We're loving this cooler weather. It's so nice because I can lock send the kids outside to play and know they won't have a heat stroke. I can also set Lillian outside in her bouncer and she can enjoy the fresh air as well! So we're having a nice afternoon playing outside, waiting for daddy to drive up and all the sudden (really fast too) a tow truck is backing down the driveway!!! He didn't waste anytime. I sprint down to make sure the kids and their toys are out of the way. Olivia runs off, knowing she doesn't want to get hit by the truck. But Landon - he thought he'd won the lottery!! The kid stood in awe of this HUGE truck taking his daddies car away! Landon kept jibber jabbering away and the nice tow man just nodded and smiled!
Hopefully Robert's truck will be back Wednesday. I'm not sure what we are going to do until then. I know people can make it with one car, but how am I going to nurse a baby, feed the other kids, get them dressed, get Olivia off to school BY 8:30(!!), and drive and hour there and back through rush hour traffic?? Hmmmmm.........and that's if everything goes smoothly! Well, I won't think about that today, I'll think about that tomorrow! (ode to Scarlet) :-)
When Robert got home, we didn't want to go out to dinner but we did decide to go to the Piggly Wiggly! Nothing better on a Friday night and walkin' around The Pig!! Actually, they have free wine tasting from 5:00 to 7:00. HA! We also have been dying to cook some fish recently and went out on a limb and got Tuna Steaks. We also made a citrus and black bean salsa to go on top. It was red onion, black beans, an orange, cilantro, fresh jalapenos, and lime juice! SPICY!!! It was AWESOME!! Tuna steaks are not that expensive ($3.00 a piece for us) and cook in under 4 minutes!! WOW. What a healthy, delicious, and fun way to spend our evening. Of course we topped it off with chocolate chip cheese cake!! YUMMMMMM
You may be asking, where are the kids in this??? Well, they've been playing really nice lately! Oh I hope I don't jinx it now! ;-) And they've been obsessed with this flashlight and going in their closets and night to shine it. But tonight, the made a tent in the den!
It's really nice when your kids play together sweet. They were purposely taking turns with the flashlight and sharing all they were doing with each other!
I hope this weekend continues as fun as it's started so far! Actually, Robert will probably put me to work painting the house! But hey, at least the turquoise trim is slowly disappearing!
I thought I share a few facts, if you will, about my life. These are things that if you know me, you may be surprised to learn about me. :-) Warning: some go way back, but I am a much different person now - thank you Lord!! :-)
1. I used to ride horses competitively. I owned a gray Thoroughbred name Nick. I rode hunter/jumpers - that's the one without the "horn" on the saddle. :-) It's when you wear the fancy riding outfits with tall boots and a helmet and you're judged on how well you take you horse around the course (or jumps). I dearly loved this time of my life and miss it a lot. Maybe one day my kids will do this - although it is extremely time consuming - and expensive. But I will gladly support them in any activity they choose! My awesome mom bent over backwards to get me to the barn and back several times a week. And it wasn't a short drive!
2. I'm a classically trained pianist. I started taking piano when I was in 3rd grade. I entered a pageant during my senior year in high school called Miss Olympian and won, playing Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Well, an abbreviated version - the original is over 20 minutes long. Mine was probably 4 minutes. This is one of my favorite songs of all time - it was a crowd pleaser too! I'm sure you all would recognize it - it's played in a lot of movies and commercials. I was also on piano scholarship for 2 years at Ole Miss. Then the Lord decided to take me in a different direction!! :-)
This was the top 10 - I'm in the middle in the back! Sorry so blurry!
Here is a fun tidbit of Rhapsody played by 5 pianos - this is just an AMAZING song. But it gives you an idea! It highlights the main parts of the piece, which includes many of the parts I played!
3. I debated on putting this one in or not, but knowing this is not who I am anymore, I can laugh about it now. I was arrested when I was 16 years old. ::cringing at writing it:: Can you believe that - well, maybe some of you can. HA! Basically I was guilty by association and in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was never charged with anything but I tell you, there is nothing worse than waking your father up and telling him you're in jail! Let's skip to the next one, shall we!! I'm glad the Lord forgives!!
