldn't wear my bra because it had metal clips in them so I had to go without. Well, for a fat chick with size triple F boobs that just doesn't work so well. Ya see, the only time my bra is off is when I'm in the shower. I just can't let these bad girls loose. It's just no fun. Soooo... here I am trying my best to lay flat on my back and not move, all that while trying not to suffocate. And because the girls were loose my arms wouldn't lay flat so I had to suspend them in mid air "reaching for my ankles," she said (yeah like I can reach those) for the next 20 or so minutes. Then she says, "now don't open your eyes. Keep them shut." But she doesn't tell me anything about what's fixin to happen. Next thing I feel is my shoulders being squeezed into what seemed like a tiny hole and then lights flashing but I can't open my eyes. That's a very scary feeling when you can't see what's going on. Dang at least they could say this is what's going to happen. I know I didn't breath for the first five minutes. I was sure they were sucking out my brain or something and they just weren't going to tell me. Ha! Wonder if they can tell if your crazy or not? He he he...Then she injected me with some kind of contrast stuff and that made my whole body feel very hot. It didn't last long but still very weird feeling. Then onto the fun one. On the way they said, "go ahead try to use the bathroom because we put all those fluids in you and the MRI takes about an hour." So I did. Then I was taken into another room with this very large machine that sounded like it was ready to take off. She me told to lay on the table, yet again no bra and flat on my back. Uhh Hello! Luckily because I am a fat chick I got an open MRI machine but it's still not really open. You can just see a little light from the sides of you. They strapped my head in like one of those Hannibal Lector masks and put ear plugs in and sent me in. I swear they were just trying to make me have a seizure or at best the worst migraine you've ever experienced. If you haven't had the joy of experiencing a MRI, it's like someone is standing on top of the machine with a jack hammer and sledge hammer just beating the heck out of it. And they want you to be very still and not move one muscle for the next hour. It was okay for a little while but then I'm telling you a girl with these size boobs can't be like that for this period of time. My shoulders and arms finally went to sleep and were just burning and hurting so bad. I was just praying, "please God make it stop or just let me die now." I swear if I ever have to have that done again, I'm just going to tell them to shoot me or cut my boobs off first. It's just pure torture. My chest and arms are still burning. They may not recover for a week. They are just not use to such freedom. Anyways! Thank God that's over. Best of all, my prize for being so good and still was a pounding throbbing headache. Whoo Hoo! Now next Friday I have a sleep deprived test to do. I can't believe they expect me to stay awake all night. They have lost their mind. I sure hope I can do it. I'm way to old for this. My eyes start wanting to close by nine or so. It's gong to be another torturous test for me. I'll have to go rent a bunch of girly movies to watch. Then I get to wait another week for results. At which time, I'm sure to tell me yes your a loon, here's some medicine, go home. Just sayin....

Busy Busy Days....

2008-08-07T09:22:00.004-05:00

Man has it been crazy here. Just seems to be never ending. It's that time of year that we all have dentist, optical, and Dr. check-ups before we head back to school. So it's been insanely busy here at my house. We only have just a little over two weeks till school starts. It starts on the 25th. What happened to Summer? It went so fast. So now I will have to focus on school supplies and clothes. Yipes! I've tried to pick up some when I find things on sale but I don't have much. When you have four to buy stuff for it's insanely expensive. So I'm stressing over that a little. Plus we've had many Dr. bills as of lately. Lauren has been having migraine headaches for the last year or so, but they have been increasing. So I took her into the Dr. and he put her on medication and scheduled a CT scan just to rule out any bad stuff. I've been having a few problems as well and so I am having a MRI and CT scan tomorrow morning and then a sleep deprived EEG done next Friday. I have seizures and so they are thinking that these are just a type of seizure activity. So I'm quite sure they will put me back on medication for that. Sooooo it's just been one thing after another. I took them in for their eye exam and poor Bryan was half blind. So he got glasses, which he was thrilled to death about. Allen was none to happy. He thought he needed some too. He had to have a big cry about the whole situation. Not fair that Bryan got something he didn't, I guess. So today when I picked them up, Allen said "well you just look like dork anyway." I guess he's still mad over the whole thing. I don't think he looks like a dork at all. He's pretty cute. Anyways! Hailey started volunteering at our local animal shelter and she just loves it. I'm so proud of her. She's just growing up way too fast. She wants to do something in the line of animals so this is right up her alley. She wants to be a Vet but not go to school that long. So we'll see how that goes. But she would be good at it. Anyways! I guess that's about all that's new here. Just the daily grim... Hope your having a great day yourself.

