A Superhero Princess & Monkey

Wordless Wed ~ Palin Power

2008-10-29T12:21:00.001-07:00

I am attending a Sarah Palin rally tonight. I'm so excited!

Meet Franklin.

2008-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

Meet Franklin. He is a new addition to the family.He is 9 weeks old today. My kids love him. But he does not live at our house. He is my mom's dog. But the kids and I have already claimed him as ours! Even my grandfather loves the puppy.

Isn't he just adorable?

My New Project....

2008-10-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about my new project; I am a Chez Ami Representative for the children’s apparel created by Patsy Aiken Designs. If you have yet to view her adorable children’s line, you must hop on over to view the website now! Simply click on the image above and you will be connected with the site.

Chez Ami is a classic children's clothing line featuring boys from infant to size 7 and girls from infant to size 16.

Chez Ami’s Fall 2008 Collection includes monogrammed sweaters, velour dot fabric options including styles for moms, a boy’s line that is jamming, and finally a newly expanded line for babies and toddlers that will mix and match. Over 250 styles are included from tops to tunics, capes to Capri’s and swings to sweaters! Your Fall/Winter will be filled with sweet Sugarplums, Gingerbread and Marmalade styles! If you are interested in placing an order for Fall or Spring merchandise, please let me know and I will be happy to assist you in your selections! You may also place a Chez Ami order online; I would be thrilled if you would include me as your rep. My Consultant ID# is 537817.

Hope you are having a fabulous week. Can't wait to read everyone's blogs and see what I have been missing!

Just What America Needs.....

2008-08-29T11:21:00.001-07:00

I am thrilled with McCain's VP choice, Governor Palin is prefect for the position. I am so ready for November!

Disney World, 2007

2008-08-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

I was going through my CD’s of old photos tonight and came across my Disney pictures from last years vacation. It amazes me when I look back at how much children change over a year.

My Monkey has grown incredibly. He is no longer a baby. It saddens me but also relives me at the same time. My Princess and Superhero have changed so much as well.

Anyway, I decided to post pictures from last years Disney vacation. It was a great vacation but it was so exhausting!

The first stop was finding characters to meet. For some reason the Princess freaked out right before it was our turn for photos with Tigger. She loves him on TV but was very disturbed with him in person. The only way we could get a picture of her with Tigger was if my Mother held her. Now, Pluto was a different story. She was so excited to meet him. That was all she talked about weeks leading up to the vacation. As you can tell by both of these photos the Superhero loved meeting both of them. Minnie’s house was adorable and so fun. The Princess fell in love with it.Matt’s cousin Blair lives in Orlando and her husband works at Disney. How wonderful is that? Anyway, that is Blair on Dumbo with the Princess and me. Dumbo has always been my #1 favorite ride at Disney World. Not sure why though, I just really like it. One of the Superhero’s favorite stops was the Buzz Lightyear ride. I must admit it was really fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy it, even the Monkey and my parents. I love this next photo. I can only imagine the conversation these two were having. She was probably mothering him and he was probably thinking “back off of my Mickey Mouse little girl!”Matt, Blair and Nolan after riding Splash Mountain.Blair’s husband, Adam, goofing off with the kids. They loved him! I have no clue why the Monkey is so upset in this photo. I do remember him being a huge handful that day though. (That really hasn’t changed over the past year.) The kids had so much fun that they all passed out before we left the park. Luckily though they all fell asleep at different times. The kids had such a great time in Disney. We all did. I have so many wonderful memories from that trip. It was great being able to spend the time with Blair and Adam. They are such wonderful people. It really is a magical place, isn’t it? I can’t wait to go again.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-08-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

June 28th was mother’s birthday. I won’t say how old she turned or what year she was born in. Instead I will show a photo or two that she will probably want to have my head for posting on here! :)

But before I do that, let me tell you a little bit about my mother.

She is the first born child.
She has two younger brothers.
She was born in New York and raised there until she was 13.
At the age of 13 she moved from New York to the Midwest with her parents and brothers. (I don’t think she has ever gotten used to that move ~ but who can blame her?)

She grew up to become a nurse ~ she is one heck of a nurse and she loves what she does.
I am her only child, but she does have two step daughters that she loves dearly.

But once upon time, a loooong time ago, she won the title of Miss Indiana in a roller skating competition.

Wasn't she hawt stuff?! She was/is a really good roller skater, obviously she won, right? I can remember going to the roller skating rink as a kid and watching her do her thing. I don’t think I was ever as good as she was. Well, I know I wasn’t. It’s just one of her many talents.

I have so many wonderful memories of her while I was growing up. She has the best heart and will do anything for anyone. My Mom is one of my best friends. She has picked me up each time I have fallen, dusted me off and encouraged me to back on my feet. She is an amazing lady and such an inspiration to me. My hope is that I am just half the person that she has been to me.

Me and my mom being silly a couple years ago.

But you know the best part is knowing that my children have her as their grandmother. And they simply adore her. The Superhero with his "Grandma" ~ "MaMaw" in May of 2008. The Princess and her "MaMaw" ~ "Nanny" in May of 2004. And the Monkey with his "Grandmum"~ "MaMaw" in February of 2008.

I’m blessed to be her daughter. She's the greatest and I love her dearly. So happy belated birthday Momma! And it doesn't matter that I'm posting this almost 2months after the fact. (That's typical of me!) :)

2weeks**4days

2008-08-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

That is how long it has been since my last post. I'm gonna blog about some the craziness life has thrown my way during that time.

~~~

On Friday August 1st my little guy, the Monkey, had surgery. He had his old tubes removed and new ones put in along with his adnoids taken out. It was the day I had been dreading.

We arrived at the hospital almost 2 hours before the surgery time. He was happy. He was playing great with his toys watching TV. Everything was going good until it was time to change his clothes. They made him change out of his clothes into a hospital gown. He hated it. Then to make matters worse the nurse came to take him away. My heart broke as she carried my little boy down the hall screaming and crying for me. The only comforting thing was to know that he was in such good hands.

After surgery they carried him back to me, he was crying and very disoriented. The anesthesiologist told me he was pretty sure everyone in the OR was able to hear my little boy. It took awhile for him to come out of the drowsiness but once he did he was in great spirits.

This photo was taken almost an hour after his surgery. I just love that smile on his face. Here he is at home trying to rest while watching something on the disney channel.

I can tell a huge in improvement in him since the surgery. I know he is feeling much better.

~~~

My SUV and my husband’s truck were both broken into the night before the Monkey’s surgery. We always lock the car doors, especially at night time. But it appears this one night we both failed to do so. Luckily they only stole items that were left in the middle consol of the vehicles. They stole CD’s from both cars. My husband only had a few CD’s in his truck so they didn’t get a whole lot from him. My car was another story though. I had all of my CD’s in there, including CD’s I’ve had since high school. The most devastating loss was the Superhero’s Nintendo DS. Those punks stole his DS along with the brand new game he got as a birthday present less than a month ago. My heart sunk. How was I going to explain this to my 8 year old child? I was heart broken. It is one thing to steal from me, but a completely different thing to steal from a child, my child. He took the news well and almost a week later his grandmother, my mother, bought him a new DS. All I know is what goes around comes around and I sure hope it comes around to whoever stole that DS.

~~~

With the expectation of just a few things left to do, the Princessess room is almost complete. And I am head over heelz in love with it.

This is her new bed. I am undecided on what I want to do with the bedding at this time. My mother purchased some adorable ballerina sheets from Target for her to use in the meantime. Her quilt from Pottery Barn that fit on her toddler bed goes great with her room. So for now, that is staying. This piece of furniture was purchased when I was pregnant with the Superhero more than 8 years ago. We decided to keep it and re-do it to match the bed. A work in progress.I love the end result. It turned out great.

I love the whole room. My husband did an awesome job on her room.

~~~

We had back to school night last week. So hard to believe summer is over and another school year is beginning. This will be a fun year. The Superhero is entering 2nd grade, the Princess is heading into her third and last year of preschool and the Monkey is embracing his first year of preschool. That means I will have 2 1/2 hours of alone time twice a week. No kids. No fighting. Just me time. I am thrilled. I have no clue what I will do to fill the time. But I doubt it will be hard to come up with ideas!

Back to school = No T.V. at bedtime.

No T.V. at bedtime = Sad, sad kiddos.

At this very moment they are praying for the weekend to arrive.

~~~

I was able to squeeze in a girls night. I love the time I get to share with these girls. I have been friends with the two gals to the right of me since third grade.

~~~

The weather was great this weekend. Sunny. High 80's. Light breeze.

I took several bike rides with the Superhero. I haven't been on a bike since I was 16 or 17. (That's over 10 years ago) I had a lot of fun with him. It is something we will have to do more often.

I was able to play a little baseball with my boys too. I suck. I'm horrible. But they still let me play. Isn't that nice? I can hit okay, I can throw pretty hard but I can't catch the ball. Oh well. It's the time spent that counts. Not my skillz, right?

~~~

I was given two fabulous blog awards by two very special blog friends.

First, Laura gave me this smile award. I love it. She is such a funny gal that always makes me smile when I read her blog. Then, Lisa gave me the Sharing the Love award. I love it too. And I love reading her blog as well. Thanks for sharing the love Lisa!

And very soon I will be giving both of these awards out to those who make me smile and share the love.

Mwah! Thanks again girls. I love these awards.

~~~

Have a good week everyone. Can't wait to read your blogs and see what has been going on in your lives for the past two weeks and four days.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Picture Perfect

2008-07-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

Photo taken June 25, 2008 by my sister-in-law. We were out at her families property in the country. Between her and her amazing Aunt Tanya many great photos of my beautiful kids were captured. I'll be sure to share more very soon.

***Click here and here, for more Wordless Wednesday***

Happy Wednesday.

Lazer Tag * Pink Walls * And Other Stuff

2008-07-21T17:08:00.001-07:00

Saturday night was the Superhero’s birthday party with his friends. The party was Lazer Tag. And it was a huge success. I didn’t really capture many good photos, there was just way too much going on.

But I did get a photo of the cake. He loved the cake as did his friends.

~~~

We are currently in the process of re-doing the Princess' bedroom.I should state that when I say "we" I mean my husband. Anyway, we wanted to paint pink and white stripes under the chair rail.

I headed out Sunday morning with the older two children to pick out the perfect shade of pink. This was much more difficult than I had imagined. The Princess and I picked out what we thought would be just the right color.

When we got home Matt was almost done putting the tape up on the walls.

Now we were ready to see what the color would like....Oh.My.Gosh. It looks like bubble gum splattered all over the walls! This is not what I had imagined.Each time we enter the room we feel like we are entering a candy store on crack.

Would you like a lollipop?

The most important thing, though, is that my little girl absolutely adores it. She is in love with it. As soon as someone new enters the house she directs them to her room to show off what her daddy did for her. She is so proud of it. I suppose it does fit her personality. It is bold, loud and sassy.

It's starting to grow on me.

For now I just need to finish decorating the room. Fingers are crossed that it will look mush less dramatic once I am done.

