Christian Parenting

This topic has been on my mind a lot lately and with my children being so young I often wonder how in the world I'm suppose to start teaching them about God. I ran across a book at Lifeway called Leading Your Kids to Christ and it is a 30 day devotional with ideas of how to introduce your children to Christ. So far I'm only on day 2 but it has really got me thinking about my own relationship with Christ. I know I have to set an example for them and my realtionship with Christ has been distant lately but how am I suppose to set them up to have a strong faith if my own faith is weak at the moment?

I always thought I had a great relationship with God but of course everybody can always use some work in that area. I still rely on God a lot and pray all of the time but not as much as I use to. I feel so distant from him at the moment but I also know it's my own doing because God never goes anywhere. He doesn't turn his back on me, I'm the one that has pushed him away and I have no clue why.

The second day of devotions opens with this verse from Matthew 17:20 "For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, "Move from here to there," and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." This is one of my favorite bible verses and everytime I hear or read it I remind myself that I just need to trust in God and have a little faith and give every little thing to God. In this day and age I think it's hard for anybody to do that because we live in such a world where we all feel as if we have to be in control. When something isn't entirely in our hands we just don't think it's right, but we seem to forget that as Christians nothing is every entirely in our hands. God is in control of everything and we just have to have faith and believe that the right thing will happen. God knows what's going to happen before it ever occurs.

My devotion for today is to examine my own faith and I'm finding it very hard for some reason. So, after reading the devotional several times this morning and attempting to reflect on it a few lines stood out to me. I want to share them with you. On page 17 it says 'Thomas Brooks spoke for believers of every generation when he observed, "Christ is the sun, and all the watches of our lives should be set by the dial of his motion." Christ, indeed, is the ultimate Savior of mankind and the personal Savior of those who believe in Him. As his servants, we should place Him at the very center of our lives and at the center of our households. When we do, we are blessed today, tomorrow, and throughout eternity.'

That statement by Thomas Brooks is so very true and I have never thought about God that way. The only difference that I see is that God is like the sun and the moon because he's always around no matter what time of the day or night. Philip Yancey once said "Faith means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse." Boy is that true! So, I'm going to reflect on these two thoughts for the day and evaluate my own faith. I've got to focus on myself and my relationship with God before I can help my children develop a relationship with God.

Days 4 & 5

On days 4 & 5 I'm so thankful for my husband and children. Without them I'd be a nobody.

My husband is my best friend, my other half. He is the only thing that keeps me sane on a day to day basis. If I had a dollar for every time I called him during the day just to hear the voice of another adult I'd be rich. Somedays he's the only adult I interact with but somehow he manages to keep me sane.

I'm still completely amazed and gracious that God blessed me with not one, but two healthy children. My children are my world and I've always said that I was put on this Earth to be a mother. I'm lucky enough to be a full-time sahm and spend all of my time with my munchkins. Like every other kid out there my kids can make me smile, laugh, and pull my hair out all within a 2 minute span of time but at the end of the day I know I have the right job.

Of course I need a break from time to time, and between my husband and other family members I'm lucky enough to get that break, but my kids absolutely bring a ton of joy to my life and I am so thankful for that.

I know this was a short post but I've had a long day and we're all exhausted. I'm calling it a night but we've had a great weekend, hopefully I'll get a chance to post about it tomorrow.

Day 3

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday afternoon because I was helping my beautiful little cousin get dressed for her winter formal. So, today I will post days 3 and 4.

For day 3 I'm thankful for my best friend, Samantha Cooley. Once a month we have dinner, just the two of us. Not only is it great because I have a chance to spend time with another adult but I use the time we spend together to kind of bring things back into perspective.

I definitely need to do that more than once a month but she just has a way of helping me do it very easily.

We've known each other for what seems like forever but in reality for over 10 years. When we were 13 and 14 we started taking dance together and did so throughout high school. I graduated a year before her and went to college while she finished her senior year of high school.

I hadn't talked to her in probably a year or more until my second year of college when I almost literally ran into on the sidewalk. We talked for a bit and I went on about my business. Then I walked into one of my classes I think it was my second semester and she was in my class. Come to find out we happened to be going to school for the same thing. That was 2007 & we've been best friends ever since. Heck, she was the second person to know I was pregnant with Ave...she was second only to Brent.