Lauren's 1st Cheer & Dance Recital....

2008-07-30T23:27:00.010-05:00

A few weeks ago Lauren went to cheer camp. They did tumbling, cheer, and dance. At the end of the week they did a recital for us. It was so cute. Lauren hated the dancing part but I thought it was cute anyways. She's the one with the braids, who is messing with them the whole time. She loved the tumbling and cheer but the dance she said she was no interested in at all. Although she loves to watch "So you think you can Dance" and she might want to do that one day. She said it was just too embarrassing. She was so nervous but she did a good job! She's enjoying the cheering though. So I guess she'll be our Cheer Leader girl. Big surprise, I know... He he he... Drama Queens and cheer go hand in hand. On a side note, how long has it been since you heard "Hey Mickey"? Love it!

Boy's are from Mars...

2008-07-28T11:30:00.002-05:00

Okay! Really I think, at least my boys are from Mars. I just can't seem to figure them out. Lately they are in to dressing up. I mean they will even invent costumes if necessary. But last Friday we stopped at a garage sale and found these two costumes. You would have thought they had died and gone to heaven. They will even sleep in them. NOT joking! In fact, I have to force them to take them off to be washed. Yuck! I guess this is just a boy thing. I don't know, or maybe mine are just imaginative. They just love it! If they don't have a costume to put on then they will dress up like cowboys or something. It's so silly. But I will admit it's pretty cute to see Spiderman sitting at the table eating lunch or reading a book. He he he....

She's Gonna Blow....

2008-07-22T10:11:00.005-05:00

Okay Girls.... This is a must read for all mommies! I won this book last year at a women's bible study but never even took one look at it. I just put it on a shelf and there it sat. Well, lately I've just felt like I'm gonna lose my mind. Ya know the days you feel like you just are going to seriously run away and never come back or the day you might seriously hurt one of your children. I think we all have those days! Anyways, I came across this book and thought well what the heck, the title seemed to grab my attention since that's exactly how I felt. So I've been reading it and OMG. It's the best book. She relates us moms to volcano's, Mount Momma, getting ready to blow. And how right she is. It's really a great read. She explains the different types of eruptions and the danger and effects they leave on our kids. It really has shed light on me as a mother and how much more I need to be in prayer about it and my children. I'm going to share a little bit of it with you. It really hit home and made me stop dead in my tracks....

"God is kind, slow to anger, merciful, gracious, righteous, abounding in loving kindness, a stronghold, a shield, protector, a defender of the weak, perfect, sure, pure, true, gracious, strong and good. Will my children be able to believe the truths about God as a result of their earthly mother's life and behavior? As mother's, we are the living, breathing, "in your face" examples of Christ to our children. Only as we ground our life in the solid bedrock of God's truth do we have any hope of turning fiery Mount Momma into something beautiful, nurturing, and inspiring."

Wow! Does that touch your heart like it did mine? It broke mine to be quite honest. Knowing that I've failed at it miserably. I think I forget that we as parents are the main picture of God to our children. How I act is a direct portrait of what they think God is like. That's pretty scary actually. God has Blessed us with such wonderful gifts and He wants us to enjoy them and for them to enjoy us too. I know how busy you all are, I'm just as busy. But if you can find time at all you must read this book. It's a fun book too. She's quite witty. You can find it at any Christian ("Lifeway":) Bookstore,I'm sure. I'm thankful for a God who's gracious, kind and forgiving for all the mistakes I've made and will make as a mom. But I know that He's continually working in me, daily, to help me be the best mom I can be. Thank You Jesus! I love you guys and I just wanted to share this little tidbit. Sometimes we just need a little boost to return the joy back into being a MOM! It is a the greatest privilege ever!

Bryan's 7th Birthday!!!!

2008-07-19T12:19:00.003-05:00

Today is Bryan's 7th Birthday! We have just had little birthdays all week. Thursday we had cupcakes and he opened a few presents with his cousin. Then this morning we had some more cake and opened the other gifts. He's had a good Birthday. He had asked for a Spiderman suit, he loves dressing up, so we got him that and a Game Boy with some games. So I haven't heard a word from him since. Ha! So he's in hog heaven. I don't expect him to move from that spot all day. He's a game nerd. I swear they just suck him in. He completly tunes everything out and is completley focused on his games. It's insane. Anyways! Here's a few shots of him. Have a good one....