~~~

The monkey is having some serious ear issues. He had tubes put in his ears over a year ago and it seems as if we are going to have to go down that road again. He keeps his little finger in his ear and will tell me “it hurs momma, it hurs.” H breaks my heart. He has done really good considering but I know he is in pain.

Fingers crossed and prayers said hopefully he will be feeling much better soon.

~~~

Now about the new shoes.

After all of the above I was left with no time for shoe shopping.

But I decided post a photo of my classy shoe.

Honestly I didn’t pay attention to how ugly they were before this little incident. So how doo you like my thrifty-ness?

As soon as I do purchase a new pair, and it will be soon, I will post the photo of the fab new pair.

Today I wear classy shoes

2008-07-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Today I have found myself asking “when did I turn into the type of girl that purchases.cheap.shoes?”

Shortly after arriving at work this morning my right high heeled shoe fall apart on me. Leaving me with, not just a minor broken shoe, but a shoe that will no longer get me through the rest of the day. The shoes have a strap that goes across my foot near my toes, that is what broke in half.

Oh it’s classy ladies. Let me tell ya.

I live on the other side of town. So running home to change shoes, change clothes to match new shoes is not an option. There are no stores near me to run into to see if they would have shoes that would compliment my outfit. So that too, is not an option.

**Sigh**

What’s a girl to do?

I tried to be thrifty, but lets get real, I am no thrifty girl.

I tried tape. I tried staples. I tried more tape. Not scotch tape. I’m talking about surgical tape or packing tape. Then I tried a safety pen. And yes that worked.

Yea for the safety pen, right? I just keep telling myself “It’s better than barefoot” but I’m not convinced yet!

Well at least I provided humor for those around me today. Today I’m the girl with sad and pitiful shoes. Oh the humiliation.

But the bright side to all this humiliation is that I am going shoe shopping this weekend for a pair of fabulously expensive new heels!

Happy Birthday Superhero

2008-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Today is my Superhero's 8th birthday.
Wow, it is amazing how fast those years have gone by. Before I know it he will be driving and dating.
I think I want the next 8 years to go by in s-l-o-w mode please.

He is my Superhero

2008-07-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

After rummaging through tons of photos I have come to the conclusion that over 70% of photos ever taken of my Superhero are photos of him dressed up as some sort of superhero. This child has been in “character” since he was able to walk. I suppose that is why his blog name “Superhero” fits him so well.

So without further ado, here are some of my favorite Superhero moments.

Here he is at 3 years of age. Just being silly.

A spiderman that can fix things....what could be better?

Something he just put together using tools and weapons.

All I know is that the Hulk hands must be a guy thing ~ my two boys and my husband love them. However, the Princess and I just don't get it.

Here is at 4 years old with one of his best friends, E.

I just adore that sweet lil' face.

Oh this one just makes me laugh.

What could possibly be better than Batman & Spiderman combined?

Check out the seriousness of that photo. The bad guys just don't stand a chance.

In both of the above photos he is playing around with E again. Me and my Superhero when I was pregnant with the Princess.Clowning around with his lil' brother. At least once a day I can be guaranteed that I will catch this little guy dressed up as something, or someone. He instantly becomes the character with a quick change of clothes. He has so much imagination and personality. What a fun little guy he is. I have had so much fun watching him play and grow up. He is my Superhero.

We are back home

2008-07-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

We spent last week down in Nashville, TN. My mother and I ventured out on the road with my three fun loving children last Saturday. We arrived home Friday evening with three sick kids. I am so exhausted! I have TONS of pictures and will definitely be posting them at some point. So, check back soon!

Hope everyone had a great weekend celebrating July 4th. I can't wait to check out your blogs to see what each of you have been up to. Have a fabulous week.

And the award goes to....

2008-06-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Laura at Lovely Lalo nominated me for the Arte Y Pico Blog Award. I'm so flattered. Laura is a fabulous “Blogging” friend of mine and I absolutely adore her. I'm so honored she thought of me. I feel as if I should go shopping for a hawt new outfit. and shoes. oh and accessories. and give some amazing acceptance speech. Hey I will take any opportunity that comes my way to go shopping. :) The award also makes me want to take a shot of tequila or just strut my stuff with a margarita in one hand and. well. I have no clue what in the other....

Now to pass along the award. Here goes the nominating...

Photochick~Amanda is my sister-in-law actually we prefer to say sisters-by-choice. She is the reason that I blog. She introduced me to the blogging community and helped get my blog up and running. I love her post about my sweet little niece.
Mah-meeee~She was one of my first blog friends. I love her adorable post about her oh so sweet little girls. She is a great blog friend and I adore her.
Michelle~She is the mother of three children, which is something we have in common. On Monday's she blogs "Menu Plan Monday" where she lists her upcoming meals for the weeks plus the recipes. I could learn a lot from her, like how to organize and plan my weekly meals. Maybe then I'd actually cook!
Lisa~She always leaves me laughing. She has the cutest and funniest posts. It also gives me a glimpse of what having four children would be like.
Jennifer~She has amazing stories, especially about how her son entered the world. I love reading her blog.

Here are the rules for those that were nominated:

Pick five (5) blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award (http://arteypico.blogspot.com/)

How about another award?
Back in February Photochick passed this award onto me. It was created and given to her by her aunt, The Dairy Wife. I have yet to pass it on so I figured this would be the perfect time. I am suppose to pass it on to four derserving people. So, here I go..Amy at Everyday with the Kelly's, Amanda at Life Long Playdate, Ashley at Raising Allikaye and last but not least Valarie Lea.

Each of these ladies inspire me and all have the qualities that the wing's of compassion award stands for. They are fabulous blog friends and I love reading their blogs daily.

The last award to be given.

Again I was given this award by Photochick. I'm not sure if she really luvs me or just feels sorry for me! :)

This award is going to the following ladies because well I really do love them this much. Amanda at Penny & Pounds, Laura at Lovely Lalo, Stephanie at Little Bits of Sugar, Amanda at Life Long Playdate and Ashley at Raising Allikaye.

To all my blog friends, new and old: Thank you for always stopping by to read about my crazy moments and all of your encouraging comments that you leave me. Each of you brighten my day in your own unique way. I love reading all of your blogs, you simply inspire me. You gals rawk! Thanks for being such wonderful "Blog" friends. Mmmuah!

The Pirate Cruise

2008-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

Below are photos from the Pirate Cruise we took while in Panama. My Superhero and Princess loved it and had a blast, Mr. Monkey was not convinced that it was so wonderful and my husband thought he was being tortured for something he had done.

Needless to say we had 2 fabulously fun filled hours. These two loved being able to take part in this photo. My lil' Monkey disagreed and would not go anywhere near the crazy pirate guy. Superhero shooting his water gun at me, his mother. He enjoyed it way too much. After the water gun fight, the boys had to clean the ship. I just big puffy heart that handsome lil' boy. I love that smile. Monkey got his face painted. I really didn't think he would let the guy paint his face...but he did. The Princess in a sword fight. She loved it. I love how serious he looks.

Pay attention to the following three photos. Do you notice the similarity in three kids?All three have their tongues sticking out!

She's rawking it out. Don't you just love those dance moves?

This was Monkey’s favorite spot on the ship, looking over the edge at the water. Me and my handsome husband. And my parents.

I'll leave you with photos of the sunset. It was prefect.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-06-18T08:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have days like this? This sign was posted on the Pirate Cruise that we took while in Florida.
I thought it was too priceless to pass up on.

My Beach Babes

2008-06-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

The following photos are some of my favorite beach pictures from this year’s vacation. All three of my kiddos loved the sand and the water.

Alright here they are … my beach babes. My goal this year was to capture photos of all three kids together on the beach. Let's just say that is a lot easier said than done.

This kid loves the ocean. I think he would live on the beach if he were able. He amazes me ... he can go under the ocean water with his eyes open. Just saying that makes my eyes hurt! This little lady loved the beach this year. Usually she can be found sitting on the edge of the water but not this year ... this year she had a blast in the water. She loved it! My little guy wasn't too sure about the sand. He wanted to be carried around at first. He soon warmed up to the sand and the water and loved it. My lil' Monkey was not too happy after this moment....But it wasn't long before he was smiling again! I big puffy heart that smile on his face. I love those photos. My Superhero playing in the water, my Princess running in the sand and my Monkey walking toward the ocean. Bubbles * Bubbles * Bubbles! I know they are basically the same photo ... but I love them both. Not sure which one is my favorite. This photo cracks me up. He was yelling at someone or something ... I don't remember the details ... but that's my Monkey.The Superhero and his Daddy have so much fun together. Beach Babes ~ Mommy & Princess. My surfer boy

See Monkey holding onto to his Grandpa for dear life? He really did like enjoy himself while he was out there but he did have moments where he wasn't too sure about it.
My mom and husband are the other two people out there. This was the first time during my lifetime that my Mother has been in the ocean! I was so proud of her. I think she secretly loved every moment of it.

Nothing like chasing the birds. There they go ... all three of them ... together ... heading off on an adventure.

2008-06-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

I sat down to blog this evening not really knowing what I would type. I was just hoping that once I had my fingers on the keyboard it would just hit me. So far I’ve got nothing!

I have three crazy kids, a husband and a whole lot of family drama surely I can come up with something and still nothing…..

I do have a ton of thoughts in my head right now like music, fashion, the zoo, the Reds and wine (the wine is just b/c I could use a glass right about now!) I just can’t seem to be able to put any of it into words.

So I am going to ask you all some questions….
Does this happen to you?
Are you ever in a rut when it comes to blogging?
If so, what do you do???

Maybe I'm just lacking creativity right now....lets just hope it doesn't last too long!

I'm Back...

2008-06-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

We arrived home Saturday evening. I really thought that I’d be happy to see home and to get back into reality, that is so not happening. I have bags that have yet to be unpacked, laundry that is piling up on me and my job is a major headache. "Welcome back", right?

Okay so enough of me complaining … I promise to perk up.
I must say that I feel much better after writing that. Ha.

Vacation was wonderful. Obviously so wonderful I didn’t want to come home! The kids were really well behaved … for the most part. They were great traveling as well.

I will post more this weekend, I hope, on the vaca but for now I’ll leave ya with a few photos from my wonderful vacation in Florida.