I don't know what I'd do without her.

Now, she's about to become a member of the motherhood club and I'm thrilled. I might possibly be more excited about her going through labor and delivery than I was for myself...that's probably because I won't be experiencing contractions or pain or an epidural or any of the other lovely things that come along with l&d! Of course, all of it's worth it when the reward is a beautiful, healthy baby!

Ok, I have to finish getting ready for a Pampered Chef party tomorrow...I'll have to double up on posts tomorrow. Goodnight peeps and God bless!

Day 2...

Today, like so many other days I'm incredibly thankful for my family. Both the family that I was born into, the family I married into, and my "adopted" family. We have our trials just like every other family out there but where would we be without hills to climb in life?

I have a HUGE family and I love it. My older brother and I are the only children that my parents had but our extended family is big. My mom's parents have five children, seven grandchildren, and 16 great grandkids. My dad's parents have two children, six grandchildren, and I'm not sure how many great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. Brent's family is bigger than mine.

I also have another family, God blessed me with an awesome younger brother from another mother & a little sister too! My dad's girlfriend has a son who's not much younger than me (but I still pull the big sister card...just ask him) and a daughter who is 11. I have adopted them as my little brother and sister also and am blessed to have all three of them in my life.

My older brother, Nicholas is a Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. He finished basic training in September of 2010 and went to OCS over the summer of 2011. Right now he is in Fort Benning, Georgia doing more training. He'll be gone until April of 2012. I can't say that we're as close as I'd like to be but he's my big brother and I wouldn't know what to do without him. He's always there when I need him and would do anything for myself, my husband, and my kids.

My younger brother, Eric is an amazing "kid" (yes Eric...if you read this I just called you a kid because whether you like it or not you ARE my kid brother!!!) he lives in Dallas and works for Apple. He's an "Genius" and I have to agree with that title, he's pretty awesome. We just seem to click and I can tell our relationship is only going to grow and I have a feeling we're going to be close.

My sister, Breauna is much younger than the rest of us, she'll be 12 in a few weeks. She's the little sister I always wanted but of course I never got...thanks mom & dad! She lives in New Braunfels with my dad and her mom. I believe she's in fifth grade and she's pretty smart. She's great with the kids and she's going to grow up to be a beautiful young lady.

I'm thankful for my brothers and sister and every other person in my family. I'm blessed to have them in my life each and every day.

Day 1...365 Days of Thankfulness

Some people use November as a month of thankfulness, but what about the other 11 months? Each and every day of our lives we are thankful for something, it might be the same thing everyday but it's something.

So, instead of just November I've decided that each day of this next year I'm going to post something that I'm thankful of. Lets hope my kids and my days don't get the best of me and I get sidetracked and don't do it. In that case, I'll just have to double up some days.

Today is day 1 of my 365 days of thankfulness!

On this day I am thankful for my amazing and giving God above. God, who let his only son die for our sins, who gave his son so that we might have life. Our God is an awesome God and his glory shines every single day. Every day when I look into my beautiful children's eyes I see God in their innocence.

We are so blessed to have such an awesome and forgiving God who does so much for us every day. I see his work everywhere and I hope you do too.

God Give Me Strength

Why does it seem like when one thing gets you down it ends in a landslide?

I've been struggling a lot lately with different things and I'm just done in every single way possible. I have to remind myself constantly that God is in control but that doesn't always help, even though it should. Over the past few years my faith has weakened and it definitely has had an affect on my life that I hate.

There are days when I feel really close to God and others when I feel very distant.

We often forget that God is always around and always knows what's going on without ever having to be told. When our house was broken into I questioned why he let it happen but I failed to thank him for the fact that nobody was home when it happened. I thought to myself if only I had been home it wouldn't have happened but I didn't think about the fact that I wasn't home for a reason and if I were home there's a possibility that I could've been badly hurt.

Right now, there are several things going on in my life that I need the strength to deal with and I'm sure it's going to be a constant struggle like life always is but I will remain in prayer about everything and try to remember that God is in control. No matter what I pray that God gives me the strength to get through it and guides me every step of the way   

I'm a slacker...

Whew, a lot has happened since I posted the last entry.

A few days after I got home my sister in law came down for a few days to do some wedding planning. Then both kiddos ended up sick.