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-07-16T09:20:00.002-05:00

The View.....

2008-07-15T10:55:00.003-05:00

The older I get the more I enjoy the world God has given us to admire. Sometimes it's just breath taking. These are some of the views from our trip. I'm sure I didn't do them justice but I wanted to share them anyways! :)

This is the Prayer Garden at Glorieta. It's absolutely Breath taking...

View of White Sands from the mountains.

This was taken in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Can you find the mountain they call the "Sleeping Lady?"

More vacation shots....

2008-07-10T13:13:00.003-05:00

Landon & Mommy at white sands. This was the only moment he was actually out of the car. He was so not impressed. So he and daddy stayed the car where he took a nap.

Lava Rock, in Carzozo, New Mexico

This was actually very cool to see. We had never seen lava. There were miles and miles of it. It was interesting. I didn't know how pretty it could be. You wouldn't think of lava as pretty but I thought it was.

Big Texan Steak House

Cadillac Ranch

Playin in a creek up in the mountains

Freezing...... They didn't last but just a few minutes and resorted to throwing rocks in the creek instead. he he he....

White Sands

2008-07-10T09:02:00.002-05:00

I love this shot... It wasn't perfect but her face is priceless.

We're Home....

2008-07-09T09:43:00.002-05:00

We made it home... We are back from our family vacation. We had a great time but sure was glad to get home. We were gone eleven days and the last few were hard. Landon had, had enough and it's crazy being stuck in the car with six kids. I thought I might loose my mind. I seriously considered drugs. Ha! For me and them... Anyways, we first went through Amarillo, Texas and had a great time. We took the kids by the Big Texan and then out to Cadillac Ranch. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a bunch of Cadillac cars buried in the ground and you can come and spray paint them. The kids thought that was way cool. Then we headed into Glorieta, New Mexico. It was absolutely beautiful. Perfect weather the whole week. Like 70's weather. We went up into the mountains and played in the creek one day then we took a trip into Santa Fe one day. It was nice there too. Then we headed on to my grand parents home in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Lot's a trips down memory lane. I loved it. I hadn't been there since I was a kid so I had a great time. We stopped by some lava rocks, went by White sands, and went to the space museum there as well. The kids really enjoyed all of them. Over all we had a great time. Although, Landon was ready to be home about three days ago. He was worn out. I took tons of pictures, like 200. So I'll post more later. I sure missed keeping up with all of you guys. I can't wait to read every one's blog and catch up.

Glorieta, New Mexico

White Sands, New Mexico

Space Center in Alamogordo, New Mexico

Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas

Cadillac Ranch just outside Amarillo

Vacation & Family....

2008-06-27T06:37:00.002-05:00

Good Morning... We had one of William's sisters and her kids in this week. It was so nice to see them. We had not seen them in over a year, so that was a nice visit. Ian her youngest had a birthday while they were here and so we did some cupcakes one night and William's aunt came out to see them too. Of course, the kids loved and enjoyed seeing their cousins. They hated to see them go. Anyways!

Hailey went to Glorieta last Sunday. I miss her terribly. They post pictures of her on their web page so at least i get to see those. She looks like she's having a great time. This is the longest we've ever been without her. We will pick her up on Friday the 4th. I miss my baby! :(

We are heading out in the morning for vacation. Yeah! :) We will be driving up and staying next week in Glorieta, New Mexico for the week and then on Friday once we pick up Hailey we will be going to my Granny and Pawpaw's house for a few days. I'm so excited! I haven't been there since I was a teen. I see them almost every year but I just haven't been to their house since then. So I'm so so so so excited. I always loved it there. They live at the base of the mountains in Alamogordo, New Mexico. It's desert there but it's just beautiful. I will have tons of pictures to post when I get back. Well, I have to run! I will see you guys in two weeks. Hope you all have a wonderful week. Happy early July 4th!

Jordan, Ian & the kids

Amy & Aunt Karen

Ian's 6th Birthday

Landon REALLY enjoying his cupcake & subsequent Bath!

New Room....