4. When I was at Ole Miss, I played bass in a band that played locally. Talk about FUN!! We played all the classic rock stuff like Led Zeppelin and Guns N Roses, ZZ Top and Allman Brothers. I used a little red bass guitar that the lead guitarist had! We entered a battle of the bands contest at Rhodes College in Memphis and won. The prize was getting to open for the headliner at one of their big music weekends for the school. I can't remember their name right now, but I saw them on Vh1 not too long ago. My signature look was a red cowboy had that I wore with my red bass! I guess I can say also tell you that I play the guitar. That was the only way I could pull off playing the bass! :-)
That's me with the red bass - I promise. I think we were warming up here and that's why I didn't have my hat on! :-)
5. I've had around 12 kidney stones. I lost count after 10. Craziness. The weird part is I don't fit the bill of the "prone type". I got my first one the third day of my freshman year at Ole Miss. It was awful. My mom drove over to Oxford, they had me on the x-ray table doped up on pain medicine and I was discharged the next day! Anyway, that began my years of kidney stones. I had one when I was pregnant with Olivia. A couple more after she was born. I had 4 when I was pregnant with Landon and a few afterwards. I've only had one that they've had to go in and get. Luckily, none with the last pregnancy and no pain in a while! I tell you, there is NOTHING like renal colic in the middle of the night - they say it's worse than labor. I think it's a draw!
6. This one my sister reminded me of! (Thanks Lacey!) I used to have 8 piercings! Five in my ears - one in upper ear lobe, my bellybutton and tongue pierced! I had totally forgotten about that. That was my way of being rebellious without tattooing myself. My logic was, I can take it out, it's not permanent. I did come close to getting a tattoo one time though. But I could hear my father say, "All of my patients that I operate on and have tattoos - every one of them regrets it!!" There are some really cool tattoos out there. I think that are places on your body that are better than other places. Now I only have the holes in my ears for earrings. Though, when I was big pregnant, Olivia noticed the hole in my bellybutton and asked me what it was. I don't think I answered her! :-)
7. Ok, did anyone see the season premiere of The Office last night. That must have been the FUNNIEST one EVER!! I was hysterically laughing by myself, out loud, in bed! (Robert had a softball game!) Real quick recap - Michael hit one of his employees with his car while he was parking for work! BUT, maybe it's funny to me because it hits a little tooclose to home! This is another one I debated about putting but not many people have done this. And again, it was so long ago it's a little funny now. Ok, I used to drive a Suburban in high school. I took 6 or 7 people to school. It was fun and BIG. One day, I was cutting a corner in the school parking lot and I had some big dark sunglasses on and well........I hit a student. Yes, I saw his butt and feet fly through the air (his sandals went flying too). Luckily I wasn't going that fast - I had just started to accelerate. But I was calm enough to get out of the car, check on him, wait for someone to come sit with him, call 9-1-1, call my mom and dad, and then go into hysterics! It was the most embarrassing day of my life! So many fire trucks and ambulances turned up. I really got mad when the news trucks showed up. But, he was ok, minor injuries. I made him a pound cake and took it to him a few days later - it was awkward. I was reminded of that accident every day until we got rid of the Suburban - my parents never fixed the dent in the hood. I also want to say that besides this incident, my driving record is squeaky clean! This was just one of those freak accidents!
Well, I think that's enough of them. It's been really funny to think about things in my past! I'm sure I have many other things my friends would be surprised about too! My how we change and grow up!
I know I've already posted once today, but was just too funny to pass up writing about!
Lately, Olivia has gotten comfortable picking up Lillian. Sometimes a little too comfortable. But Lillian is stronger now and Olivia is careful. Of course, I'm always around when she is carrying her.
So, Olivia asked me if she could take Lillian in the playroom to play! Well, why not. Olivia laid out a blanket for her and took her in there. Now what she planned on playing with her, I have no idea. But I peaked in and this is what I saw!
They were reading their favorite book, Curious George, to her!! How cute is that! I just love it how enthusiastic they were about wanting to include her. And of course, she loved the attention! Then they wanted to take her in their play house.
Landon is peaking out the window! Olivia took pillows in there to prop Lillian up! She seemed to like it for a while.