Monday morning both kids went to tge doctor, Avery had croup & Peyton just had a cold. By Friday Avery had been running a fever since Wednesday without it breaking. It was fluctuating between 101 & 103.5 so I took her back to the doctor and she was diagnosed with pneumonia and put on antibiotics. We left the pediatricians office and she literally went limp. I figured it was from the shot she had just gotten so I decided to keep an eye on her for a while. By 3:30 it has been 3 hours since we left the doctor & I realized she hadn't spoken more than 2 words. I immediately called the doctor and talked to a nurse. At 5:45 she called back and said it was "normal" but I knew my and this was not normal for her. So at 6:15 my couIsin, Marisha and myself loaded Avery into the car and headed to the hospital. We got there just before 7 and her temp was 103. We were in the back within 20 minutes. We ended up getting chest xrays, bloodwork and 2 bags of fluid because she was dehydrated. Thank goodness I listened to my motherly instinct and took her in. That definitely wasn't fun for anyone. I felt terrible for my princess. She was miserable.

We were in the ER Friday night from 7pm until 1am Saturday morning. Monday morning she went in for a recheck and was doing a lot better. Peyton however had a cold. He was doing ok until Sunday night when he started running a fever and couldn't sleep because he was so congested. Monday morning I took him back to the doctor and he now has a sinus infection and croup. He is so miserable and it's killing me knowing we're doing everything we can for him.

His antibiotics have messed up his stomach and he doesn't even want his diaper changed and just screams when you touch him. Ugh!

I'm also sick with a sinus infection and am trying to get myself better. Needless to say, I've been very busy for the past few weeks and haven't had much time to think, let alone write anything.

Hopefully I can get back in the rhythm and write regularly again. It's my stress relief. Plus I got a new phone and am trying to get use to it. So, excuse my typos.

Honey...I'm home!!!!!!

Last week was an extremely busy week, but very fun & very rewarding.

Wednesday, August 31st, was my dad's birthday, he lives in a little town near San Antonio, called New Braunfels. So, on Wednesday morning I called him like I usually do on his birthday to tell my dear old daddy happy birthday!!! Little did he know, at 11 o'clock that morning I was hopping on an airplane heading his way. I flew to San Antonio & Ms. Fauna picked me up at the airport. We drove the 30 minutes to New Braunfels, picked up the obligatory birthday cake from Baskin Robbins, then went to their house to surprise him. I jumped out of the car before she pulled in the garage with the birthday cake & stood at the front door. Once she pulled in & shut the garage I rang the doorbell, I have never seen my dad look so shocked in the entire 24 years of my life. I LOVEDDDDD it!

He had no clue he looked at me and said "what are you doing here" I told him I of course had to deliver his birthday cake. He just smiled from ear to ear! So, I spent my weekend in New Braunfels with my daddy and was scheduled to come home on Sunday. Tropical Storm Lee had other plans, I ended up coming home on Monday. I had fun on my mini vacay but I was definitely glad to be home. I missed my babies!

Needless to say, I've been trying to get back in the swing of things this week & it hasn't been easy. I haven't even gotten my whole suitcase unpacked. I would've expected to come back well rested & ready to go but we all know that sometimes you come back from a trip less rested than when you left. I was just having too much fun & enjoying myself to shut my brain off at night.

Tuesday morning we had our first MOPS meeting of the week, which was great! I'm excited about this year & know we have a lot of great meetings coming up.

Other than that, I've had bunches of errands to run & not enough hours in the day.

That's why I haven't been around this past week. I'll try to stay up to date but who knows what's going to go on around here.

The Life of a SAHM...

Why do weekends seem to go by so quickly? It seems like it's the only time I get to spend time with my husband and the kids. In the afternoons, during the week, we're always so busy. We might get a few hours in but that's about it.
This week I'll mostly be MIA. I have a busy week ahead & hope it goes smoothly. Peyton is sick AGAIN. He has yet another ear infection as well as sinuses. I had to take him to Urgent Care on Friday because his pedi couldn't see him. We were in and out fairly quickly but he wasn't exactly happy. The antibiotics kicked in pretty quickly & we got his fever to break but last night his ear started draining. I guess that's a good thing, it means his tubes are working correctly & at least getting the fluid off of his eardrums. He's still in a lot of pain though.