2008-06-24T08:25:00.002-05:00

Good Morning! Well, I have been busy the last few day decorating the girls bedroom. Well, with the mujch needed help of friends too. I had never really done anything with it. So we finally go around to it. It turned out really really cute. They love the polka dots so we went with that and made it a little bit older girls room. I surprised them. They had no idea I was doing it. Well, Hailey still hasn't seen it. She is at summer camp. But Lauren came home last night and she loved it. Of course, she wanted to know why I wouldn't do the polka dots all over the whole room. Ha! Those were alot harder than they look. But it's fun! They will love it. I even got to sleep in their new room last night. Lauren didn't want to sleep by herself but she needed to be in her new room. Ha! Fun! Fun!

Wordless Wednesday.....

2008-06-18T06:52:00.001-05:00

Splash Station

2008-06-14T13:28:00.003-05:00

A friend came in town yesterday and called to see if we could meet for a little visit. So we met her at Splash Station. It's a miniture water park here close by our home. The kids had a great time. It was small enough I could let Lauren and Hailey roam around by themselves and the boys and I stayed in the little kid area. They all had a blast. Landon does not like water and so he and I stayed in the shade but he had fun just playing in his chair and around the table. We had a nice visit with our friends too. It was great to see them. Nothing like a good ol water park... Oh yeah, I'm not sure who the other kid is in the top picture. I guess he just thought he'd like to be apart of our picture. So no, I didn't have any other children. he he he...

"The Gang + 1?"

Bryan

Allenator

Haileybear

Is this the cutest or what?

Wordless Wendesday....

2008-06-11T06:52:00.001-05:00

Brotherly Sympathy...

2008-06-07T18:08:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to get this shot for weeks and I finally got one. It's not the best but it will do. Allen is in trouble alot, bless his heart. He just can't seem to help it. Anyways, William started having him put his nose on this wall for his time out. Less playing that way and he can't see anyone. Anyways, he goes there quite often and so Landon has decided that he will join him, out of sympathy, I guess. It's so sweet, he'll run over there and stand there with him. Usually for just a second but none the less. Sometimes he even takes his little arm and wraps it around his leg. I guess for love and support. I have to say it's just so darn cute. Or maybe he's just practicing. I haven't quite decided. Ha!

It's over!!!!

2008-06-04T10:50:00.004-05:00

Yeah! The school year is over. Well it will being another three hours or so. But I'm officially done. Whoo Hoo! :) This has been just a crazy week. Hailey had a graduation/awards ceremony on Monday night then Lauren's and Bryan's was yesterday. Hailey's was a little sad. It made me really realize that she's growing up and no longer a baby. She's an official preteen I guess you'd say. Wow! She looked so big and grown up, up there on that stage. They made it really special too. It's been a good week just crazy. So I can say I'm glad they will be off for awhile. Now, I'm sure it won't last long. Probably by Monday I'll be begging for school to start again. He he he he.... Hopefully not! I guess that will be another post all together. Ha! Well, I best run. I'm playing the good mom today, a Mrs. Clever roll, and making cookies to celebrate. How good am I??? he he he... Hey I even put special notes in all their lunch boxes today telling them how proud I was. Brownie Points!!! :) Yea I know it's corny but they love it. I got to give them short glimpses of love so they will have something good to tell there therapist later in life, especially since my main goal in life it to torture them and embarrass them at all costs. (that's just another post w/ a bit of frustration) Ha! Love ya!

Thankful Thursday...

2008-05-29T14:11:00.002-05:00

Hey you guys! I saw this on another blog today and thought this was a great idea. So I'm going to try to post Thankful Thursday's.

It's funny that I came across this today because I was just choked up earlier at how very blessed I am. I was looking at random blogs and there's just so much sorrow and pain for people. It just breaks my heart. It seems as though I've been bombarded with it lately. Just really hard times. Lose of a child or loved one, friends going through really tough times at home. Seems like I've had to explain to my children alot lately about how very Blessed we really are.

I'm so very Thankful... Thankful for my family. For the health and well being of my family. Thankful for the most wonderful husband in the whole world. That loves me so very much, despite all my faults. I truly love him more than ever. Thankful for the most wonderful, beautiful children a mom could have. I love them so very very very much! Thankful for all my friends whom God has placed in my life. But I think most of all I'm Thankful that the God of all the universe and Creator of all things, cares for me and loves me so. Despite all my imperfections, He looks past all of that and just loves me for who I am. Sometimes it's hard for me to wrap my head around that but I am so very and utterly THANKFUL! I hope this causes you to stop and be Thankful for just a moment. Because if for no other reason, He certainly deserves just a moment of Thanks for all He's done for us! What are you Thankful for today???