So, now I've started something. That being, wanting to take Lillian in the playroom to "play". After breakfast this morning, of course, Olivia wanted to take her in there again. Well, okay.
This is what I found this time!! :-)
THEY PUT HER IN THE LEGO BOX!!!
Then covered her up like it was a bed!! Even funnier, Lillian totally didn't mind! That had to be uncomfortable!!
Well, I just burst out laughing when I saw this today! It amazes me what kids come up with sometimes!!!
Lillian has only blessed our family for 3 1/2 months now! But they have been absolutely delightful! She came a little sooner than we desired (I wanted to wait until Landon was 3 to have another baby!) but God had better plans. He knew I could handle it. Still, I was nervous about adding another little person around. How was I going to manage all 3 by myself at home? How do I function if I've had a long night? I mean, I have to get up because the other 2 are still 100% dependent on me! Not to mention we're TOTALLY out numbered. But, as with Landon, they get a little easier each time around. If they get this easy each time, who knows, there may be 10 more "little McClellans" running around one day! My husband probably just had a stroke - don't worry honey. I'm content with 3 for now! :-) Though I have to say, after Lillian's birth (she literally came flying out with no pushing or tearing!) and how smooth things have been so far, she's making me want more kids!! The irony!
32 weeks pregnant at the beach! She was such a quiet baby in my tummy! But her cry, out of the 3 kids, is definitely the loudest! And she can get really worked up sometimes!
Robert measuring my belly at 38 weeks! What a difference 6 weeks made in my belly size! You know, we didn't find out what we were having with this pregnancy. We figured the baby was getting hand me downs anyway and we weren't doing a nursery. Can I tell you, I wish I had done this with each pregnancy. It was so much fun to find out in the delivery room! And then to tell everyone who's been guessing along with you for 9 months - even more fun! I highly recommend not finding out. Hey, they ain't sleeping in their room or bed for a few weeks anyways when you bring them home - they want to be right with you! And they just wear the soft gowns for a while too. So there's really no hurry to pick out boys or girl stuff ahead of time! You have many years of that coming.
We also thought she was a boy. Well, I thought it was a girl for the first 6 months. Olivia thought so too. Her reasoning was that she already had a little brother so she needed a little sister! Then I had SO many people tell me I was having a boy, I guess I started to believe them. I imagined our family with another little boy and it worked - in my head a least. Now I can't imagine it not being a girl! What was I thinking - she fits right in.
She was born 2 days late at lunch time! Easiest delivery and recovery EVER! The first thing I said when she came out was, "Olivia is going to be SO excited!!!" She's was born with a VERY attentive big sister - what a big helper! She gives her a pacifier when she's crying, bounces her to soothe her, and feeds her when a bottle is available! I'm not sure what I would do without her! Olivia also helps out so much with Landon when I'm busy with Lillian! She's 3 months old now and getting really cute. It's fun when babies really start to respond to you! It's so nice to get a smile or coo from them after weeks of then staring off into space! She's giggling now - especially when I hold her up to mirror! She thinks she is so funny! Little miss priss! We still can't quite figure out who she looks like though. Since Robert and I are so different - skin tone, eye color, hair color, etc - we thought she's be either like Landon OR Olivia. But she's a mix of them. Dark hair like Olivia had, blue eyes like Landon and me, and skin that is in between Landon and Olivia's coloring. I'm not sure who's nose she has, and her eyes seem more squinted that the other two. Well, it'll be fun to see what she turns in to! I do know that she better get ready, and hold on! Because her family is CRAZY!!! We love to laugh and play rough. We love adventures and being silly with the kids! She's going to have many things to keep up with!
I guess I don't have too much to say about her since she is still so young! But I am enjoying every minute of her being so little because it doesn't last long at all! I just can't imagine our family without her now!
So, Robert Landon Jr. Our sweet boy Landon. He was almost born on Olivia's birthday. I was in labor during her birthday party and was pacing around the whole time timing contractions. He made his debut just a little after midnight, and therefore, getting is own day to celebrate!