Other than dealing with a sick kiddo it's a typical Monday around here. Boring but busy is how I describe it. A lot of people wonder how can a stay at home mom be so busy but pretty much never leave her house. Well, we don't have the luxury of having a nanny or babysitter so I definitely don't sit on my butt all day long.

We wear many hats throughout our day. Inevitably someone is going to get in an argument or fight over a toy so we have to be a referree. Someone is sure to get hurt after the above argument so we have to be a nurse. There will be hurt feelings so we have to put our counselor hat on. Eventually they'll need to eat so we become a chef & a waitress. Of course we have to at least attempt to keep the house clean so in order to do that we also have to pick up after the little munchkins, we become maids.

We really never stop. The only time I get to sit down is when the kids are taking their afternoon nap and that's only after I get all of the stuff done that needs to be done. That's often the time that I attempt to shovel food into my mouth to try to stay nourished enough to deal with the afternoon, which means I have to juggle the kids, playtime, making dinner, feeding them dinner, bathtime, and bedtime too. It isn't an easy job but it's my job & I love it.

When Avery was 9 weeks old, I went back to work full time. I hated leaving her every morning and missing out on so much during the day but there was nothing I could do about it. There was absolutely no way we could pull it off for me to stay home & I was ok with that, I had to be. Well, fast forward to September of 2009, we were surprised to learn that I was pregnant again with our second child. I immediately started having problems but nobody could tell us what was going on. We relied on prayer to get us through my first trimester. I prayed constantly that if it was God's will, my child would live & if not to please show me how ot cope & deal with the loss.

When I was about 10 weeks pregnant I went in for what was probably my fourth or fifth ultrasound, I think at that point we were having an ultrasound every week trying to figure out what was going on, the ultrasound said "well there's the problem". The baby was perfectly healthy but a piece of my placenta had separated from the amniotic sac and was causing a leak which was causing all of the problems. I'll never forget, we were taken to an exam room and told to wait for my OB. It seemed like it took forever for Dr. R to come in but in reality it was like 5 or 10 minutes. He told us at that point it was a waiting game, he could not give us a definite answer as to whether or not our baby was going to live or die. Either the tear would repair itself & the baby would be fine or it would completely rupture & we'd lose the baby. It was gutwrenching, I was terrified. He put me on modified bedrest & pelvic rest for a few weeks and said we'd recheck everything at 15 weeks. At this point, Brent & I made the decision that our baby's life was more important than a second income.

Fifteen weeks comes and my ultrasound was scheduled for 3 days after Avery's first birthday. On her birthday, we announced our pregnancy & everyone was thrilled but we were still very cautious. On Tuesday we went in for my ultrasound while my cousin watched Avery for us, she had had her 12 month checkup & shots earlier that day so she wasn't very happy but a sucker did the trick! I can't even describe the relief I felt when the ultrasound tech looked at me and told me that the tear in the amniotic sac had repaired itself like we were hoping for. This meant our baby would live!

Things went as planned for about 10 or 11 weeks. We had our gender ultrasound at 18 weeks and the little turkey wouldn't show us the goods so we had to wait another 4 weeks to try again. At our next appointment we were able to find out that we were expecting a very stubborn little boy. We were thrilled, Brent of course was getting his little fishing/golfing/hunting/football playing little buddy. A couple of weeks pass and I noticed that I started having Braxton Hicks contractions just as I did with Avery & around the same time. I didn't think anything of it because they didn't hurt. Over the next week I noticed that everytimeBH contractions, they were actual labor pains but they weren't regular or consistent. They would hit me throughout the day, at different times and were very sporadic. I might have 3 one hour and none the next then 2 hours later have 10. Nothing that was consistent enough to call my OB or go to the hospital. At 25 weeks I had another checkup. I mentioned them to my OB and he blew them off as BH's. After begging him to do an internal and him telling me they were completely normal & didn't warrant a check & me continuing to argue with him that I knew my body and something was right I left.

I finally decided I wanted a second opinion. I called a dear friend of mine whose mother is a midwife & she told me to call her mom, she'd be happy to talk to me & help me out. I called her office and got an appointment at 26 weeks to see her. I told her what was going on and she immediately checked and informed me that I was absolutely correct, the contractions I was having were indeed changing my cervix. I was put on bedrest and a goal was set that we both felt comfortable with. I had to make it to May 23rd in order to deliver where I wanted to deliver and hopefully the baby would be healthy enough to stay out of the NICU. I was put on a 2 week schedule, meaning I would come in for a checkup every 2 weeks instead of every 4. After the initial follow-up 2 weeks later and strict bedrest my contractions were still effective so I was moved to a 1 week schedule.