Lake Fun...

2008-05-28T15:04:00.003-05:00

Hey Ya'll....

2008-05-28T14:47:00.003-05:00

Wow! It's been awhile or at least it feels like it has been. I feel like a chicken runnin around with her head cut off. It's been crazy seems like. We finally got over the poison ivy. Thank goodness!!! That was miserable but now I know and will immediately call for Prednisone (sp?). Hopefully there won't be a next time. HA! Anyways, we've just been on the go. It's the last days of school so they all have parties, games, and programs. Bryan and Lauren had their Splash Day last Friday. That was alot of fun. Kind of like a field day but with water games instead. It was a great idea I thought. If not for being wet, it would have been just miserable. It's was in the 90's that day. On Saturday, William had kids day at his store and Hailey got to be Bob from Veggie Tales all day. I think if she had known how hot it would be in that suit she would have pasted. But she did have fun but it wore her out. Then we had a family get together with William's side of the family this past weekend at the Lake. So we went out there for the weekend. It was fun! The kids had a great time playing and swimming in the lake. They got to play with some second cousins so of course that was fun too. And since we got home it's just been one thing after another. I'm ready for school to be done and for summer. Maybe we can just slow down a bit. Hope all is well with you all. I'll post some pictures of our lake trip too. Have a good one....

I am gonna miss this....

2008-05-20T11:23:00.004-05:00

I love this song by Trace Adkins, "Your gonna miss this." Do you ever think about that time (those of you who still have little ones at home)? That time when our babies are grown, gone and all is quiet. I do... I probably obsess about it. I just can't stand the thought. Sure there's things that I look forward too. Like grand kids, traveling with William, a hot meal, a hot cup of coffee and a full night of sleep. But I have to say for the most part I can't imagine my life being any other way but taking care of kids. I guess that's the scary part of it just not knowing what's to come. I know I'm gonna miss so much. Sure there are days and moments when I feel like a crazed lunatic and wish they were (would get out and get a job) all grown and gone but I really don't. The fleeting moments, and I do mean fleeting, of silence that I have, doesn't take long for me to miss the noise. I can't imagine not hearing the giggles, the "I love yous", and even the all our wars. How quite that world will be. I can't imagine not having a mess to clean up for no reason other than just making a mess. So I constantly remind my self that I best enjoy it now because it won't be too long now. When I'm exhausted and don't want to take one more kid to ball practice, games, or help one more with homework I best just sit back and take it all in. One thing I do know, I am going to miss this...

Yuck!!!!

2008-05-18T19:03:00.002-05:00

Well! This is what I have been dealing with for the last week! Yea Hoo... I'm totally being sarcastic! :(

Momma!

Hailey's Tummy.... I know yuck!

Lauren's poor little face!

Well, we managed to bring home an extra visitor with us from our camping trip. Poison something??? No one seems to know for sure but we assume it's poison ivy. I broke out with is on Tuesday and then Lauren, Hailey, Allen, and Landon. Us girls have had it the worst. Allen and Landon only had a dime size spot and it cleared up almost as soon as I treated it. But that's not been the case for the girls and I as you can see. I went and got a steroid shot, medicine and some cream for it Thursday. The shot seems to be helping. The itch has stopped and it's drying up which I heard is the later stages of it. We'll see, I'm not holding my breath at this point. I ended up starting Hailey on the Medicine I got today. She had been at a friends all weekend and when I picked her up this morning she looked horrible. It had spread all over and even her face was swelling. Bless her heart it's bad. Lauren's is on her face and neck mainly, little on her hands. Mine is mainly on my neck and chest but has now started on the back of my legs. This is my first experience with this and it is NOT fun. I think I'd rather be shot. I'm so thankful that the babies cleared up. That would have just been miserable. Anyways! If anyone has any suggestions I'm up for anything at this point. I'm really thinking I might have to take Hailey in for the shot if she's not better by tomorrow. I'm so very very ready to have this over with!!! Maybe we'll get rid of it this week. We'll see. I'll keep ya update... Hope you guys have a great week.

And Yet More... Wordless Wednesday... he he he....