He cut to the chase right when he was born and peed on the doctor! This fascination with bodily functions has not gone away either! I tell you, it has never crossed Olivia's mind to burp, poot, or anything else and start laughing about it! But somehow, it was already in Landon's genes. Definitely a boy thing! They are born different from the start! As soon as he could, he was playing with baseballs and bats. Never looked twice at a babydoll - that is, unless Olivia creatively sucked him into her "mommy and daddy" game she plays!
He was a great baby, quiet and slept great from the night we brought him home. It seemed to be easier the second time around. I can remember thinking after having Olivia, "How do people do this with other children around?" Well, you just do it. And it's like riding a bike. Nothing surprises you, you know what you've gotten yourself into. And you know that they will eventually sleep through the night! You realize that the baby stage is the "easier" stage. Then they start running and talking! :-)
Now that he's a little older, he loves sports. And of course, as his loving parents, we can tell he's showing signs of being a genius ball player! :-) He can whack a ball, that's for sure! And throw one too! I can't wait until little league! Lately, I've really enjoyed being at home with Landon when Olivia is at school. I've never had that 'mommy time' with him. He's definitely much different without her around. He's thoughtful, loving, and has many creative, sneaky ways to play with my stuff toys that he finds when Olivia is not around to tattle on him. Like the pinking shears incident - see this post
For a couple of years, he was a momma's boy, but now I think he knows that he and daddy are outnumbered with girls. So he'd rather stick with Robert! For example, he was DETERMINED to help Robert take the trash out the other day. They went around and gathered all the small trash cans (three of them) and tied up the bags. Even though it wasn't trash day, he was practically out the door with the bags before Robert could get a chance to get the big trashcan! He feels the need for 'manly' things now! :-) Little does he know that will probably be the chore he dreads in a few years!
Also, I noticed that after Olivia started school, Landon would whine at me more and wanted to be entertained! He would ask where "yaya" (he still can't say Olivia) is. He pretty much DIDN'T know what to do without her! Kind of sweet, huh. He's slowly teaching himself how to play by himself. Though every now and then he talks me into going outside and playing baseball. He likes it when I pitch it to him. And hits it most of the time!
Again, I can't wait to watch him grow up and to see the awesome things God has in store for him! I know he's going to be a great brother and protect his sisters! They told me at the gym nursery that Landon was constantly checking on Lillian to make sure she was okay. He would also remind them that she was his sister. SO SWEET!
And girls, if he has half the charm of his daddy, he's going to be a heartbreaker!! Get ready!
HA! Just kidding, this photo was taken in Photobooth on a Mac - it distorts you. My sister and I LOVE it! And it funny to get the kids in front too! :-)
Landon is the only one who will actually sit in our lap and let us take funny pictures! Sweet boy! He has no idea how crazy his mother and aunt are!
Ok, back to Landon. He's getting so big now and talking so well ::finally:: and his little personality is getting bigger and bigger! He definitely makes us laugh the most. He's just really fun to watch. He doesn't try to be funny, he just is. Like.....the kid falls on his head all the time. I mean all the time. The thing just leads him to the floor or into door jams on a daily basis! And it's so funny. Because he's not hurt, he usually jumps right up, rubs it and says, 'ouch' and keeps on going! Totally unphased! Of course, we're sitting on the couch crackin' up! Thank goodness he's so hardheaded!
That's him peaking in our kitchen window on a 40 foot ladder! Don't worry, Robert is right behind him.
He's full of life and we just love being around Landon!!
I know I've gotten into blogging about myself a little too much. So I thought I do a little montage to each of my kiddies!
Today - Olivia!
Olivia is so awesome! She's definitely the strong willed first born female type. I don't know WHERE she got that from. :-) I have a feeling she is a lot like me when I was younger. She's very smart and catches onto things VERY quickly. I've had a few of her teachers comment on such skills recently. Saying her attention span is very good for her age and how quickly she learns and seems to know a lot already. Of course, we're her parents and we think she's a genius! But it's nice to hear someone else complimenting your child.
From a young age she was doing things very early. Rolling over at 3 months old, crawling at 6 months and walking at 10 months old. Her verbal skills were very good - we know now. We didn't know any different. We though all kids talked in sentences before 15 months old! Little did we know. But the pediatrician always commented on how "advanced" she was. But like I said, we're her parents and we think she's a genius!