We took things day by day, week by week. I ended up in the hospital at 34 weeks getting Turbutaline (sp?) shots to stop the contractions. I was released after a few hours of monitoring & they were able to get contractions stopped.

My goal came & went, I had made it to 36 weeks & we were almost in the clear. When I hit the 38 week mark I was allowed off of bedrest & I've never been so thankful to get out of bed in my life! At 38 weeks 5 days we decided to induce because I was 4 cm's and he appeared to be a large baby.

I went in at 5am and pitocin was started at 7am, after 2 hours of monitoring. My midwife broke my water at 8, I got my epidural at 8:15, lucky me never felt a contraction until my epi started wearing off in certain spots. I was able to get a booster, thankfully, so I was able to relax a bit. At 2:09 pm Brent & I welcomed our second child, Peyton Robert into the world weighing 7lbs 4oz.

He was truly our angel baby, we were in limbo for so long about whether we would ever actually meet him or not. Every time I feel like my job, as a stay at home mom, is stressful or gets to much I go back & read his birth story & it brings back all of the emotions I was feeling that day. It also reminds me how absolutely blessed I am to be able to stay at home & be a full time mom.

My life is hectic, day in and day out. My day starts between 6 & 6:30 every single day and usually doesn't end until 10 or 11 at night, sometimes later. Of course, there's always the waking up in the middle of the night to comfort a child who had a bad dream or them simply not being able to sleep. A mother's job is never done, we are never off, and we never truly get a vacation (at least I don't think so). No matter where you are, if you have a child at home (under the age of 18) you're worried and wondering what in the world they're getting into when you're not there.

Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go play with my princess a little bit while her brother finishes out his morning nap. Wonder what she's going to want to play today...hmmm

Normally I Wouldn't Touch This

But for some reason it's been on my mind a ton lately. Not just for "some" reason, there's a very specific reason actually. It's not something I like talking about but I'm going to.
Here goes, why are some people so "religion" or denomination oriented? Personally, in my humble little opinion Christianity is Christianity, this is no right or wrong denomination. Either you believe in God or you don't. All Christians believe in the same God, right? So why does what denomination you are matter so much to some people?

I was a "cradle" Catholic, if you aren't familiar with that term it basically means you were born into the Catholic faith & that's how you were raised, while my husband was raised in a Baptist church. My dad's family was also Baptist so I was exposed to both growing up. For a while after we were married, we went to the Catholic church, we planned on raising our children in the Catholic church, even baptized them in the church. However, after much thoughtful prayrer both together & individually, Brent & I decided that we were not in the right place for our little family. The Catholic church is a good church, it just wasn't the right fit for our little family.

Naturally, some of my family members were not thrilled with our decision to find a different church. There were a lot of hurtful things that were sait that we just had to learn to just ignor & let roll off our backs. Eventually, after many conversations with each other as well as god we knew we were doing the right thing.

We began attending a church in Picayune, which is about 20-30 minutes from our house. The first week or two we kept the kids with us in the sanctuary during services but quickly realized that kids will be kids. They were well behaved but we weren't able to completely concentrate on the message. We finally decided to let them go to the nursery. Avery would be in an age appropriate class here they would have a bible lesson, eat snacks, & then have playtime. Since I stay home with them they don't interact with other kids a lot so I thought it would be good for them. Peyton would also be in a class that was suitable for his age but since he was so young, he would just get to play & interact with other kids.

The first time we dropped them off, it was hard but we did okay. I was called to the nursery once during service for Peyton but we were able to manage to get him calmed down & back to playing. When we picked them up Avery was thrilled but Peyton was not a happy camper. He's such a mama's boy & has never really been away from me other than staying with family. I guess I should say I've never left him with strangers before, it's always been familiar faces. I prayed that we had made the right decision for our children's sake.