Our destination was Panama City Beach. This was our first time visiting that area. Not the prettiest town, at least from what I saw, but the beach was amazing. The water was beautiful and there were hardly any people vacationing in the area we stayed. We had the beach to ourselves for the most part.

We stayed at the Grand Panama. It just opened in December of 2007 and was fabulous. I would definitely recommend it.

Aren't the bunk beds adorable? But the kiddos didn't sleep in 'em...They slept here instead ... my bed!

Now lets see some photos of the beach, shall we?
I suppose it is nice to be home but like I said before I do miss the beach. Now I'm just counting down the days until next year. lol

Most importantly though, I did miss each of you, my blog-friends! It's good to be back.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

These are photos from last year’s vacation at Daytona Beach, FL. It was the children’s first “major” vacation and first trip to the beach.

My boys loved the sand and the water. My Princess was a little more cautious of the water she preferred playing in the sand.

Colossians Award

2008-05-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we ventured out to Superhero’s award program at school. It was very special because he had no clue he was being honored with the “Colossians Award”. One child from each class was picked by their teacher to receive this award.

My husband, grandfather, Princess, Monkey and myself were there anxiously waiting for the Superhero’s name to be called. Little did we know that would be the last award handed out! Anxiously waiting turned into awful behavior.

Both kiddos started out doing really good. They were both really excited to be there and loved when they were able to clap, especially my Monkey. That lasted a whole 10 minuets though!

The Princess was “hirsty” and really, really needed a drink. She needed a drink so desperately that she could no longer remain quiet.

Don’t be fooled by that sweet smile … she was a handful.

Now, let’s talk about Mr. Monkey. He was here, he was there … He wanted up, he wanted down … He wanted to talk when he wasn’t suppose to and he wanted to go see his big brother!

Eventually he had to be escorted out of the auditorium. Doesn’t he just look mischievous?

Finally, my husband and I were both able to view the awards show with both of the children sitting next to us.

The Superhero’s name was called a total of three times.

(He is the one in the orange stripped shirt.)

The first time he received a metal for wrestling. The second time he was awarded with a certificate for attaining highest honors, a GPA of 3.75-4.0. Then he was called for the Colossians 3:23. He was so proud of himself and he had a smile beaming from ear to ear. My husband and I are so incredibly proud of this little boy. He is such an amazing soul and I am so proud to call him my son.

His daddy took him out this evening for a special surprise… The video game for his Nintendo DS he has been wanting for a very, very long time. I think it was well deserved.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" Colossians 3:23

The Countdown is On....

2008-05-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

for another fabulous family vaca. In six days we will be at our vacation destination! I can not wait. I need this vacation badly.

All of my post this week will reflect preparing for this vacation and flashbacks of last years vacation.

Today I packed for my three kiddos and I am completely done with them. That feels wonderful. Now I can focus on cleaning my house and packing for myself. Luckily my husband packs for himself. :)

First, I packed for the Princess
then was Mr. Monkey's turn
Last was my Superhero
I then packed their bags for the car ride. I am tickled pink with the Fancy Nancy book. It is simply adorable.
She has lots of stickers b/c she is a sticker girl.
Then we have pool barbie and Baby Born that can swim in the water. I love Monkey's dinosaur bag. It is one of my favorite things.
I bought him a new batman action figure b/c he has really been into those lately and a Handy Manny book that he will love. Superhero loves to draw so I made sure to purchase plenty of paper and pencils to keep him occupied.
He also loves to read so I bought a few new books for the trip.
The Indiana Jones action figure will thrill him. His Daddy and Grandpa are going to take him to see that movie during vacation time. Last, I packed the beack towels and toys.

Basically, I have 5 days, 7 hours, 32 minutes and 8 seconds left until vacation time. Can you tell that I am excited?

Lets Play Outside!

2008-05-17T11:57:00.000-07:00

It has been 8 whole days since my last post. **Gasp** I have been incredibly busy … between work and my kiddos I have had zero time for my precious blog. **Sigh**

Did ya miss me? Yeah, I thought so! :)

Today is a beautiful day so me and the fam have been playing outside.

I must warn you, I have posted a ton of photos of my darling children having fun out doors!
So, here we go….

How ‘bout some baseball?

Monkey is mad at his Momma b/c Momma didn't catch the ball. Oops!

My oh so handsome Superhero.

Lets swing....

Daddy's lil helper.

Three x's the Trouble ~ Three x's the Fun!

Superhero and Princess were having a "loving" moment.

Not sure about Monkey though! lol

More fun outside.

I'm ready for a nap!

Monkey is taking a nap and the Superhero and Princess are outside helping their Daddy. Which means Momma got some time for her blog. Yay!

We had a lot of fun playing today. Hope you are having a fabulous weekend too!

One more of the Monkey ... taken last night. I love this photo!

Fight the Frump ~ Time for You

2008-05-09T05:18:00.000-07:00

Ladies it is time to Fight the Frump with some quality ME time! Lets face it, everyone needs some “me time”. Wives. Mothers. Grandmothers. No matter what your current “role” is you have to find time to unwind.

Lately I have had such difficulty with this. It is no ones fault but my own. I have a wonderful support group surrounding me always there to help. So what is my problem? I could list so many things here ... but I'm not going to do that!

The best way for me to manage my time is to schedule. I must literally have it written out in front of me to check off as I go throughout my day.

While browsing the internet, I came across this fabulous website called Mom Agenda. (You can click here to visit them AFTER you read this post and leave me a comment!) They have great products to schedule every moment of my day and keep me on task.

I just love it! It is unique and super cute with space for mom and up to four children. I could plan each day with moment to moment details for me and the kids. (Alright, I know that is not necessarily realistic)

I have decided to take action and make time for myself by doing the following:

Delegating some of my tasks to my children. They can be very helpful and they do a very good. I just have a bad habit of wanting everything done my way!
Stop multi-tasking! I know that sounds crazy, but sometimes I take on way too much. Focus on one task at a time. Who knows maybe it will help to accomplish the task faster!
Make myself a priority. (I feel guilty for even typing that.) There are always going to be at least 25 other things that I could be doing. I just need to ignore them for a moment and schedule time for myself first.
Relax and have fun. I tend to have such high expectations of myself and my family that before I know it I have missed out on all of the fun. It is what it is and I am who I am, right?

Some of my favorite "Me Time" includes....

Getting a pedicure. Look at my lovely toes I just recently had done!
Browsing through a Pottery Barn catalog. Ohhhh I love their décor.
Running.
Shopping. I big puffy heart shopping!
Tanning. And yes I know it is bad for me.
Getting my eyebrows waxed. Ohhh can it hurt but boy do I feel good when they look good.
Getting my hair done. This is probably one of my fav “Me Times”. I feel so unfrumpy when my hair is all styled and looking hawt!
Meeting my girlfriends for a quick drink, and it is usually a quick one! (No, I am not a drinker and I do not do this often … but just once in awhile I meet up with them!)
Taking a bubble bath with candles and silence.
And of course, blogging! The only problem is I get lost in it. Before I know it, two hours have passed. (I must work on that too.)

Have a Fabulous Friday Ladies and don’t forget to schedule some very special time just for you. But before you do, you must stop by Fussy’s place to read more marvelous ways to fight the frump. Oh and leave me a comment!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-05-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

Bella the Bunny

2008-05-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is Bella, she is a bunny that belongs to my little Princess.

Flashback one year: The Princess has just turned three years old and still takes the pacifier. She was the type of child that never really cared for the pacifier until she was about 2 ½ ~ From there she became attached! I tried to take it away several times but never had the will power when night time came and she started crying for it.

My mother had an idea that the Easter Bunny should come and take the pacifier for the baby bunnies. Brilliant. The night before Easter Sunday, we placed the pacifier outside and come morning time the pacifier was gone. I did keep one of the pacifiers.

Later that week we took the Princess to Build A Bear and that is when Bella became a part of our family. If you squeeze Bella’s hand you will fell a pacifier.

Silly? Maybe. But she loves that bunny!

Operation Chaos

2008-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

**Edited to add: I felt that I should re-start this post by saying that I am continuing with my support for Senator John McCain in the November 2008 presidential election.

It has been brought to my attention by some fabulous ladies that this post was a little confusing at first. I almost lost some readers b/c of it! **Gasp**

Tomorrow I will vote in the democratic primaries as part of Operation Chaos.

So the question is, will I vote Obama or Hillary …

For one brief moment in time I will be a Hillraiser!

I have encountered many Obama supporters at my front door and via telephone over the past week. When I explained that I was a conservative, they simply replied that I could still vote in the primaries for Obama.
See even democrats are encouraging republicans to cross party lines and vote.

But do not worry my alliance is still with my true conservative beliefs. And in November my vote will be cast for the less liberal on the ballet, John McCain. While I may be supporting Senator McCain, I'm still not sure that I completely like him but I do believe that he is the lesser of the three evils. With that being said, I will do whatever I can to ensure a McCain Victory in November.

But for now, I say “GO HILLARY!”

Items I Love

2008-05-04T11:53:00.000-07:00

Below are some items from my kiddos rooms that I felt like featuring on my blog.

My husband purchased this possibly 5 years ago for the Superhero's room. His baseball hats are usually hanging from it.

I purchased this one 6 years ago at a craft show, oh I just love craft shows! It reads "If you don't play to win, why keep score?"

I really want to organize this better!

Both boys have autographed baseballs by Don Mattingly, Johnny Bench and Nolan Ryan. I bought these starfishes to match my little princesses bedding from Pottery Barn two years ago.

Her Hair Bows! My fabulous mother purchased this bow holder last December for the princess … I can not fit all of her bows on it anymore … it is time for another one! I big puffy heart hair bows! They are so precious and really make the outfit.

This mirror came from a Southern Living Party that I attended 3 years ago. When I purchased it my idea was to buy ribbon that matched her room and thread it through ... that has yet to happen!

I suppose what I have learned from this post is that it is time to go shopping, get organized and complete that mirror!

Tagged

2008-05-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by the lovely Joy and Amanda for the exact same Meme!The tag is to post six uninteresting things about myself. So here I go…..

**Competitive**
I am a highly competitive person. I’m not sure if this is a blessing or a curse! I have been this way since I was little.

** Procrastinator**
I procrastinate on everything I do, seriously everything I do! I have always been this way too. If I have somewhere to go or something with a deadline I will wait till the very last possible moment to leave or complete the task at hand. I guess you could say I do my best work under pressure!