We didn't fully understand until Landon came along. He didn't talk as much and did things much later. But he didn't seem to care. You hear boys are 'slower' than girls. Plus, he probably couldn't get word in between all of Olivia's! She was saying the fruits of the spirit at 18 months old and could sing the ABC's and count to ten before 20 months. For those of you that don't have kids, that's pretty amazing. But we had no idea - nothing to compare to. This was normal to us!
She's been a great big sister. Especially to Lillian. She wants to help. I hope (we're trying) to instill a 'servant heart' in her. I definitely see it in her sometimes. She thinks of others. I remember when we were walking out of the nursery at church and she had 2 of her friends run up to her. The 2 friends didn't know each other and she instinctively said, "Hey (friend #1) do you know (friend #2)? This is (friend #2)!" She wanted them both to feel included and introduced them! She was only maybe 3 1/2!!
I look forward to watching Olivia grow up into a wonderful godly woman! I'm sure there are some rough years ahead but I know she has a lot of prayer warriors out there - including us! She is growing so fast and I'm sure she'll be gone before we know it! I can't wait to see what God has in store for her life! She is going to do great things!! :-)
Oh, she also has the cutest hiney of anyone I know! :-)
So.....Robert took me out Friday night for our anniversary! We decided to skip all the Hot n Hots, Daniel Georges, and Bottegas and went for a good ole fashion steakhouse! Fleming's Steakhouse to be specific. We've always seen it there on the hill below the Summit but have never eaten there. Well, it was AWESOME!
As an appetizer, we got a cheese plate with 3 cheeses. It came with prosciutto, salami, dried apricots and blueberries and a mustard sauce! We also have some pinot noir infused Gorgonzola and chardonnay infused cheddar dips (they serve that instead of bread) SO GOOD! We split a 16 oz rib eye and portobello and toasted goat cheese salad! Then of course, their Lava Cake! I almost put the whole thing down, and it wasn't small- I'm definitely a sweets girl! And the dessert was on the house since it was our anniversary.
They asked Robert when he made the reservation if it was a special occasion. So he told them yes, it was our 5 year anniversary. He said the lady was shocked and was like, "Wow, that's a milestone these days!"
Has that what this world has come to?? Five years....and that's a big deal? I would think more like 20 or 25 years was more of a big deal but I guess people don't even make it that far! I must be sheltered or something. My parents have been married 26 years and both my grandparents over 50 years each!
When Robert and I married we just made the decision this was it - through good and bad times. No matter what. We don't even say the word - it's the D-word at our house. Now, that doesn't mean we hate people who have been through a divorce! That's just our personal decision. I can't even imagine what it's like to go through a divorce! Now, don't get me wrong, there are days I hate Robert's guts and he hates mine. But even through that, we can't imagine not being together!
But it was so fun to reminisce about when we met and old times! I don't think we talked about changing a diaper, breastfeeding, or potty training the whole evening!! Each year our anniversary night gets better and better! Thanks Robert, I very much enjoyed our night! Oh, and I love my 'Covet' perfume!! Yum!!! I love smelling nice for you! :-)
So onto Lillian - I've definitely got a Mommy's little girl on my hands right now. She just isn't happy with anyone else! My grandmother kept her Friday night for us and said she screamed the whole time - until we literally walked in the door. And then silence!
And last night, Robert watched her from 5:30 -8:30 while I went to Bible study! And when I walked in the door, he said "Perfect timing - I'm so sick of the crying!" Then as soon as our eyes met, she smiled, cooed and proceeded to be really cute and giggle at me!! For a while too!
She'd look at Robert like, "Sorry!" (sarcastically! - and with a grin on her face!) Then I got up to grab a bite to eat and put her in Robert's lap (for 2 seconds) and she started crying again! But when I got her, she's laughing and cooing!
It's sweet and funny, but I know it's not fun to listen to her cry! She just knows her momma!! I love that about babies - they can literally smell you!
