Spring is in the Air

It's been a while since the last post. Kids are growing each and every day. Kylie has brought home another report card with straight As! Landon is doing great in school and now brings home smiley faces every day. Chase is still fighting going to school. For some reason he doesn't like getting dropped off. But I know that he has a good time once I'm gone. And Allie, she is now sitting up on her own and we are expecting her to crawl any day now. She has been moved to her own room in her own crib. Although I am in there just about every night sleeping in her big girl bed that we went ahead and made up. Sometimes because she is fussy but most of the time it's because Jay is snoring!
Jay has started a business. Nik-Naks is up and running. It's a consignment business. Surprisingly he has done really well so far. We are having our first yard sale this Saturday so we will see how that goes.
So Spring is coming. The weather is finally warming up. Just in time too because I was about to go crazy with all this cold.  We have managed to get out in the yard for a couple of days. Landon has now decided that he does not like to go outside anymore. I am going to have to break him of that. I think it will involve unglueing him from the Nintendo DS or the tv.
Both Kylie and Landon have birthdays coming up in March. Kylie's is less than 2 weeks away and she will be 10 years old!!! OMG where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday she was climbing into the cupboard pulling out all the canned food and throwing it across the room. Now she is in the double digits. We have a great birthday present for her. I'll tell you more about that later. She is having a cookout birthday party with all her friends from girl scouts and a few others. We are planning on having a great time. As long as the weather holds out. Hopefully we can all stay outdoors for the party and not have to come inside for much.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

December 4th, 2010. Allie's first snowfall! And really the first time that I can remember it snowing before Christmas or in December for that matter.  The kids had a good time playing in it before it all melted by noon the following morning. They were up before 730 in the morning begging me to go out and play. So I sent them out in the cold and a few minutes later Chase comes in crying because he cannot feel his fingers anymore. Ah the joys of childhood. When all you had to worry about was frostbitten fingers and toes.
Well our Christmas tree is up. It kinda looked like Clark Griswald's tree before I made Jay cutting it down to size.  We have decided to make it a tradition to go out and get a tree the day after Thanksgiving.  I put all the lights on it after having to go out and get more lights because none of mine were working. Then the kids put up their ornaments and then the tree started to lean to that side. So I made Jay climb under it and fix that. After a few choice words he got it done.  So now the gifts are wrapped and under the tree. We are just about ready for Christmas Day. I'm starting to get exctied.

Time to Slow It Down

I always want to love the holidays. But I always end up hating them or dreading them. We are always normally broke when Christmas comes around. I know you would think that we would better prepare for them by now but no. We have so many places to go between Thanksgiving through Christmas evening. Well I have decided that this year will be different! We have slashed our Christmas list in half this year. The children will not be getting everything that they want that comes from a store this year. We won't be running here and there and everywhere this year to try to make everyone else happy. This year we will be making our own traditions.  Tomorrow we will be going to get our Christmas tree. Yes I know it's a little bit early. But Jay has plans to leave on a river trip on Friday so this works out. For Thanksgiving we were planning on having dinner at our house and cooking but once we figured out that Jay's entire family would be in attendance we had to move it to his parents house. But we are still doing the turkey.  We will not be racing off though and running to Wilson. This is part of our take it easy and enjoy life plan. Normally we run here and there for Thanksgiving, giving us heartburn from eatting so fast. This year we can go down and eat and relax and then come home before dark!  I am so excited about that. I love to see my family but being able to relax for a change is something I am looking forward to. Friday we are decorating! I love to decorate for Christmas. It puts me in the mood for the holidays. I remember decorating with my mom when I was little. We spent the whole day putting up tree decorations and putting candles in the windows. And how good the house smelled with a real  tree! I miss a real tree. This is the first year in about 5 that we will have a real tree. I am so excited about that too!
The kids will be learing the TRUE meaning of Christmas this year. They will be learning why we celebrate Christmas and then what we can do for others and the importance of family. I don't want them growing up thinking Christmas is just about presents.
So here's to slowing down and enjoying the holidays this year instead of worrying and stressing and rushing through them. Here's to remembering memories instead of having to look at the pictures to get a glimpse of how the evening went.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays

Trick or Treat...Smell my Feet!

October is over. We have tricked and treated until we couldn't feel our legs anymore.  Friday we stayed in town b/c Goldsboro was doing their trick or treating on this night. When Halloween is on a Sunday things get really confusing.  Kylie was a vampire princess, Landon was Superman, Chase was Buzz Lightyear and Allie was the cutest little flower ever!!!  We went to a big neighborhood here in town that most of the people there decorate and hand out candy.  It was really nice. Jay went with us for the first time ever. He is normally busy with the haunted trail or something.  And although he rolled his eyes for most of the time and wanted to leave to go to the trail we still had a good time.

Saturday night we went to Middlesex to my brother's and sister
-in-law's church for thier fall festival.  That was so much fun because they go all out with blow ups and games and trunks decorated and food with fried snickers and funnel cakes. It was awesome. Kylie dressed up as a karate kid (she looked just like me when I was her age dressed as a karate kid) and the boys wore their superheroes costumes and Allie was an ECU Cheerleader with a big flower on her head.