2008-05-14T08:15:00.001-05:00

More Wordless Wednesday....

2008-05-14T08:10:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wendesday....

2008-05-14T08:01:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day Camping Trip

2008-05-12T23:29:00.004-05:00

Hello All... We had a long weekend so we took off and went camping for the weekend. We got back early this afternoon. We had a great time. I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Mother's Day! We had a rough week last week and so I was so happy to get away and take a break. Everyday life just gets hard sometimes... anyways we had a blast as always. We went to a local state park and they had the huge fields of wild flowers growing. Which by the way you can't pick... I knew you couldn't pick the blue bonnets but I didn't know about the others. Anyways, they were just beautiful. So I had this wild imagination of getting my kids to run through them and get all these great pictures. Yea right... It was such a mess. I did get a descent picture but it was miserable getting it. The flowers were pretty tall and so it scared the baby and made him cry, I guess he thought we might lose him. Who knows? And then the others were hot and tired and it was itchy and the bugs were biting and on and on and on it went. By the time we got back to the car three of the five of them were crying. So much for that dream. It was miserable hot that day, like in the 90's but dang. Oh well... Sunday was much better. A cool front came through and so it was like in the 70's all day. Just beautiful. They surprised me with a cake, flowers, and some chocolate. It was the perfect day. Hailey even did the night dishes for me. Yeah wow! It was perfect! I loved every second of it. Allen loves to bring me flowers. Well, most of the time they are weeds but he doesn't know the difference. So I got a daily bouquet of flowers for the trailer. He's such a sweety, well when he's not in trouble. he he he.... I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day too. Happy Late Mom's Day. I love you all.... I'll put some more pictures up later from our trip.

Wordless Wendesday.....

2008-05-07T06:27:00.001-05:00

Hailey's new do....

2008-05-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

We've been playing with Hailey's hair but I think we finally found what she was wanting. It's so cute on her. She's growing up and looking more and more like a young woman. Yikes! She's as tall as I am and we can wear the same size shoes. Crazy! What happen to my baby. She's defiantly not a baby anymore....

Laminin

2008-05-01T20:30:00.003-05:00

This will take a few minutes but it's absolutely incredible. You have to take the time to watch! Enjoy! God is so good! Wow!

You'll have to scroll down to the bottom and pause my music so you can hear. Or at least I did. Sorry!

I guess it runs in the family.....

2008-04-28T11:16:00.002-05:00

Okay... now I did not plan this but I thought it was funny considering the previous post. I look outside and see my son wear Hailey's bra. What the heck??? I know you guys are thinking we are just the biggest bunch of rednecks ever. I guess maybe we are. Rednecks obsessed with boobs. he he he....

Another Funny....

2008-04-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

Okay a couple of weeks ago the boys (Allen & Landon) and I where shopping at Wal-mart. I was over by the kids section looking at something or another when I heard this little old lady just a giggling. I didn't think much of it at the time. I just smiled and turned back around to whatever I was doing. But she continued and she just got more and more tickled. So I decided that I better see what's so darn funny. I turn and what do I see... oh yes it's my very own son Allen! Now, you have to really picture this in your mind. Ladies under garments are directly behind the children's section. So I turn to see my son standing at a whole rack of bras. Both hands placed directly on one and squeezing his little heart out. Now, his face was lite up like it was Christmas morning, just pure joy. Now, once I realized what the heck was going on, in pure embarrassment, I said Allen get your butt over here. All the while this little old lady is getting more and more tickled. All I could do was just shake my head and I said to her, "boys will be boys, huh?" She agreed and just chuckled. As I walked away very quickly, I had to laugh myself. He sadly hung on the cart and looked at me and said, "am I in big trouble?" As I tried to just not bust out laughing myself, I said "no but lets not do that again, it's really not that appropriate." He quickly said, "well I just love those." Boy does that start early or what? I'm thinking dang am I in trouble or what? Later... I thought this is what I should have done. In my mom bull horn voice, I should have said, "FREEZE SON... PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN SLOWLY AND BACK AWAY FROM THE BOOBS!!!!" Wouldn't that have been great? That little old lady might have wet her pants... he he he.... If I could have only been thinking a little more clearly. Ya know that made her day. She probably told everyone she knew about the little boy squeezing the bras at Wal-mart in pure delight. At least, she was a nice one and didn't give a lecture about what a pervert he was. I had to tell you guys this because yet again today we were walking through there, not really thinking about the previous episode, but looking for Hailey a new one, when he grabs my hand and says, "mom....(little sigh) I just love this place!" Now, what's a mom to think. I just about wet my own self. The boy is infatuated with boobs I guess. I just never realized it started this early. For goodness sakes he's 5! 5 I said! So I guess my lesson for the day is that I must steer clear of the bra area at all costs! I mean Gemini crickets...