Overall Lillian is an awesome baby. Sleeps through the night in her bed and is generally content during the day. I actually kind of like that she wants me. One day, they're not going to want us to cuddle with them! ;-)
Today is our 5 year anniversary!! WOW - it's been an interesting 5 years. I can't say they've all been filled with happy days but I know that we're only moving forward (not backward) in our relationship. We definitely had an "uphill climb" if you will. We welcomed our first child in our first year of marriage which definitely put a spin on things. :-) And then we moved to Birmingham, got into a great church, and started growing more as a couple and family.
Robert is unselfish, hardworking, wise, patient, faithful, discerning, trustworthy, dependable, respectable, and ALWAYS thinking of others. He is full of integrity and a desire to please God! We have come so far from where we were when we got married! We were both a little selfish...ok, a lot. And had no clue what marriage was about. But thank goodness for our premarital counseling - even though it didn't make sense until later. The pastor who married us told us one thing that will always stay with us. If each individual is growing closer to God, you will grow closer to each other. He drew a triangle and put God at the top and each of us in the bottom corners.
I still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding men, including my husband. I have many areas I need to work in. Like being more complimentary of him. I'm thinking it, why can't I say it? I am always SO proud to stand by his side. I feel secure around him know he (and God) will always work things out.
I feel so blessed to have found Robert. I don't think there are too may men out there like him anymore! His drive and passion to succeed in what he does and grow as a person amazes me. He really deserves much better! But I am so thankful for all he does for our family.
Bottom line...........ROBERT'S AWESOME!!! And I'm so proud to be called his WIFE!!!
OK, so I had to dig around a bit and find a wedding picture.
I LOVE YOU BABE!!! I know I don't say it enough!! I love you with all of my heart!!! I look forward to many more years together!!!! Happy Anniversary!!!
So, today Robert took off work to finish a side job he's been working on. He refinished some doors at a friend's farm. This farm is AWESOME. It has tons of animals and ponds to fish on. Robert took Olivia with him (this is the second time) because there is so much for her to do out there. He said she played with the horses almost the whole time. (Almost 8 hours!) She also fished and could go inside and watch TV if she got tired.
So here are some cute pictures of her at the farm!!
Don't ask me why Robert kept taking pictures of her with her dress untied!! :-) She's having to HOLD her dress up!! Silly Daddy, I guess they just don't think about that kind of stuff sometimes.
Robert said these horses would just follow her and let her scratch them. They apparently loved her!!! Maybe we have a little horse girl on our hands!!! YAY!! I would love that!! I'm actually surprised she wasn't a little scared of them.
Finally, we're getting back in the swing of things. Small groups are up and running and I'm very excited about the ones I've chosen.
The first is a Beth Moore study called A Woman's Heart. I actually missed the first video because, well, I was throwing up. I'll be there next week. But I'm doing the homework. If you're familiar with her studies, she has a lot of homework to prepare you for the next lesson. So far, it looks like it's going to be really good. I love it when she digs through stories you already know, like Noah's ark and Adam and Eve, and puts a whole new spin on things. But the overall theme is the desire of a holy God to dwell among us and within us. I can't wait!
Then I have my "playgroup" small group. You see, my kids think that this group is for them! We'll just have to keep that a little secret. It's really for ME!! When you go all day talking to a 2 and 4 year old, you NEED some adult conversation sometimes - and you can't count on it always being your husband!! So this is a group of moms that meet at various places around town and play and share prayer requests!!
The third group I'm doing is Mom's Notes. Robert and I recently took a small group/class called Growing Kids God's Way. Basically just a parenting class. But this Mom's Notes is an extension of that. GKGW is a lot of "umbrella" themes and good overall ways to raise your kids. But when you're a mom and in the heat of the moment, you need SPECIFICS. She literally spells it out for you. We listen to a tape of a woman's lecture and follow along on our handouts. This week's was great. It was about getting to the heart of your child.
All parents hope to raise a child that is responsible and we hope to do that by training and teaching them through biblical principles. I want my kids one day to WANT to make the RIGHT decisions. Discipline goes hand in hand with training. This course teaches appropriate ways to hand all sorts of "issues" all parents deal with.