The following week it was the same thing, Avery was a little clingy but went peacefully. Peyton cried but adjusted quickly. We were able to make it through service without being summoned to the nursery. When we picked them up Avery had drawn a picture that she was excited to show off. Peyton didn't fuss until they opened the door & he realized that I should be there. We got in our car to leave & after Avery finished telling us how they ate goldfish & drank water & slid down the slide in her class that morning, the backseat got very quiet. I thought they had fallen asleep until about 5 minutes later when we all of a sudden hear a sweet little voice singing "Jesus Loves Me". Brent & I both looked at each other & smiled. Of course she had heard the song before, I sing it to her & Peyton all the time, but she had never even attempted to sing it before. We waited for her to finish & Brent asked where she learned that & she responded "at my church Daddy'. I was so proud & at that moment I knew we made the right choice.

Even though we were in the right place with our family of four, that didn't stop the hurtful comments. So, I started praying about it constantly, of course...what else am I going to do other than ignore it obviously. My dad & his girlfriend came into town for Peyton's birthday at the beginning of June & this is when I got my answer. Very unexpectedly, but it was pretty much laid in my lap. One night, we brought the kids to their hotel to swim & while we were walking through the lobby I saw a pamphlet on the table that caught my attention. It was titled Christianity Without Denominations so I picked it up. It's a very interesting little pamphlet that came from a group called The Sword and Staff from North Carolina. I am going to type out some of it because it's a very interesting & good explanation about denominations.

"To what denomination did Peter, James, John, the 300 on Pentecost, Corinthians, and the Philippian jailer belong? The answer, they belonged to none. They were simply members of the body of Christ, which is the Lord's church, yet they were not members of any denomination as we know them today."

"Why call ourselves by denominational names? We believe in Christ. He is our creed, and we do what he says. Consequently the New Testament is our only rule of faith and doctine (no man-made creeds)."

"Most people will say that they actually believe that this is the way it should be, but getting them to implement it is another thing. Really, it is not a matter of opinion or optional. Christ purchased the church with his own blood. The church belongs to him."

Ephesians 4:4-6 "There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." NIV

So, why are denominations so important in today's society? I'm so over it...

Woot Woot for a fellow HM

Back when I was pregnant with Avery not only did I find the Babycenter community but I also found another online forum that I joined. This group of awesome ladies are all mothers of babies born in December 2008, or at least that's when all of our due dates were because we all know babies have minds of their own. Some were born extremely early & some were born late. We have been together as an online support group since March/April of 2008 and have since split off of the original website where we met & formed our own site. We have experienced so much together, highs & lows, and even though I have only met two of these ladies in person I consider every one of them a very dear friend. We have experienced pregnancy (some of us multiple pregnancies), birth, miscarriage, infant loss, premature birth, the death of a spouse, and so so so much more together as a group. No matter what was going on we all joined together and did whatever we had to do to help each other get through whatever was going on in our lives. Some of these ladies I talk to every single day & couldn't imagine them not being a part of my life.

One of these gorgeous ladies even lives about an hour away from my dad & I will be meeting her very soon for the first time in person! She is an amazing person & has helped me through more than she probably knows. Whether it be parenting advice, cloth diapering advice, or just a kind word Catherine always seems to know what to say. Catherine & I were pregnant at the same time throughout both of our pregnancies. Her oldest son is a few days younger than Avery & her youngest a few weeks younger than Peyton. She is an absolutely amazing mother who is also an awesome blogger. You can check out her blog here!

Catherine is a CBAC mom, which essentially means she had two cesarean sections. She was asked to write a guest post on a CBAC support website called ICAN and her blog post was featured today. She has an absolutely beautiful story about the birth of her children and I encourage all of you to read it. Check it out here.

I am so proud of her & so happy to share this with you!

Is it Friday yet?

Seriously, only Tuesday still? Our day started at 2 freaking 30 this morning...yep, that's right 2:30 AM...with the damn smoke detector going off for no reason whatsoever. I have no clue how but both kids slept through it, never budged. Brent's chest started hurting it scared him so bad and I couldn't go to sleep for almost 2 hours afterwards. We checked the entire house, including the attic & there was nothing going on. This is either the second or third time it has gone off in the middle of the night like this.

Of course since the kids slept through it they were both up between 6 & 6:45 so there was little rest for mommy & daddy last night. We had to go "bote" as Avery said this morning and of course once they were up we were up too. Avery was all into voting this morning, our conversation went something like this...