**I HATE When Other People Discipline My Kids**
One of my top pet peeves. If you don’t like my parenting skills, that is simply your problem. It does not give you the right to tell them what to do or what not to do. Raise your kids and I’ll raise mine.
Ohhh, that felt good to say!

**I HATE Gum / Food Smacking**
This drives me totally bananas. I do not want to see or hear anything that is in your mouth! Get some manners, darn it!

**Meg Ryan Look Alike**
When I was younger I would hear this almost daily. Now that I’m grown….I hardly ever hear it! Personally, I have never seen the resemblance but I do love to hear it.

**I’m a DittoHead**
Between the hours of 11:00AM and 2:00 PM, when possible, my radio is set on the EIB for the harmless, lovable little fuzz ball ~ All-knowing, all-caring, all-sensing, all-feeling, Maha-Rushie.
I am a Rush Babe! lol

Here's who I am Tagging:
Jennifer @ Blessings From Above
Stephanie @ A Little Bit of Sugar and a Whole Lotta Spice
Laura @ Lovely Lalo
Amanda @ Lifelong Playdate
Kristen @ We are that Family
Yes, and So Is My Heart

If you want to play:
Link back to the person who tagged you.
Post these rules on your blog
List 6 uninteresting things about yourself.
Tag 6 random people at the end of your entry.

Happy Retirement Grandpa

2008-04-30T16:16:00.000-07:00

Over twenty years ago my grandfather retired for the US Postal Service. Now 17 years later he is retiring from the school corporation. He once told me that a man should never stop working unless he is no longer physically able. I am not sure what his upcoming plans are … but I think that my children and I can help keep him busy if he runs out of things to do!

As I said in my previous post, last Thursday evening we attended his retirement dinner. We had a fabulous evening. My children were overall very well behaved and the meal was exceptional.

Do you notice that his name is Kenny? Yes, I was named after my grandfather and my monkey was too!

He loves driving that bus and he loves the kids that ride that bus.
I know he will miss it greatly.

Papa with 2 of his 3 great grandchildren.
They adore him ...We all adore him!

A great photo of my wonderful grandparents with my oldest son. I am so lucky to have them in my life! I just had to add this one of the Princess ... I big puffy heart those curls! (And they're natural too)My Momma with her grandbabies.
I couldn't have asked for a better mother.

And of course, I HAD to add a photo of me!

Everyone that I met that evening who worked with my grandfather would continuously say how much they are going to miss him. He is a one of a kind guy. I don’t think he has ever encountered a person who does not instantly fall in love with him.

Happy Retirement Grandpa.

So Much Personality

2008-04-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken last Thursday evening prior to leaving for my Grandfather’s retirement dinner. Mr. Monkey was napping so he missed out on the photo shoot. I hope they always have this much fun together!

Party Time

2008-04-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, Wordless Wednesday ~ Take a Ride with Us, we were heading to my niece’s first birthday party. And what a fabulous party it was!

A sweet picture of the family. Aren't they cute together?

My polka dot Princess with her polka dot Cousin. Such sweet little girls.
The Superhero loves his little cousin very much.

That's me, Auntie KeeKee with the birthday girl.

Great photo boys.

My mother-in-law with her two granddaughters.And again with her oldest grandson.Fun, Fun, Fun!

And just one more of the birthday girl.

This photo was taken by the Princess, didn’t she do a good job?

I copied and pasted most of the photos from my sister in law, the birthday girl’s Momma. I know she won’t mind…but I had to give credit where credit is due!

It was a lovely party and we had a fabulous time.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Take a Ride with Us

2008-04-23T05:06:00.001-07:00

So Proud of My Superhero

2008-04-21T16:13:00.001-07:00

This is teacher appreciation week at the Superhero’s school. He has been blessed with such an amazing teacher this year.

I arranged for all of the parents to pitch in a small amount of money toward flowers and a gift certificate for her. The flowers are not as big as I had envisioned but I do think they turned out lovely. The theme was ice cream. Could there be a more appropriate theme from a bunch of 7 year olds? I think not. The flower arrangement is called Ice Cream Social. The gift card was to Cold Stone Creamery. Yummy, that place has some good ice cream!

I delivered the flowers to her from the class and also brought a fun snack in for the kiddos. What else it could I bring expect Ice Cream? The kids were so excited. They kept saying “This is the coolest snack.”
After snack I read a story to the class, Skippyjon Jones. If you have a child and have yet to read this book, you must go out and purchase it! The children all loved it. It is a favorite among those kiddos.

After all this fun, the superhero’s teacher shared with me how much she has enjoyed having him in class this year and what a sweet little boy he is. My superhero has a heart that loves GOD very much,because of this he is being honored with an award at the end of the school year. It is a surprise to him so he will not know until the evening of the program. (He attends a private Christian school)

Mr. Superhero, I am so incredibly proud of you and I pray that your love for GOD continues all of your life. You are such a special soul and I love you very much.
This was the award that I received from the exact same school while I was in first grade. I'm so proud of him!

Happy Birthday Livia

2008-04-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

One year ago my children met their cousin, Livia, for the very first time.

Uncle Matt with his niece

Auntie KeeKee The proud Momma with her first child.

Baby’s First Birthday By Jill Eisnaugle

Baby’s breath and sun-filled skies

Ladybugs and lullabies

Starry nights and bright moonbeams

Tender hearts and lasting dreams

Each, a gift within your view

During this time, made for you

May only good things come your way

On this, your very first birthday.

Happy, Happy Birthday Livia!

"Five Classes I Wish They Would’ve Taught in School"

2008-04-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Well this is my very first MEME! I was tagged by the Fabulous Jennifer whose blog, Kupiec blogspot, I simply adore. If you have yet to check out her blog you must do so right after you read this post!

So here I go … Five Classes that would have benefited me:

HOW TO KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN WHILE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED
I never seemed to have issues with keeping my eyes open during a picture until the past year or so. My flippen eyes want to close while the photo is being taken. It is so incredibly annoying. Here is a perfect example....

ENJOY THOSE HIGH SCHOOL DAYS
Enjoy being young, thin and carefree. No major responsibilities, no one else to take care of. Wow, I did not know how good I had it!
These were definitely not the best days of my life, but I did have a lot of good times!
I should have enjoyed my friends more. Most have come and gone and I miss some of them….some I do not miss!

I was able to spend part of my New Years this past year with some of my fabulous friends from grade school. Good times...I love those guys! Me and the hubs before marriage and children! Ooooo Young and Hot!
Awww….and there was Prom. Should have enjoyed that more too!HOW TO KEEP THAT PRE-COLLEGE/PRE-CHILDREN FIGURE
I wish I would have enjoyed my figure more while I was younger. Instead I spent my time obsessing over how fat I was! If only I had known.
I was lucky not to gain the freshman 15 … but I did gain a little bit when I went off to college.

My body has never been the same since having children! If only I looked like this again! ENJOY YOUR PREGNANCY
I don’t think I enjoyed being pregnant as much as I wish I would have the first time around. I wish I would have enjoyed the time that Matt and I had together before becoming parents. A few pics while I was pregnant with my Superhero....

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILZ
I would like to think that I am a very organized individual. Don’t know how true that is though. I could definitely use some tips on how to organize some areas of my home....

Now it is my turn to tag five people that I would like to get to know better. I am tagging these fabulous ladies:

Mah-Meeee at Raising A & C

Lisa at Very Busy Mom With 4

Law Student Hot Mama at Why Lawyers Suck

Erin at Chads Girls

Joy at The Doctors Wife

Because I never follow the rules I am tagging 2 extra ladies.

Amy at Every Day with the Kellys

Now I already know Photochick very well over at Faith, Family, Friends, Photography ... but if you want to post consider yourself tagged sweetie!

Rules are simple......post your Five Classes and then tag some people. (Be sure to leave them a comment at their blog so they know they've been tagged!

Fighting the Frump ~ Whatever Makes You Smile

2008-04-18T01:55:00.000-07:00

Well this week’s Fighting the Frump is going to be an odd one for me. My mind is scrambled and my thoughts are everywhere right now.

I have so many cute things I’ve come across that make me happy and so not frumpy feeling. So in this post I will feature each one of those items. I’ve decided not to focus on just one thing.

First, I found this backpack and I instantly thought of my daughter. How adorable is it? Everyone who knows me knows how much I *big puffy heart* polka dots. Plus this just looks like something that my princess would own.
I really intended to feature these purses in last weeks fight the frump post. Who knows why I failed to list them. I just love 'em. A simple white flat ~ How cute are these shoes? As I mentioned previously my hubs loves me in flats….wonder if he would like these? I love these necklaces. They can be for mom*daughter*or both of us.

Not sure what I will splurge on this week but whatever it will be it will put a smile on my face.

So this week I say Fight the Frump by buying / finding / looking at something that makes you feel blissful.

One more thing, as much as I love shopping and I do love it ~ I also feel so good when I bring a smile to someone elses face. So do something nice for someone else....Hey you could start now by leaving me a comment! *Grin~Wink*

Have a Fabulous Friday Ladies and don’t forget to stop by Fussy’s place to read more marvelous ways to fight the frump.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

This photo fits perfectly with the previous post. My younger two children are NEVER allowed to eat popcorn again...I mean never!

One more photo...

She dressed up her puppy dog...the glove is on the dogs tail!

I’m gonna miss this, right???

2008-04-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have a quiet moment and what do I do….I blog about my craziness!

I don’t want to forget the moments in my day that make me want to pull my hair out piece by piece ~ because I will miss these days, right???

So far today a finger has gotten stuck in a camera.
Sunny D has been split on the kitchen floor.
Pages have been torn out of a bible “Sorry about that one God”. Then the bible got thrown in the yucky water that was in the mop bucket...Sorry again.
Salt was shaken out onto the counter and floor (now I'm anxiously waiting for the ants to come)
There has been a lot of giggles, screams and crying (The screams and crying were coming mostly from Momma)
Items such as finger nail clippers, tweezers and Q-Tips were thrown into the toilet.
All of this was done long before 8:30 this morning by my Monkey. That's not including what my other two darling children have been up too!

Now you may be asking yourself, does she watch her child? I do I swear….I do.

So I want to know, do you have days / moments like this? Am I alone in my craziness? Please tell me you have days like this!!! I need to hear it.

Well, Handy Manny is about ready to go off which means Momma better get out of computer world!

Happy Wednesday….Hope you are having fabulous day.

Playdate with a Monkey

2008-04-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today I had a very special play date with my Monkey. We went to Pump It Up while the Princess and Superhero were at school.

I wasn’t there to socialize with other Mothers ~ I was only there to play with my lil’ guy. There was a lot of giggling and running and jumping. We had so much fun together. I can’t wait to do it again.