Yum Yum....

2008-04-18T10:53:00.003-05:00

Here's a few shots of Landon eating his lunch. This was only the second time we have tried PB&J. He wouldn't eat it the first time. But as you can see, he really really enjoyed it this time. Well, I think it was more jelly than anything. As you can see from the pictures, he has turned into quiet he little ham. He is a mess. He's been Mr. Silly pants lately. Doing all sorts of silliness. I had forgotten how much fun they are at this age. Hope you all have a great weekend. Love ya!

Wordless Wendesday....

2008-04-16T17:43:00.001-05:00

Busy Week....

2008-04-14T12:38:00.003-05:00

Hey Ya'll.... How's it going? I hope all is well. It was a crazy week last week. This one seems to be a little better. We had something to do every night last week. When that happens it just seems to snow ball the week. We had a couple of ball games, which were all good. Last Wednesday was my birthday and so it seemed like the kids thought we should celebrate that for a few days. They were so disappointed that we didn't have a party. But who needs a party at this age right? Ha! I did have a good one though. They got me a new cell phone and some money for some much needed clothes. So it was all good. I also had a sleep test done last week. That was interesting. I do have sleep apnea (spelling??), I met three of the four things they measure you on. So in the next week or so I will be getting a machine to help me breath better therefore sleep better. So I'm in high hopes that I will be able to have good nights rest soon. Anyways, I am really proud of myself. I had a little melt down a few weeks back and decided it was high time that I take care of myself. I just decided that I had to do this. So one of the things was exercise, I know screech and scream, so I joined the gym. Yeah for me! :) Anyways, my doctor suggested that I start in the pool because I'm having alot of pain in my knees, mainly from excessive weight. So I did. I'm doing a hour long class every morning. It's really pretty fun and I'm enjoying it. When I get done then I swim two laps of the pool. The first day I barley could do one so I hope that every week I can add another lap. It's harder than it looks. I thought oh I can do that no problem. Yeah right. By one lap I mean up and back in an Olympic size pool. I think that's how you count it. Well, that's what I'm doing anyways. I hope in a few weeks and can strengthen my knees enough to go and work out on the tread mill. Anyways, it feels good to do something for yourself. I'm very proud of myself for the effort I've made so far. Today as soon as I got home we made two laps around my neighborhood too. Allen was none to happy but that's okay. He only cried through the last lap. How dare I take time from his play station time. I mean really what kind of mother am I anyways? he he he.... Anyways, I'm trying that's at least a start. I must admit walking in that gym the first day was so intimidating. Wow, I thought I was going to have a heart attack before I even got there. I just could picture all these super skinny people and here I come. Yea you got the picture... That first day I put my swim suit on and desperately tried to figure out the fastest way into the water. But of course who ever built the pool was obviously very thin because the locker door is slap at the other end to the entrance into the pool. I seriously thought about cannon balling in but then it donned on me that I'd actually draw more attention to myself that way. So I walked as quickly as my legs would carry me into the pool. But to my surprise I'm not the only over weight person at the gym, imagine that. So everyday gets a little bit easier. Oh and good grief, have you ever been in a locker room filled with elderly women. They just don't care what hangs out and where. I just keep walking with my head down and saying "I'm sorry." I mean is it that hard to at least keep you towel on. Dang! Nobody wants to see all your goods. And trust me they aint that good. I mean I understand if there's just no where else to go but there are stalls to dress in. I guess that's just too much effort. Who knows??? That's partly the reason I do my laps after class. Giving them time to get dressed for goodness sakes. And grouchy to boot. This no joke, last week I walked over to the sink to brush my hair and there's another elderly lady standing there and I smiled and said good morning and you would have thought I just told her she was ugly or something. She scowled at me like she just hated the sight of me. I thought well I guess I got her spot in the pool. I mean who the heck knows. He smiler was just broke that day I guess. I try for the most part to just smile and stay out of their way. God forbid you should get in their spot in the pool, I mine as well just go on to hell. I feel like I'm in church and have just taken one of their seats for goodness sakes. I hope the Lord has assigned seating in heaven because if not we're all in alot of trouble. he he he... Just a little funny. Anyways, I guess that's about it. I'll have to share a few more funnies with the pool and the old ladies later. I think I've already taken up too much time. They are just too funny. Well, I hope you all have a great day! Talk to ya soon...