Sunday we went to Wilson for thier town's trick or treating. We all went over to Joey's and Jennifer's house and went through their neighborhood. That was fun just being with family. The kids had a great time and got loads of candy. After that we ordered pizzas and hung out. Letting the kids play and baby Allie and Baby Joel get to know each other.

All in all it was a great weekend. We are stocked up with candy and sweets. Now it's time to start getting ready for the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it. As well as Jay's birthday.

With a Girl Thrown In

I am the proud mother of two rambunctious, wild and crazy boys. The aunt of 4 nephews and the baby sister to two older brothers. I was a tomboy growing up who would rather put on football pads than any type of dress.  I can throw a perfect spiral and kick a field goal with the best of them. Now I ask myself and the rest of the world "what am I going to do with this precious baby girl?" I have never mastered perfect pigtails, let alone a french braid.  It took me and my husband 15 minutes just to get her into her tights for her Halloween costume.
There are things that I know I can't do well that should be a mom requirement. Like preparing Christmas dinner for the entire family or doing a french braid. But I can teach her how to kick a soccer ball into a new that is guarded by a goalie or to climb a tree so high that the neighborhood boys are in shock. I can teach her how to fight and to fight for what she believes in. I can teach her to be brave and face the adventures life gives you head on.
God has given me this precious little baby girl that I must mold into a little lady and quickly.  I see many tears in her future from her brothers. But I know that just like mine are now, once they get older they will protect her with everything they have in them. And that's the great thing about growing up with boys.

Here in the real world

Alright so I like to think of myself as a realist.  I believe that things happen for a reason. I may not understand it when they happen but God has a plan and this is how it is supossed to work out. When I was working people called me a walking, talking Hallmark card because when somebody had some news about thier grandma falling and breaking a hip they always looked to me to tell them the truth. In this case it would be "well it's all down hill from here".   I see things clearly, normally, and I like to think that I rationalize things with a clear head. When something bad happens I hope for the best but I know that it may not work out that way.
This morning at 2am while Allie decided to keep me awake until 4am I understood how babies get shaken baby syndrone. I remember thinking this with each of my kids. No I have never shaken any of my babies. I have learned to control myself and my feelings and if I do get the feeling that I am about to lose it then I walk away.  I hear all the time "how could a parent do that to their child?!"  It's not hard.  All it takes is a tired parent and a cranky baby.  I guess because Jay and I both know how easy it is to do we both pay attention to each other and realize when the other is about to lose it and we step in to give the other one a break.
I also understand how someone can leave a child in a car. This has been one of my fears. I have many times driven past the babysitters (when I was working) or completely zoned out while in the car. Again all it takes is a tired parent.  I am also always freaking out when I don't have one of them with me. Like during the Christmas season we will go shopping without the kids and someone will ask us where they are and it takes my breath away for a second when I don't instantly remember where I left them. Did I forget them? Where are they? Then I remember that I left them with the babysitter and sigh in relief. I don't know why I do this. I have never left one of them somewhere or in a car. Maybe it's because we hear so much about it now a day.

So these are the ramblings of a tired worn out mama who is going off of a few hours of sleep. Big night tonight. The Haunted Trail starts and Jay will be working all night on it so I will home alone with the kiddies. Guess I should work on getting a nap while I can. TTYL

An Apple a Day...Keeps the Doctor Away

These past two weeks have been crazy busy and expensive for us. I have been nickeled and dimed to death!!  Allie spent her first night away from home last weekend. I missed her so much and couldn't wait to get my hands on her again. She stayed with my mom on Saturday night. Kylie and Landon went to Jay's moms for the night so we only had Chase with us. He ended up passing out around 6pm so we had the night to ourselves. And you know what we did, hehehe. We went to sleep. OMG we are getting so OLD! Um huh I know what you were thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter!
Fall is definetly here now. We just made it through the fair. How many times can you go to the fair with your child's class to see the animals and the same stupid shows before you get to file for permanent insanity? Plus we had to go twice this year. But I did manage to eat my weight in caramel apples.  Let me ask you this...does an apple a day still keep the doctor away, even if it is covered with caramel and sprinkles?  Food for thought.

The boys had thier first dentist appointment. Landon did GREAT. Chase did not. I didn't have to hold him down like I thought I was going to have to but he did scream the whole time.
Kylie tested for her yellow belt. She ended up with her yellow stripe though. Which is good but she needs more practice at certain things before she can get her yellow. She has her first tournament next Saturday. I think she is excited about it. I hope she does well!

The fire trucks went to Landon's school and next week they go to Chase's. With my boys that is the higlight of the year for them. They love a fire truck and when daddy brings his then they get special attention.
Landon had his 2nd field trip to a pumpkin patch. Jay and I both went with him for that one. We had a ball. They did a corn maze and had a hayride. Jay and I began thinking about moving to a farm and making it like this one. It was really fun and I think the kids would love to live on a farm.

Today Landon had his first football game. He did well for his first game. I really hope that he likes it because next year he can play tackle football.

Jay has been working nearly nonstop on the haunted trail for the fire department. It's their main fund raiser of the year and he loves to do it. It's better than the fire princess pagent though. I really hated doing the fire princess pagent. With a passion.
So now we are sitting around the house. The boys are fighting because that's what they do, all the time! Allie is in her playpen because she pooped all over her swing and her new ECU cheerleader outfit. Jay is out working on the trail. We are about to leave to go to my dad's for dinner.