As you can see the Monkey was not happy to leave and neither was his Momma.

I had so much fun with my Monkey today and really enjoyed my time with him.

A Prissy Princess & A Baseball Boy

2008-04-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

This afternoon the Princess, my Prissy Gal, and I went shopping at a local children’s boutique. I simply adore this shop as does she. My daughter is such the little shopper. She loves picking out things to buy and is very much like her Momma, always heads straight for the most expensive items!

The store is set up with a sweet little area for the kids to play which allows Mom to shop in peace. She had a ton of fun playing tea party and was so sad to leave. I saw this and fell in love with it. They just got it in and put it out. I can't wait for her to wear it. It looks so sweet on her with her brown bouncy curls. Last summer I really wanted a white dress like this but was unable to find it. It is so soft and just perfect. She looks simply beautiful in it. Miss Priss loved this dress and wants me to go back to buy it. It is sweet and sassy.....I may have to go back for it! Here is my Prissy-Sassy-Princess before we left today. She was into my makeup shortly before I snapped this photo. Meanwhile, across town, my baseball boy had his first game of the season. Isn't he handsome????
His team won, 12 runs to 2 runs. Yay ~ Way to go Superhero!

Again it was another great Saturday. Hope you are having a fabulous weekend.

Fight the Frump w/a Sassy New Handbag

2008-04-11T06:00:00.000-07:00

Ladies it is time to Fight the Frump with a Sassy New Handbag. I have had handbags on the brain lately.

I *adore* handbags. I said in my previous fight the frump post that a girl can never have enough shoes….well this time it is handbags. A girl can never have enough handbags.

This is my handbag that I adore....It holds everything that I simply must take with me everywhere I go. And as a mother of three, well, you can only imagine. I love summer time purses. I love the colors and different styles. Here are a few that left me drooling:

Well, Hello Yellow! I'm just lovin yellow this spring.....

This red Dooney & Bourke comes in many hawt colors. I really like the turquoise or yellow. Oh la-la It would match those Red High Heels!

This is my SAK handbag. I love pink and I love THE SAK.

So, what do you think....Do you like any of them?

Do you have a favorite handbag, one that you just can't live without?

Do you need a new handbag....any plans of going shopping soon???

What brings out the Sassy Girl in you? Is it a tote, a shoulder bag, a satchel, a hobo, an evening bag or a clutch???

Let me know ladies, I can't wait to hear what you have to say!

Have a Fabulous Friday and don’t forget to stop by Fussy’s place to read more marvelous ways to fight the frump.

Ohhh One more thing ~ I couldn’t end this post without mentioning my daughter, the Princess. These are her handbags, they even have her name on ‘em. The large one is her overnight bag and the small one is her handbag.

Aren’t they precious? She is my Sassy Classy Gal!

I have a few more coming….I’ll have to do a post when I get them.

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Messy Face & A Quiet Moment

2008-04-09T04:50:00.000-07:00

More of My Boys

2008-04-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Dad and the monkey playing basketball in the house.

Dad showing monkey how to throw the ball

Dad helping monkey throw the ball.

Monkey waiting to see if the ball went in .... and it did!

He made numerous shots all by himself.

Momma's so proud of ya Mr. Monkey.

Some of his lil' sayings while playing ball:

"TaaDaaa"
"Itz Mine"
"Itz My Ball"
"Catch It"
"Ohhh Gosh"
"Nooooo"
"Daa-deee ... Get it"
"Yay" **Fist made, Arm pulling down toward waist**

Such fun times.....

My Boys

2008-04-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Dad and the superhero were having practice before they left for practice. My superhero has improved sooo much w/his baseball skilz. I'm such a proud Momma. I just love this photo of him. He looks so serious and focused. Hard to believe he is only 7 years old. **Wiping a tear from my eye** Here is the Hubs, Mr Hot Stuff!

I love to watch my boys play ball. In just a few years my lil' monkey will be out their with the boyz playing ball. Awwww....Have I mentioned lately how much I love this sport??? I do, I really-really do.

Ahhhh It’s Spring Time

2008-04-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Warm sunny weather Check
Kids outside playing Check
Baseball season is here Check
The hubs has a to do list for his projects Check
The hubs and superhero were outside working Check

Yeah it is finally spring! We have had beautiful weather the past two days, sunny and temps in the 60s. It was an amazing, fun filled, busy weekend.

Saturday we started the day super early (this was not my choice) the superhero and monkey woke up at 5:00am. Let me just say that this is way too early to begin the day with a busy 2 year old. I have such a hard time dragging my tush out of bed ~ So why don’t they? It is no fun growing old.

Mr. superhero had a friend’s birthday party later that morning where he got to play laser tag. He was so excited to go.
While he was shooting or getting shot at the party I met my mom at Stride Rite and we purchased shoes for the kiddos. Why do kid’s shoes cost soooo much money? Our adventure in the shoe store was simply that, an adventure. They were extremely busy with limited help. The monkey and princess were running around trying on different shoes and playing with puzzles. Mr. Monkey met 3 little people that were just his size and age, they were triplets.

Here are just two of the shoes that were purchased for the princess...

None of the other shoes that we purchased were online.....While looking online I discovered that they have a ton of cute shoes that they do not carry in the store. I must keep telling myself that too much damage has been done and these kiddos do NOT need anymore shoes!

After the birthday party my mom took the little two kiddos home to take a nap and I went to pick up the superhero from his party. While having lunch together at Moe’s I became slightly upset with a minor situation that occurred while I was paying. After we took our seat, my superhero simply asked me “Geez mom, do you have to be so dramatic?” Thanks babe for putting me in my place….I guess I need that sometimes.

Once home the superhero and father went under the house to do some Mans Work. It is so adorable to see him go under the house. I flashed back to his first trip under, he was only 2 and a half! I have a pic of him somewhere heading under and I can't find it. I'm so bummed. Oh well..

Later we went to my mother’s house for my niece’s birthday. She will be 2 years old later this month. She and the monkey are exactly 2months and 1day apart in age. We don’t get to see each other that often because they live out of town. A birthday present that my princess picked out for the birthday princess. The kiddos had so much fun together. The monkey kept wanting to blow out the birthday candles.

The birthday princess with her Momma, my step sis.

I just love this photo. The girls thought they were Hot Stuff b/c the monkey was pushing them and the monkey thought he was Hot Stuff because he was able to push them.

That night I managed to only have one child at home sleeping. The superhero spent the night with my grandmother, the princess spent the night with my mother and the monkey was home with me and the hubs.

By the time I headed into bed my house was cleaned and I was exhausted.

Sunday morning the monkey slept in a lil’ longer than Saturday morning, he woke up at 5:45. Yeah!

Sunday was an even more beautiful day than Saturday. The kids played outside together and the hubs worked on projects all day.

The superhero was a huge help to his dad today. He is such a big helper.
I only added this pic b/c the monkey has been sitting like this for as long as I can remember. This is his favorite position....I do believe he might be a catcher someday.

Tonight the princess and I went to the grocery store together and had some fun girl time. She took her baby doll, Coco, and the baby stroller. She was so adorable pushing the baby and stopping to sooth the baby when she began to cry, which was quite often. She learned how difficult it can be to eat a cookie while pushing a stroller and having to feed your baby all at the same time. She did a very good job. I do believe she will make a fabulous mother some day.

I am so ready for spring weather and so thankful that it is finally here. Hope you are having warm, sunny weather as well.

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Princess and The Lobster

2008-04-02T10:11:00.001-07:00

Fight the Frump w/Some Red High Heels

2008-03-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Ladies it is time to Fight the Frump with some Red High Heels. I mean some Supa Sexy Red High Heels. A pair that will cost a fortune and only be worn with that certain special outfit. A pair that you would only admire from the store window but not actually purchase.

Now for me, this is difficult. The hubs ~ He does not like High Heels, especially on me. This is just awful because I am so short and I love high heels. Now for the most part I am all about making my guy happy but sometimes I have to do something for “Me”.

I have always had a shoe fetish, I simply adore shoes. I firmly believe that a girl can never have enough shoes.

Although I still feel the same way, you would never know it by looking into my closet. Once I became a Momma I traded in my Stilettos for more practical Mom Shoes! *Ugh*.

Why is that? Why don’t I say to heck with it and buy that pair that are screaming at me to buy them? I would look hot in those shoes!

So, this week I’m going to Fight the Frump and buy a pair of Red High Heels. The hubs would maybe like these because they are a shorter heel….I do like the polka dots inside the shoes! Click here for these adorable shoes

He wouldn’t like these, but I think they are classy…. Click here for these adorable shoes

Heck ladies, the shoes don’t have to be Red ~ Just buy some shoes!

I do believe that Kellie Pickler says it best in her song Red High Heels.

Yeah, you know the deal
Nobody holds a candle to me

In my red high heels

Have a Fabulous Friday Ladies and don’t forget to stop by Fussy's place to read more marvelous ways to Fight the Frump.

Thank You

2008-03-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

Since we just recently marked five years in Iraq I thought it would be appropriate to address the American Solider.

To The Solider:

Whatever reason may have inspired you to serve our country; I just want to say “Thank You.” Thank you for being brave, for volunteering to serve our country, thank you to your family whose sacrifices are what make it possible for you to serve, thank you for cherishing freedom and protecting me and those I love.

I can not begin to imagine what it must be like to be apart from your family and friends or what life must be like when you leave all that you know and love behind. I do not know you personally but I admire you for what you do and I am so very thankful.

*To the family whose child did not return home, my heart breaks for you and I am forever grateful for the sacrifice you made. I will not forget them or you.
*To the mother’s, fathers, wives, husbands and children who serve our country I can not imagine what it must be like to apart from those you hold so dear to your heart. Please return home safely.

I salute you and I thank you.

Party Time for the Princess

2008-03-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we celebrated the Princesses 4th Birthday at Pump It Up. She had so many friends and family come to share the very special day with her. A photo of the Pink Polka Dot Princess wearing Polka Dots with her Pink Polka Dot Princess Cake.

Can you tell I how much I love Polka Dots, Princesses and cake? Me and the Princess having fun together

The Father & Superhero having fun together

HeeHee ~ Mr. Monkey is soooo funny! He had so much fun at this party.

The Princess & Her Cousin

The Monkey is already flirting with his sister's friends!
He would not go down the slide on his tushie!

Melody & Me Boxing ~ I'm pretty sure she kicked my butt!

~Best Friends~
Such Pretty Girls ~ I *Love* this Photo

What a *Handsome* Superhero

The Princess
All her Friends
After she opened a present she would say "Now can I have another one please" I would shoot her a look and withouth saying a word she knew I was thinking "Stop that!" because she simply replied "What? I said Please!"