Hailey's First game...

2008-04-05T15:31:00.003-05:00

Hailey had her first Softball game this week. She plays with the "Bratz with Bats" team. I just love the name of her team, fits perfectly for this age. he he he... These aren't the greatest of shots, so I will work on getting some better ones. I'm having trouble with those darn fences but her field is alot harder to get around them. Anyways, she's having fun. There team has played two games now. They didn't win either one but maybe they will soon. When she figures out the game she will be good and dangerous. She's got lots of power she just doesn't know how to use it yet. And she hasn't figured out that the ball will not automatically jump into your glove and it's okay to reach or move for it. Bless her heart she gets her skills honestly. I never had any sports ability. But she's enjoying it so I'm happy with that.

It will be my Birthday next week and my sweet grandparents sent me this beautiful ring today. It's Amethysts and Diamonds. I just love it! They are just the sweetest!

Wordless Wendesday....

2008-04-02T07:09:00.001-05:00

Manic Monday....

2008-03-31T20:33:00.003-05:00

Is it Monday already??? What happened? I think it totally skipped over us or something. We had the craziest weekend and I feel a bit jipped. Like that old song, "I wish it were a Sunday..." I woke up in a funk and just totally wasted an entire day. Well, I did manage to make my bed and vaccum the downstairs, oh and I did make all of us Dentist appointments today to. So I guess it wasn't a total waste. But I think I want a do over. Then this afternoon about 3:00 a thunderstorm blew in and brought us some marble size hail. That was kind of scary. I think it just sounded way worse than it was. I did manage to get some pictures though. Some of them were up to an inch in size. It was kind of neat. Just glad my car was in the garage. Ha! As soon as that ended we jumped in the car to go get the big kids from school and it was pretty dark and lightening like crazy but I had to go get them. As soon as I drove up and got in line, I saw everyone leaving their cars and running in the building. So I rolled down my window because there was a lady screaming and she was saying, "get in now!" So I yanked the boys out of the car and we ran in, siren's I guess were going off. So we hunkered down in a class room for a good thirty minutes and then it was gone and done. When we came out of the school it was just a beautiful as could be. Sun shining and all. Crazy! No tornadoes though. It gave the kids a pretty good scare though. They were none to happy when I finally got to them. But all is well and they went out to play in the mud this afternoon. So all is good. Supposed to be like that all week though. I guess it's just that time of year. Spring Showers! Well, I best run. Hope all is well with you all! Maybe next weekend will be better! I can't wait and it's just Monday! :)

Spring Break

2008-03-26T10:33:00.004-05:00

We had our Spring Break last week and we, of course, went camping! It's our favorite family thing to do as you can tell. We all have so much fun. Anyways, my in-laws drove their trailer down as well and stayed with us too. We got to get one of my nephews for the week too. That was nice to get to see him. We just went to a state park close by here but we had fun. It was a beautiful place. Mostly we just relaxed and played. One day it stormed all day and so we were stuck in the trailer all day, which makes for a very long day! As you can only imagine. Landon has finally adjusted and enjoyed himself much better this time. He had a couple of falls from exploring but nothing too bad. We hadn't been at the camp site thirty minutes until Allen didn't shut the door to the trailer and Landon went tumbling out the door, onto the concrete and had a big nice scrap and knot across his forehead. But he survived it all. It's always nice just to get away and chill! I'm wishing I was there again right now! Hope you all had a great spring break too....

"Let's Play Ball..."

2008-03-22T17:39:00.005-05:00

The boys had there very first T-ball game today. Are they the cutest things or what? That was so much fun. I really enjoyed seeing them play. They are all so darn cute. They had so much fun too... I want you to look at the smile on Allen's face as he comes home for a run. I think that says it all! They had two games today. They won the first and tied the second one. They are on the Redsox team. I know there will be many more posts and pictures on this. Enjoy!

Wordless Wendesday.... Late....

2008-03-13T16:15:00.001-05:00