But getting to the heart is OH so important. Helping steer you children to having a good attitude can be hard. Their little hearts can be hurt so easily with our words. And it can make a HUGE difference in their attitudes. For example, (and I know I do this) say the kids are playing and one of them refuses to share a toy. I would probably say, "You know that's called being selfish!" When another way to word that without putting them down would be, "Were you thinking of others first? How would you feel if they did that to you?" That way, I corrected them and also pointed them towards good behavior. We should be elevating the good in our children, not pointing out the bad!
Wow, what a difference wording can make. Though I have to say, I felt a little good today because some of the examples she gave on how to speak more encouraging, I feel like I use sometimes. Like when the kids clear their plates without being asked, or clean up a spill they've made, I know I have said, "Thank you so much for cleaning that up without being asked! And with such a happy heart! " But there were many other things she touched on that I look forward to implementing.
We'll also be learning about training the angry child, dealing with a child who is stubborn, teaching your child to deal with his emotion, focusing and concentrating skills for children and then finally, on being wise in your own eyes. It covers all the different personalities - Choleric, Phlegmatic, Melancholy, and Sanguine! COOL!!
Well, I was digging through some pictures today and found a cute one of Olivia when she was 2.
She's running away with a bowl full of marshmallows that Lovey (my mom) gave her! Sneaky little thang!!
Well, what a weekend. Recently my cousin emailed me and said, 'you ought to blog about what you do with you have food poisoning and a 16 month old!'. Well, here it is. It all started Friday night when Olivia said her stomach hurt. I hear this on almost a daily basis. So, I took it lightly. Well, 8;00 pm, bedtime at our house, she starts throwing up!!!! Really?! You couldn't do this during the day. You know, kids don't know how to throw up during the day. Their little bodies have this internal throw up clock that thinks to itself, "Are the parents as tired as they can be?? Have their heads hit the pillow yet?" And then it's off!!
So, in between cleaning up and taking care of Olivia at all hours of the night, I was trying to feed Lillian! Robert took over around 2:00 am - while I got up with Lillian!! (THANKS DARLIN') So I had nearly NO sleep! Not to mention I had a cold/sinus thing going on!
I did manage to make it to my friends party (see post below!) and it was really fun. I need some good food and girl time! But I didn't quite get caught up on sleep from the night before Saturday night either!
So Sunday - we're exhausted!! I took Landon to a birthday party and Olivia went with her Daddy to a farm where he was working on some doors!
She got to fish - and caught quite a few I heard!
So, Sunday night, I can't wait to get in my bed, take some nighttime Tylenol medicine for my cold and SLEEP!!! I haven't been this tired since I came home from the hospital!!
Midnight rolls around and my stomach hurts - NOOOOOOOO!!!!! I think I actually said that out loud!! I run to the bathroom and cling to the white porcelain throne the rest of the night.
Robert helped me Monday! I'm not sure what I would have done without him - he was a life saver!!! He made Olivia's lunch and got her off to school. He cooked and cleaned up dinner for the kids and got them to bed for me that night!! My mom took Landon, Olivia was at school, and he brought me Lillian when she needed to eat! I'm still feeling only about 75% good, but it's such a change from yesterday!
I pray that Robert, Lillian and Landon aren't affected by this virus! Or anyone else for that matter! It's awful!! And hopefully I've had my "one big sick" for the year and now I'm on call for all the "little sicks" that kids get in the wintertime!
There's been a nice change in weather these days! Finally. And a lot more rain - which we aren't used to these past few weeks! My kids, at the first drop of rain, want to put their boots and raincoats on and go outside! So, this time, I let them!
They are already in the pjs because they had just had a bath! I just thought this was so cute because Landon doesn't have raincoat yet so he found a safari hat to keep him dry! And for rain boots he used his red cowboy boots!
I'm looking forward to this weekend! We have a couple of kids birthday parties - always fun. And, drum roll please..................I get a girls night out!!!!!
On of my friends since high school is tying the know and her lingerie shower is this weekend! It's been a year since I've been able to enjoy one of these nights because, well, I've been pregnant or tending to a newborn for the last 12 months!!! And as she would say, I've been pregnant for the last 4 years!