It was a *fabulous* party.

Enjoy the video that the Father created for the Princess!

*Listen for her to say "Now can I have another one".*

Potty Time

2008-03-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

Mr. Monkey has started using the "Potty" this past week. I am so thrilled!

He knows he is "Hot Stuff" too. He gives us a high five, throws his arms up in the air and yells "Yeah" and then flashes us this little smile once he has gone to the bathroom. He is too cute!

Hillary's Coming

2008-03-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is gracing our lovely town here in southern Indiana today with her presence.

Perhaps I should attend the presidential campaign rally as a heckler.

Hmmm I do wonder what will she possibly talk about….
* Maybe how she plans to fix all of our problems so that we get everything for free and longer have to work for it…..Oh but then again that doesn’t apply to all of us now does it? I will still have to work to support all those who simply just don’t want to. They’ll just tax me because I work and give it to those who opt not to.
* Or will it be her thoughts for the current moment on the Iraq war? We should have gone to war….no wait we never should have gone. We will leave as soon as I’m President…..oh no we might not be able to leave right away because of the mess Bush left us in. But then again she never read the report so she probably wouldn’t know what the best option for our country really is….
* Immigration
* Social Security
* Education
* Gun Control ~ because after all it is the guns that kill people, not people that kill people.
* The environment ~ btw I say *Bring on Global Warming*. After the winter we just experienced in southern Indiana I am all for 5 degree warmer winters to avoid the ice.

So as you can tell, I’m not a Hillraiser.

We have had non-stop rain for the past couple days causing flooding in most of the tri-state area. It’s like a plague, the floods came and now Hillary!

A Very Special Little Lady

2008-03-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my very special little girls 4th birthday.

As I looked at her today my mind went into a flashback, she is all cuddled in a *pink* hospital blanket so tiny and precious. She had this amazingly perfect reddish skin tone. My heart melted the first time I laid my eyes on her and I was in love from that moment on. Maggie meets both of her Grandmothers for the very first time. This photo melts my heart, it's simply priceless.
I can’t take my eyes off of her. She is such a beautiful little girl.

I think back to all of the wonderful moments we have experienced together. Such as the many firsts…
* The day she took her tiny first steps.
* When she said “Momma”.
* Her first giggles
* When she waved bye-bye
* Blew kisses
* The first round of peekaboo
* Played with her first baby doll
I could go on and on here! These are some of my fondest "Maggie" memories.

She is my one and only little girl and I could not imagine what life would be like without a daughter. I thank God for my Princess and pray that we are always the best of friends.

Maggie is my sunshine, she makes me so very happy. Each morning since she was first born I have greeted her with "Good Morning Sunshine, Mommy loves you”. She always smiles at me and it makes for a great start to my day.

She is a princess who may grow up to be a diva some day, then I could be in real trouble! But whatever she grows up to be, I know she will be a truely remarkable woman. Until then, she is my princess.

Mommy loves you very, very much Maggie Boo. Happy Birthday!

The Princess is 4!

2008-03-19T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today is my Pretty Pink Polka Dot Princess' Very Special Day, it's her Birthday! She turned 4 years old at 7:32AM this morning.
I will post more later on this Very Special Young Lady of mine.

School was closed today due to the weather. It has been raining non-stop and some of the roads have been closed due to flooding.

My 3 little angles are creating a nice mess for this SuperMomma right now. It's time that I get out of *Computer World* (as they would say) and go deal with the mess!
But as I said, more on the Birthday Princess to come.

It's a Green Day

2008-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Happy St Patrick's Day.
The Princess would only stand still for a moment and the Monkey did not want his picture taken at all. (He wants to go outside, NOW!) Maybe I'll be able to get a picture of the Superhero to post later this evening.
Have a *fabulous* day and don't forget to wear your green!

Baby, Baby

2008-03-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

So I've been thinking a lot lately about having another baby, I mean a lot!

I want to have a fourth baby....I want to be pregnant....I want to buy little tiny shoes and decorate the nursery....I want my Princess to have a sister.

Perhaps what I really need is a strong Martini, an awesome Maid and an *Oh So Cuddly* Puppy Dog.

But even with all of that, I would still want another baby…

Letting Go

2008-03-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

Today the lil’ Princess had her 1st field trip with preschool, very exciting. I re-arranged my schedule so that I could partake on this adventure with her.

She tried to talk her Daddy into going on the field trip also. But Daddy had meetings to attend today and was unable to join us. She was bummed. The Princess wanted Daddy to ride on the school bus with her. Awww….

So anyway, we arrive at school looking oh so adorable (btw, I’m referring to both of us) and I was then informed that Mommy’s are not allowed to attend this field trip. Oh my goodness! I didn’t know how I was going to leave this sweet and precious little girl. Would they take care of her, would they watch her closely??? And why am I the only mother who seems worried about this?!!!?? **Perhaps I worry just a lil’ too much**

Meanwhile, Maggie has forgotten all about me and is busy with her friends.

After the field trip:
Mommy ~ How were the trains?
Princess ~ Ohhh, the trains were amazing Mommy
Mommy…….when you go away my heart breaks for you and I know that your heart breaks for me too.

Ohhh, she did miss me and she didn’t forget about me completely!!!

Why is it so hard to let go? I wish she could stay little forever.

Baseball's coming...

2008-03-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

Baseball is HUGE in our home so we are anxiously waiting the arrival of opening day.

Nolan has had tryouts this week and is doing so good with his skillz! I'm so proud of him.

Garrett is also getting ready for "Ball-Ball". He is so lucky becuase he has his father and big brother to teach all about the sport.

No pics of Nolan playing yet this year, but I do have a sweet one of the lil' monkey playing some ball wtih Dad tonight. Awww.....

Darn Tooth Fairy....

2008-03-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

My lil’ Superhero came home so thrilled yesterday after school. **He lost another tooth.** (I do believe this is tooth #6 that has fallen out.)

Anyway, last night he put the tooth in his special pillow so the magical Tooth Fairy would be able to find it easily and leave him his oh so deserved $$money$$.

When I went in his room this morn’n he sadly explained that the, and I quote, “Darn Tooth Fairy forgot to come and bring me money and take my tooth”.

Ohhh, my goodness! *hand over chest, gasping*

How in the world could this “Darn Tooth Fairy” forget to take a tooth and give a child his money????

Well, being the wonderful mother that I am, I fixed the problem! Yep sure did. I exited the room with that pillow, took the tooth out and replaced it with money! I figured that since this was such a huge mess up on the Tooth Fairy’s part, the amount of money given should be a large sum.

I quickly replaced the pillow in his room and we started the day over. Now I have the tooth and my lil’ Superhero has cash burning in his pocket to be spent.

Hmmm, wonder if I can still win Mother of the Year Award????

Floppy

2008-03-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

Floppy is a raggedy ole’ orange puppy dog that has been in the fam for a lot of years.
Floppy was Matt’s when was just a lil’ boy. Awww, isn’t that sweet?
The details of when, where or how he became a member no-one knows.
But now Floppy belongs to Matt’s children. The Superhero found the dog at Matt’s parent’s house a few years ago and brought it home to be his.
Since the Superhero is fast approaching 8years old, stuffed animals are no longer cool and he does not associated with Floppy very much anymore.
Princess has grown much attached to this special dog. He sleeps with her, goes places with her and plays with her. The most amazing part of it to me is she has taken him to preschool as her show-n-tell 4 times so far this year.
I wonder if Matt ever realized as a lil’ boy how much that dog would be loved by his daughter someday….

Party Time for the Lil' Monkey

2008-03-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

For Mr. Garrett’s 2nd birthday it only seemed fitting that it be held at Chuck E Cheese. The guests arrived by 10:00 to celebrate this very special occasion. CEC was not busy and it ran very smoothly. I had a reservation or two about having the party there, but in the end I am glad that we did.

I had been so sick prior to the BIG Day with the awful flu that has been going around. I was able to pull myself together and attend the party. My mom had to take charge for me though ~ there was simply no way I was up to taking care of everything. Oh who am I kidding, that is me with anything I do!!!
I’m so sorry I just made this post about my special little boy all about me. I have a bad habit of doing that….Sorry Garrett!

For me, the cake is the center of the party. I have a huge obsession with having the prefect cake. Garrett’s theme was Curious George, because Garrett is my lil’ monkey. He is just like George….always into something and yet very adorable while up to mischief. I was just tickled pink with the cake. I thought it turned out perfectly! If you look up at George’s left elbow/shoulder area you will see that the cake has been tampered with. Mr. Garrett stepped on the box that the cake was in right before the party. I almost had heart failure. Luckily he didn't fall completely on the box!!!
It's Happy Birthday time! We started signing "Happy Birthday To You" days before his party and he just loves the song. He signs along and thinks it is terrific. My Mom helped him blow out the candles b/c I didn't want to breathe all over the cake. I'm sure the guests were pleased with my decision! I do believe it was Garrett’s mission to destroy this cake! He kept trying to smack it. He accomplished this goal once! Unfortunately for Mr. Garrett his piece of cake was almost all icing
Daddy tried to help him with it but Garrett was disgusted and replied "Uck".
The most memorable part of the party for me will be Garrett dancing and singing. He loved it and had so much fun. He is full of life.
Nolan was disturbed with Melody and me at this moment. Not sure what was going through Miss Maggie's mind....

Nolan had spent the night at a friends house the night prior so he was VERY tired!
Garrett was Uncle Dennis's lil' buddy. They played a lot of games together and this one was Garrett's favorite! Of course it was, b/c he was able to make a mess with the water.A sweet pic of Miss Livia. Isn't that smile just so sweet? Next year she will be down chasing Garrett everywhere...or maybe he'll be chasing her! Garrett loves his cousin very much. I wish we would have gotten a pic of them two together....
Garrett had a lot of fun playing in this car with his cousin Riley.

A very good picture taken by Amanda of Matthew and myself with our handsome and adventurous lil' boy.

Happy Birthday Garrett. I hope you had a wonderful time at your very special party.

I think he did have a wonderful day. He fell fast asleep watching Handy Manny on the "T".

Isn't this picture priceless?

Summer Camp

2008-02-27T16:36:00.000-08:00

When I picked Nolan up from wrestling practice today the coach was explaining to the kids and parents about wrestling camp offered this summer. Camp will be held at Virginia Beach and is for son and Dad only.

Nolan ran over to me after practice informing me of how badly he needs to go to camp. I was in complete disbelief, is this the same child that was so upset this morning with the thought of having to go to wrestling today?