Avery: Mommy, why do we have to go bote?
Me: Because Avery it's kind of like our job.
Avery: But why Mommy?
Me: Because it just is.
Avery: Oh...but why?

I just gave up, she's 2 and you can't expect a 2 year old to understand voting but the why's were getting to be a bit much at 7 o'clock in the morning. I just have to keep reminding myself that she'll eventually grow out of it & then I'll miss it. Right now, I'm just grateful I haven't pulled any hair out today & I'm still breathing because after their daddy left for work the horns came out & I don't know who these kids are in this house because they're not acting like my babies.

Avery is a little terror towards her brother, she has been on a kicking, hitting, and screaming spree for the past few hours. Ok, honestly it started last night & we were able to ignore it for the most part but today it's bad, really bad. She just made her brother go in her bedroom then came running out, shutting & locking the door behind her. Luckily she didn't pull the door all the way so I was able to free him from her captivity but next time he might not be so lucky.

Ok, enough of my rambling about my munchkins. A few years ago, when I was pregnant with Avery,I joined Babycenter's online community. It was really helpful with keeping up with my pregnancy & what was going on but I ran across a really hysterical group of ladies who introduced me to the LOLcats & I'm not even a cat person but I think it's hysterical. There's pics like...this

and this

and a little bit of thisssss

and even a little bit of religion...

I know you might not find it humorous but I do. It kept me entertained for like 6 months when I was pregnant & bored at work & it still does from time to time. Today was one of those days...one that I was bored, not pregnant, just bored. Of course, in between refereeing my kids and pulling food out of Peyton's throat that he seems to think he can just inhale instead of chew & swallow there's not much time to be bored.

I believe it's nap time now so this mama's going to rest & catch up on my dvr while the kiddos sleep. Peace & quiet.......hmmm

 

Manic Monday

Yes, it does indeed feel like a manic Monday. The first day of the week & it seems like forever until Friday. I'm not one to wish my life away but I just love spending time with my hubby and the kids, the only time we get to do that is on the weekends.

Until then I'll be taking on the many hats of mommyhood...and at 9am on Monday morning I'm already wearing my chef, nurse, and referee hats. Oh joy! We had a pleasant breakfast & the munchkins were playing very nicely in the living room when Avery started pushing her brother. After reapetedly being told to stop she picked up her pusher popper thingy (you know the thing with a handle with balls in the bottom & when you push it it pops them up...you know what I'm talking about) anyway, she picked it up and swung it at him and hit him in the side of the head & knocked him over then smacked him in the face with it. Needless to say, she's in timeout & thankfully it was time for his first nap so he's in bed. Poor thing, I'm sure he'll have a knot on his head but no worries, he'll get his revenge. He's the kid that waits until you're sure he's forgotten what so&so did to him but then he gets his revenge when you least expect it. It's actually pretty amusing.

It started when he was about 6 months old or so, Avery would come by & push him or do something mean and he'd fuss then about 5 minutes later she'd walk by & Peyton would reach out and grab her by the ankles and tackle her. At first I didn't know what to think but now I just sit back & giggle because she totally deserved it.

We have a busy week but it's sad that I don't even want to leave the house. I have lots to do but it's all at home except for one doctor's appointment on Thursday. That means I actually have to put effort in getting dressed & going somewhere...bummer.

On another note since I'm going to be home all day everyday that means I actually have time to cook which is something I love to do. I haven't had much time to cook lately & there's nothing better than a home cooked meal, we all know that. However, that means I also have to go grocery shopping which also means I have to leave the house which in turn means I can't wear my pajamas all day. *Dangit*

I'm bored & this post sucks because I have nothing clever to say this day. Therefore, I'm just going to talk about another blogger because she's hysterical. You should go to The Bloggess and read this then this followed by this. This woman is hilarious & her blog is a must-read.

Therefore since I have absolutely 100% nothing interesting to say this morning, unless you want to hear me go on & on about my children beating each other up today which I highly doubt, I am DEMANDING that you read the posts I linked in my last paragraph...thank you...come again!

It's the little things...and small town high school football on a Friday night

That matters most! The moments when your 2 year old comes to you simply to say "I love you Mommy", the little 4 teeth smile from your 1 year, and the sideways glance from your husband or wife that melts your heart. A lot of times we take those things for granted & don't realize how much those itty bitty, teeny tiny little moments do for you.