I'm so excited, I don't ask for many nights away from my family - really because I'd rather spend my free time with them. But, I can't wait for some grown up girlie conversation! And I love any party that has to do with weddings! Whether it be an engagement party or bachelorette party! I just can't wait to cut loose and have fun with the ladies! :-) And not having to rush back to a babysitter that is burning a hole in your wallet is nice too! Robert is OH SO KIND to keep the kids! (THANKS BABE) I just hope he doesn't lose one of them! I'm sure he'll be GREAT but it's definitely harder when there are 3 of them and only 1 of you! You have to play "zones" at this stage in the game!
Well, one picture of Lillian! She is just so sweet! I wish she could stay this age forever! She is starting to laugh and really respond to us and she smiles with her mouth WIDE open! And her eyes just light up! So cute! She's just been a wonderful baby!
Well, first I want to plug my husband's new blog! www.thesouthernfriedaccountant.blogspot.com
If you want more profound and articulate blogging, his is the way to go! I'm excited to see what he writes about!! He's a WONDERFUL writer!
I also excited because it's Wednesday! Why, you ask? Because the "Wednesday Extra" comes in the mail with all the grocery store ads!!!!! YAY!!!
Let's back up! This summer I went to a shopping seminar with a lady from our church that teaches you how to grocery shop efficiently. In a nutshell, she teaches you how to track grocery store sales (which are cyclic) and use your coupons to get really great deals - better than Wal-mart prices! So when items go on sale, you use your coupons at the stores that double coupons and VOILA - you get a lowest target price! Then you stock up! I'm still not great at it but I can definitely see how you can save a lot of money. I mostly track meat sales and stock up when it's low. I also track sales on items I know we use - toilet paper, laundry detergent, condiments, shampoo...you get the idea. Recently I moved my coupons into a smaller container. I used to keep them in this box.
Now I keep them in these little pouches that I found at the Dollar Tree!
Now I can carry them in my purse for unexpected shopping trips!
So, an example for efficient shopping. Let's say Publix does a Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) on Kraft Salad Dressings. And they are regularly marked $2.50 a bottle. And I have $0.50 coupons for Kraft Salad dressings. I buy 2 bottles of dressing for $2.50 and each of my coupons get's doubled to $1.00 (so I save $2.00). I just bought 2 bottles of dressing for $0.25 each!!! Now, hopefully you've been clipping your coupons and you have more than 2 coupons and you can buy a few bottles of Ranch or whatever dressing your family eats on a regular basis and you store them away!
Her key is to stock up when items hit their lowest target price. She doesn't shop based on what meals she is cooking that week or month. She cooks based on what is stocked up in her pantry! Pretty cool. She has 9 people in her family and say she spends about $400 a month on food and cleaning supplies!
I just noticed that Spray and Wash is BOGO at Publix this week and I know I have some coupons. And I think I just used the rest of our last bottle (and A LOT of clorox) on the ::mmm:: rather nasty mess Landon made on our bed this morning while I was in the shower for 5 minutes. I'll spare you the details but let's just say this never crossed my daughters mind - EVER!!
I'm not sure why I never thought about clipping coupons before. I mean EVERY penny counts at our house! One income - 3 kids! I'm hoping that our savings can eventually snowball into greater savings. But I enjoy taking the time to clip coupons and track sales. It makes me feel like I'm doing my part as a stay at home mom - serving my family.
In Proberbs 31 it says (vs. 14) "She is like the merchant ships: bringing her food from afar". And in Luke 12:42 about being a wise manager, "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?" I am doing my God intended job as a mother - taking care of my family. I am taking the money God has given our family and using it wisely - or at least I'm trying.
It blesses my husband too. Proverbs 31:11 "Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value"
But the ultimate blessing is to me - to serve others and in the end serving God! Which is what brings us (me) perfect happiness and peace! God has entrusted me with 3 of HIS precious children for only a short period of time! I am CHOOSING (delightfully) to take care of them to the best of all my abilities! And this is only one of the ways!
One last picture:
Can you find Olivia and Landon?????
And then this is what they did!
Just another "normal" day at our house!! (They're jumping off of the desk by the way!)
It's really nice when your kids play together sweet. They were purposely taking turns with the flashlight and sharing all they were doing with each other!