Now as Nolan's mother I know why he wants to go to "summer camp" he wants to go for the beach! And that is not a bad reason, after all who doesn't love the beach? He is thinking of staying up late, hanging out with friends, playing in the ocean ~ Sounds pretty good, uh? Can you just imagine, it would be like spring break for 1st graders! They'll stay up late drinking Mt Dew and having the time of their little lives. Almost makes me want to go.

Of course, camp won't be all fun and games. We know this, but when you're 7 you don't always see the bigger picture.

A Very Special Little Boy

2008-02-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Mr. Garrett’s 2nd birthday, I’ll post more later on how we celebrated his very special day, for now I just want to reflect on Garrett.

Garrett was a “surprise baby” to us, meaning we had not planned on a third child. I was so afraid Matt would freak out when I told him there were two pink lines on this little white stick in the bathroom. Matt took the news really good, in fact I didn’t even tell him I was pregnant he already knew by the way I was acting.

We had his parents, my parents and my grandparents over one evening to share the news with them. I bought an ice cream cake and had “Grandparents for the 3rd time” written on it (I didn’t have a lot of space to work with). And of course, everyone was excited and took the news very well.

Maggie was only 15 months old at the time ~ She had no concept of what was going on. We would just point to my tummy and say "baby". For the longest time she thought everyone had a baby in their tummy. She even thought she a had a baby in her tummy!

Nolan was just before turning 5 when we found out. He was so excited. Did I mention he had been praying for a little brother? Well he had been. He prayed every night for months asking God for a baby, but not a sister because he already had one of those, this time he wanted a brother. He was on cloud nine when we shared the news with him. Talk about making someone a believer.
We found out we were having a little boy sometime in October, I think. His father was so proud to be blessed with another little boy. You could see the relief come over him when he heard the news. (Not that he doesn’t love his princess, becuase he does.)

We had chosen his name prior to finding out the sex. We decided on Garrett for a boy. It was the only name we could both agree on but we both really liked it. The middle name didn’t come until after I delivered him. I tossed around Matthew, after his father, Lee, It’s Matt, Nolan & part of Maggie’s middle name, or Kenneth, after my grandpa who I am named after. Matt left the decision up to me and so Kenneth it was. It is a mouth full, but a strong name. Garrett Kenneth. (May I just say this little boy is a lot like my grandfather…)

Garrett was born by C-Section on February 24, 2006. He was 8-12 & 19in. He was such a handsome little baby. I feel in love with him the moment I laid my eyes on him, well I was already in love with him! He had most beautiful completion. He was just prefect, absolutely perfect.

This picture was taken the day we came home from the hospital. My mom was holding her 3rd grand-baby! I just love the way his little hands are placed and how big the pacifier looks. A great picture of Garrett with his sister. She loves him so much. Maggie has been "mothering" him from day one! He will grow up to call her "LaLa". Melts my heart.

Garrett with his big brother, Nolan. Nolan was so proud of Garrett and still is. He takes very good care of him. They are best buds. Garrett will grow up and call him "Nonan".Garrett loved his swing. Doesn't he look tiny in it? Hard to believe....where does the time go?

Garrett started sleeping throughout the night by 2 ½ weeks. I was extremely lucky. He did have nights when he would be up, but for the most part he was a very good sleeper.

A sweet picture of three babies. Garrett looks a little scared in this picture, doesn't he? Here Garrett is a little happier w/his brother and sister.
Garrett loved to eat those gerber cookies. He was so messy with them...but I suppose all kids are.

Garrett was about 10months old when he started to walk. He walked earlier than the older two did. Garrett loved balls even he was just a little thing. Here is about 11months old.

"Happy 1st Birthday Garrett" ~ He loved his cake so much and did such a wonderful job eating it. He had cake everywhere. Mommy was so proud.A funny face that Garrett would make while eating! Such a funny baby.....This picture was taken in March of 2007, so he was 12-13 months old. Already climbing up slides....I almost had heart failure when I turned and saw him. I knew life as I had known it was over!

He pulled his bath seat out of the tub one day and decided to sit in it, then....
he decided, why not go for a walk! Priceless.

I just love this photo of Garrett ~ He looks all boy.

Garrett learned how to climb in and out of the crib from his wonderful sister, Miss Maggie, in November of 2007 at the age of 20months. At first, I will admit I thought it was cute. Then, it just became down right annoying. But that’s not the point ~ the point is, Garrett loves to climb in and out of his crib and stand on his crib rail while yelling at the ceiling.
Garrett gets a thrill from jumping to Daddy! I just had to snap a quick photo....
This is the latest picture of the 3 kiddos together that I have. Not sure what they were doing but I do know that they were having fun together. Garrett loves his big brother and big sister so much. He'll tell me during the day "Nonan at school Momma" or he'll ask "Where Lala go"

He is an adventurous little boy who keeps me on my toes every second of the day. I love him terribly. I am so thankful that God blessed our family with this precious little boy. What a blessing he is to so many people in his life. I don’t ever want to take a moment of my time with him for granted and always appreciate him for who HE is. He is prefect. After all God made him just the way he is.

I love you Garrett.

Mommy

~Catching Up~

2008-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am taking time to catch up.
February is such a busy month for our family. There are many birthday’s to be celebrated within this month. (I absolutely love birthdays. What a wonderful day to celebrate your life, the life that God gave you.) I have been working extra and with the kids schedules I rarely have time to sit down at the computer and accomplish anything at all.
I have also been so tired lately. Garrett has been waking up at 5:00am. Once those big blue eyes open that little boy hits the ground running, literally!
So tonight I have taken some time to sit down and add some new entries.
Hope you enjoy them!
Take care and thanks for stopping by to see how things are going in my world!

~Surprise~

2008-02-18T19:37:00.000-08:00

On February 15 my Grandmother celebrated her 75th birthday!
We had a "Surprise Party" for her the weekend prior.

Matthew & my uncle Ray, my Grandma's brother, had a great time together.
These two guys are two peas in a pod. They have so much in common.
They discussed politics, boxing, baseball....plus many other topics I'm sure!

Garrett was not too happy at first.
He was so hungry and tired. But once he ate he was a happy lil' boy!

Maggie & Garrett had fun playing dress-up.
“Superman to the rescue for the pudding” yelled Maggie as she ran throughout the house.

Nolan is pretending he is playing the guitar here.
He loves to spend time in Stephen’s room.

My unlce Dennis siging the "HaHa" song ... I think that is what it is called
He made Maggie & Jaci laugh

Norma Jean with her younger brother, Ray

Everyone had a wonderful time and I think Grandma was truly surprised.
She is a wonderful lady and I am so thankful for her.
Happy Birthday Grandma!

~Saturday Nights Out~

2008-02-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday night my Princess, Amanda, Amanda's Princess & I had a girls night out!

Our boys were together at Amanda’s watching a boxing fight ~ Usually when the boys get together Amanda & Livia come spend time at my house with me and the kiddos.
The Superhero and Monkey spent the night with MaMaw so it was just us girls.
We decided to go out to eat for a change ~ Usually we do take out and eat at my house.

We drove around for almost an hour trying to find a restaurant without a long wait…We ended up on the west side at O’Charly’s.

A cute pic of the girls that I snapped right after we finished eating

Picture by Miss Princess ~ She did such a great job

We wanted a picture of us girls ~ If only I could keep my eyes open!

Princess & Mommy ~ We don't look too happy here, but we were!

She was getting sleepy ~ I love this picture!

Livia w/Me ~ Her Aunt KeeKee!

I love our Saturday nights together.

~cMoe~

2008-02-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the Children’s Museum of Evansville, cMoe.
The kiddos had a ton of fun as did I.
Superhero, Princess and I went with my cousin Melody.

Superhero was the only one of us who had been before.

This is the house that the kiddos built …. Well with some help from there Mom and Melody of course!
A cute pic of me and superhero in the house we built
They danced their hearts out They put on a play ~ Little Red Riding Hood
Superhero & Melody climbing up high
Princess was in 7th Heaven ~ She loves to cut, draw, glue & paint
She also loves to play in the sand....she was making rice pudding

Superhero had so much fun ~ I love that smile on his face

Melody painted my superhero's face ~ She did such a good job!

I painted the Princesses face ~ She was suppose to be a Ladybug ~ I don't think I did a very good job!

The brain!

The nose!

Fun in Wet Land

This was one of Superhero's favorite places in cMoe

I loved the rain coats ~ The kids were so cute in them!

We had a lot of fun today. I was really happy that Melody went with us and that we were able to spend the day with her. The kids adore her and had a blast with her.

Matthew promised he will go next time with us ~ He is really looking forward to going! And of course, next time I am taking Mr. Garrett....what fun he will have there. I kept thinking of him the whole day and how much I wished he were there with us. (He was with his Great-Nana taking a nap!)

~Heart Love~

2008-02-14T17:50:00.000-08:00

Happy Heart Love Day!
-Maggie, 3yrs old

~Ca-las~

2008-02-11T17:37:00.000-08:00

Garrett loves to color it is one of his most favorite things to do throughout the day.

He is a very good artist, and I do not say that because I am his mother, I say that because it is true!

"Ca-las Momma, Ca-las"

Then Garrett will tell me to "Sit Momma, Sit" and so I sit next to him while he "ca-las".

~Snow Days~

2008-02-11T17:04:00.000-08:00

We finally got some snow to get excited about and let me tell you my darling little children were beyond excited! This picture was taken right before we went outside

I love this picture of my three kiddos.

They are so adorable.

This was the princess and monkey's 1st major snow fall that he was able to play in.

My Snow Angels

The Superhero and Princess were very adventurous ~ As you can see this is a VERY dangerous snow covered mountain.

~Any Given Day~

2008-02-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few of the things I experience any given day with the little ones that I love

Sometimes we eat chicken from McDonalds

Garrett loves "sauce" to dip his food in just like his big brother

Maggie and Nolan luv McDonalds ~ Why, I don't know!

Maggie sneaks in her room and likes to play w/her piggy bank. Mommy has now hidden it from Maggie.

Sometimes we have wrestling matches ~ Go Nolan!

Garrett likes to cook for Mommy
"It stink Momma, It stink!"

We pick Nolan up from school. We are always so happy to see him.
Sometimes we go to the car wash ~ Garrett thinks it's funny.

We always love each other

Garrett loves to play with the vents.
Garrett & Daddy watch the "t", as Garrett would call it.

Sometimes they act silly together
We eat a lot of poc (pop corn)

Maggie plays "darbie dolls" with Garrett

They love to play ball and run through the house
We even play with play dough, it is one of Maggie's favorite things

Garrett loves to play video games with Nolan and Daddy

Video games are one of Nolan's favorite things.

They are probably playing Smash Brothers or Sonic the Hedgehog!

I love my days ~ They are never boring and always full of adventure.

~No Mom Allowed~

2008-02-06T07:04:00.000-08:00

Last night the Superhero and Priness made a “Club” in the Princessess bed. They did a wonderful job decorating it and hanging up the blankets to make it very secretive.

Princess told her Father and me that No Girls were allowed in the club. I asked how she could be in the club, since after all, she is a girl. She simply replied, I’m not a gir Mommy, I’m a Princess!” Ohhh, now I understood. She also informed us that a Dad and Mom could be apart of the club and that no babies are allowed, which means no Monkey.