I've been struggling with a ton of anxiety lately, ok maybe not a ton but I'm sure my chest begs to differ! I find myself lacking patience and constantly feeling on edge which is a completely miserable feeling. Instead of enjoying the funny things that the kids are doing I worry about what negative or bad thing could happen to them. I know I know, this is typical mommyhood worries but imagine typical worry times.....about 1000 and that might be what it feels like.

Tonight, for the first time in a very long time I was able to relax and enjoy my kids, at least one of them. Brent & I took Avery to a high school football game tonight while Nanny Fish (Peyton's godmother...her name isn't really Fish, that's just what Avery calls her) kept Peyton for us. It's the first time in a while that we took Avery somewhere with just Mommy & Daddy. She absolutely loved it.

I still had some worries, but not anxiety, about her falling and busting her head. We were close to the top of concrete bleachers & if my baby fell she would've been all the way to the bottom before I could blink. Any mother would be nervous in that situation with a rambunctious 2 year old. We survived though & without so much as a scratch, she did bump her knee but we're all good.......no blood!!!

It felt so good to be able to enjoy myself & more than anything the moment that she handed me her "mulk" cup to put in her bag & she looked up at me and said "I love you mommy". Gahhhhhhh, that made my wee bit of worrying completely, 100% worth it.

Now, if only I can have days and nights like this 24/7 365 it would be awesome. We all know that's not realistic but a girl can dream.

I know it sounds cliche but I don't care. I've said the same thing to so many people in the past but this is the first time in my life that I've ever just stopped, looked around, and realized how precious the little things really are.

So do yourself a favor and take a step back & take it all in for a minute...give your kids and husband an extra kiss, another hug, and one more "I love you" before bed tonight and remember how blessed you really are.

Gosh I'm so mooshy tonight but I like it ;)

XOXO

Cold Pizza...

I do think so! I absolutely love pizza, pretty much any pizza but I especially love cold pizza. Cold pizza for breakfast! Brent thinks I'm completely weird but I know there are other people out there who eat cold pizza & like it.

Ok, this isn't really about cold pizza, I'm just bored. The kids are playing, thankfully not beating the crap out of each other for once, and I've got nothing to do. Sure, I could clean the house or do dishes but that's for neat people & lets face it, I'm by no means neat. I am however doing a load of laundry. Cloth diapers to be exact! I usually use disposables & occasionally cloth but thanks to stupid freaking eczema poor Peyton can't wear sposies right now. He's had eczema since he was born & it's probably the worst now that it's ever been.

It looks like his eczema has spread everywhere, literally. I started putting cloth on him yesterday to wick the moisture away from his bum & it helped some but I still needed to do something else while I kept him in CD's.

I also started putting this amazing lotion on him that I get from the company I work with. I also have the body wash & the bath oil so I put the oil in his bath, bathed him with the body wash, & loaded him up with the lotion. He looks better today but have I mentioned how much I absolutely HATE Eczema? Not only is my poor baby itching all over but damnit I'm having to do an extra load of laudnry & I loathe doing laundry. I put it off as long as possible then whine & complain about having to fold or hang & put it away. Grrrr...

Hopefully it'll get better over the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, I want it to last as long as possible. It's the only time I really get to spend time with the hubs. He's been so busy lately that I barely get to see him for an hour or two in the afternoon & I hate it. The kids want to play with their daddy but he hardly ever gets home before dark. This blows!

Now that these two are hungry & laundry is done I have to figure out what's for lunch. It's Friday, I don't want to cook lunch either BLECH!

I am.....me?

I'm Ashley, a 24 year old mom & wife. My husband, Brent & I have 2 children. Our oldest is a girl, she'll be 3 in December her name is Avery & our youngest is Peyton, he turned 1 back in June. Brent & I have been married for 4 years & together for almost 9, we were high school sweethearts.

I love to write, sometimes I'm at a loss for words & lead a pretty boring life, unless you find temper tantrums, poop, and puke amusing. However, I'm pretty happy with my life.

I swear if these kids don't start being nice to each other I'm going to pull my damn hair out. Ok, what was I saying?

Oh yes, I am a WAHM & sometimes get very little accomplished during the day. My house is messy, I'm usually in pajamas, my kids run around in diapers & t-shirts from time to time, but we have food on the table everyday & life is good!