While we were having this conversation, The Princess Matt and me, the Superhero was fast asleep in the club.

I pulled the covers down for bedtime and basically destroyed the club….I was told by Princess that I am no longer allowed in the Club. I have lost all privileges. “No Mom Allowed” per the Princess.

Even this morning after sleeping all night, she still remembered and was not happy with me. Maybe I can make it up to her today and regain my rights to enter the "club".

~Splish Splash~

2008-02-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

I was going through my photos and came across these of the kiddos in the bath-tub!

Some Old ~ Some New

Mr Superhero ~ Just a little guy~I just love that lil' face~
~Such a happy kid~

~Best Buds, My Superhero & Princess~~She was such a happy baby~

I rec’d this “elephant towel” as a gift for the Princess while I was pregnant with her.
In the above picture she is about 8months old
In the picture below she is 3 years old.
She still uses the towel; it is one of her favorites!

~Mr. Monkey loves to lay on his tummy while bathing~

~He loves the running water~

~This picture makes me laugh~

~I love this lil' face~

"Bye toys, Bye toys"

That is what Monkey says as he is leaving the tub

I love the way my Monkey is looking at the Princess, my lil' ladybug.

The children love bath time.

I know somewhere I have pictures of all three of the kids in the bathtub together. I hope to find that picture soon.

~Refrigerator~

2008-01-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, while at home with my kiddos, I was in one of the bedrooms probably cleaning something up when I noticed that my little angles were no were in sight and that can only mean one thing ~ trouble!

I came out into the living room only to find Monkey and Princess carrying items from the refrigerator to the coffee table.

This excited them tremendously. They were giggling and running I just couldn’t help but smile.

So often throughout my day I feel like all that comes out of my mouth is “negative”. You know,

“Don’t do that”

“Don’t touch that”

“PLEASE STOP”

“Sit down”

“Get down from there”

“Please, just be quite for Mommy” ….

The list could go on and on but you get the picture. Anyway, they are just kids and the best part is that their my kids. I love them tremendously and someday I’m gonna miss these days.

Even the days that I want to just cry and lock myself in the bathroom.

So for now, I promise to chill out and just simply enjoy my children and all of the craziness that comes with motherhood. And I also promise myself that will capture every possible crazy moment with my camera, because someday I might forget just how wonderful I have it.

So, enjoy the pictures I took of my monkey and princess in the refrigerator or the “refrigerate” as the Princess would say.

You can't see it, but I tied the refrigerator shut with pantyhose!

~Dad and His Princess~

2008-01-28T19:07:00.000-08:00

I snuck up on the Princess and her Daddy playing tonight. They were so adorable together. I love to watch them interact with one another.

I love this picture~She is really letting her Daddy have it!

They talked about baseballl....

They played cars....

They even measured their hands....

This picture is just priceless.

Then they read a book.

At the end of the evening the Princess gave her Daddy a big bear hug and said "I love you Daddy".

I love to hear those words.

~Wrestling Debut~

2008-01-27T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today was the Superhero's very first wrestling match. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would be sitting at a wrestling match someday watching my son.

We arrived an hour early per instructions given by the coach. The matches started at 2:00pm. It was not until 3:30 that my Superhero's name was 1st called to wrestle.

I was so nervous for him. All these people starring at my little boy, coaches yelling what he should do, it was very nerve-racking for me. I could only image what he must be going through. If I had butterflies in my stomach he must be nervous. I looked around to find the Superhero and as I should have expected he was just as calm as could be just looking around with no cares in the world.

The match is ready to begin; there is only one problem Mr. Superhero is not on the mat.

The announcer comes over the microphone and repeats, “Nolan please report to the mat. We are looking for Nolan”. He pops up, “Oh yea, that’s me.” What can I say, that’s my boy!

The first match begins with the two boys dancing around each other. I’m busy snapping pictures and thinking just pin the kid to the ground!I love the above picture, my superhero has his fist up like he is ready to box.
He ended up losing but he didn’t go down without a fight.
He did a very good job though and I am extremely proud of him.

Meanwhile, Miss Princess and MaMaw, are over by our chairs socializing with the other families.

The Princess made a new friend and these two girls had so much fun together.

MaMaw read them stories.

She even bought the Princess candy!

The Superhero didn’t wrestle again until almost 5:00. He was supposed to wrestle a third time, but the little person’s family ended up leaving early and he never got another chance.

We didn’t load in the car until after 6:00. It was a long day. I have been promised that the future matches will not be so long. For that, I am grateful.

The Monkey stayed home with his Daddy. When we finally arrived home, he was busy watching T.V. and playing. Daddy had shampooed the living room carpet and completed all of his laundry. I was quite impressed.

Mr. Superhero did great today and I really enjoyed watching him wrestle. There’s always next time for winning and I believe that my Superhero will kick some kids butt!

~Going to the Chapel~

2008-01-26T11:58:00.000-08:00

Like most little girls, my Princess has wanted to grow up and marry her Daddy.Maggie has also talked of marrying her big brother, Mr. Superhero.
That all changed today though. Today the Princess informed us that on Monday, when she returns to preschool, she will be telling a little boy named "Cooper" that they are getting married. Wow, talk about a woman that knows what she wants!

Princess first met Copper last year in preschool and she has adored him ever since. They would make an adorable couple; the only problem is that they are 3 years old!

She’ll talk about the ring she is going to get, the pretty dress she will wear and of course there will be dancing.

I can just imagine what a beautiful bride she will make someday.

But for now, she is still Daddy's little girl.

~My Family~

2008-01-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have so many wonderful people who surround me and make up my “family”. I am so blessed to have them in my life. I thought I’d make my first blog entry an introduction to them.

Matthew is my husband, my best friend. We met our freshman year of high school and it was love at first sight. We grew very close throughout that year but nothing ever came of it. We went on to date other people but as fate would have it we ended our high school years together. We were married shortly after graduating high school and have been going strong ever since.
I am so in love with him and feel so blessed to be able to share my life with him. I could not have asked for a better husband for myself or a better father for my children.

He is an extremely talented man. He can build anything. There is no task too big for him.

Matt build this armoire for the Superhero's room. Didn't he do an awesome job?

He is very knowledgeable. I swear he knows something about everything. Don't get me wrong, this can be annoying at times!

One of Matt’s biggest passions in life is baseball. He is an amazing player. Wow….I loved watching him play. He can play any position and make it look so easy. I would do anything to be able to see him play again. (Plus he looked really good in his uniform!) Can you tell I’m his biggest fan?

This is my Superhero. He loves to dress up as all different kinds of superheroes. He is an amazing child and I am so proud of him. He is extremely smart and has an imagination that just amazes me. He is my first born child and never lets me forget it! Mr. Superhero loves to play baseball and is such a good player. He has so much potential. He is such a fun kid to be around. He would do anything for anyone; he loves to help others and will always put his family before himself. He is probably the most compassionate one of our family. He is a wonderful big brother to his sister and brother. They are very fortunate to have him looking out for them.

This is my Princess. She loves to play dress up and put on mommy's makeup. She is 3 going on 20. One of her favorite things to play is school. She lines up her baby dolls and reads stories to them. I love to watch her. The Princess has been learning how to play soccer; she is a very good soccer player. She is extremely smart and is my one and only little girl. She is an amazing child and I am so proud of her. She is very mothering and bossy to her brothers, but she takes such good care of her them. They are fortunate to have her taking care of them.

This is my lil' monkey. He is such an adventurous little boy. He is my handful, the ornery one of the group. He will climb on anything, jump from any height, and try anything just once. He is an amazing child and I am so proud of him. The lil' Monkey can take me from one emotion to another all within seconds. He is extremely smart and absolutely loves sports. He loves to play any sport but gets really excited over the baseball. He is my baby, the last one I will ever have. He loves his big brother and big sister so much; he is always happy to see them and runs to give them a big hug. They are very fortunate to have him there for them.

I am so fortunate to have the relationship with my mother that I have. She is one of my best friends and I am so thankful to be her daughter. She is the strongest female that I know. I love her so much! My stepdad, Matt, is wonderful too. He is a great Father to me and a great Grandfather to my children.

My Grandparents are wonderful people. They take such good care of my children. They watch them for me so that I can work part time. I could not have asked for better Grandparents.

My In-laws are terrific to0. They live close to us as well and also help with the children.

Last but not least, my sister in law, Amanda. She is also one of my best friends. Amanda is the one that introduced me to the blog. She also helped me set mine up. Thank you Amanda!!!

The adorable baby girl with her is my niece. She is such a sweet baby.

What can I say….I adore them all, they are my inspiration. They make my life complete, and for that I am thankful.

A Superhero Princess & Monkey

Wordless Wed ~ Palin Power

Meet Franklin.

My New Project....

Just What America Needs.....

Disney World, 2007

Happy Birthday Mom!

2weeks**4days

Wordless Wednesday ~ Picture Perfect

Lazer Tag * Pink Walls * And Other Stuff

Today I wear classy shoes

Happy Birthday Superhero

He is my Superhero

We are back home

And the award goes to....

The Pirate Cruise

Wordless Wednesday

My Beach Babes

I'm Back...

Wordless Wednesday

Colossians Award

The Countdown is On....

Lets Play Outside!

Fight the Frump ~ Time for You

Wordless Wednesday

Bella the Bunny

Operation Chaos

Items I Love

Tagged

Happy Retirement Grandpa

So Much Personality

Party Time

Wordless Wednesday ~ Take a Ride with Us

So Proud of My Superhero

Happy Birthday Livia

"Five Classes I Wish They Would’ve Taught in School"

Fighting the Frump ~ Whatever Makes You Smile

Wordless Wednesday

I’m gonna miss this, right???

Playdate with a Monkey

A Prissy Princess & A Baseball Boy

Fight the Frump w/a Sassy New Handbag

Wordless Wednesday ~ A Messy Face & A Quiet Moment

More of My Boys

My Boys

Ahhhh It’s Spring Time

Wordless Wednesday ~ The Princess and The Lobster

Fight the Frump w/Some Red High Heels

Thank You

Party Time for the Princess

Potty Time

Hillary's Coming

A Very Special Little Lady

The Princess is 4!

It's a *Green* Day

Baby, Baby

Letting Go

Baseball's coming...

Darn Tooth Fairy....

Floppy

Party Time for the Lil' Monkey

Summer Camp

A Very Special Little Boy

~Catching Up~

~Surprise~

~Saturday Nights Out~

~cMoe~

~Heart Love~

~Ca-las~

~Snow Days~

~Any Given Day~

~No Mom Allowed~

~Splish Splash~

~Refrigerator~

~Dad and His Princess~

~Wrestling Debut~

~Going to the Chapel~

~My Family~

It's a Green Day