Stover's Story

Just some stuff...

2012-01-27T13:59:00.004-05:00

Been too busy living life to document it. I haven't taken a picture in about 3 weeks. Wow. I'd rather live it than capture it, I suppose. :-) But, just for posterity, here's a quick update.
1. Changing the sheets on a bunk bed is about as much fun as scrubbing the toilet. Uggh.
2. I.discovered.Pinterest. (cue the Hallelujah chorus!)
3. Weird, I know, but one of my favorite times of day with my sweet Jonathan is right before bed when he has to go do his business on the potty. Seriously, that boy is like clockwork. Anyway, he likes me to be in there with him (GAG!), but it is so cute. We have some pretty deep and awesome conversations in there and I wouldn't trade those precious few moments for anything.
4. Speaking of poo, Jacob has decided that he once again needs me to wipe his bootie. Umm, I could do without this duty especially since he usually yells for me just when I get ready to eat. I try to praise God even in the mundane things of life, but really?
5. Billy and I are turning into our grandparents. Really... we sometimes go to bed really early to watch our shows and it's no time before one of us (the one with the Y chromosome)is snoring away. Especially if I start to scratch his head. :-)
6. I seriously need some sunshine! We got a brochure for a beach resort yesterday and I've been drooling since I saw it.
7. I'm feeling a little bit mediocre these days... like I'm not doing anything GREAT. I'm doing lots of stuff "okay" but I feel like I'm walking through quicksand some days. I've been an "okay" mommy, and "okay" wife, an "okay" housekeeper, an "okay" friend and an "okay" therapist at work. Mediocrity is tough for a perfectionist like me to swallow. Must be praying about this one. (maybe it's because of number 6???)
8. Grammy and Pa are coming tonight, so I get to go out on a date with my hubs. YEAAH!!!! So, I better use the rest of the boys rest time to get showered and actually fix myself up a little. How's that to kick the pants off mediocrity. I might even shave my legs. But shhhh, don't tell anyone. :-)

It's Basketball time in Kentucky Y'all

2012-01-17T13:36:00.006-05:00

So, basketball is a way of life in Kentucky and yes, we.bleed.blue! Go CATS. It's really funny how even as 3 and 5 year olds, our boys have strong opinions about which basketball teams to like and which ones to cheer against. One of them may actually call another team in Kentucky "dirty birds" any time he sees the emblem. I mean, we honestly do not say that in our house. Promise. Even my hubby, who's as dies hard UK fan as you could find, does not say that. But, the strong opinions stand of the preschoolers in our house. So, it's a darn good thing that the little team Jacob is playing on happens to have royal blue uniforms, which of course he calls the Cats. :-) He's really enjoying it, and so is little bro, his biggest fan. So is mommy, but I have to confess, I have to bite my tongue not to yell at the little ball hogs on the other teams. I mean really - YOU ARE FIVE. Sharing should be your thing by now. :-) Oh my. I'm really gonna have to try hard not to be that mom. You know the one everyone dreads to see or HEAR at sporting events. Self-control, please don't fail me now. Anyway, here's a few shots of my sweet boy and his new UK blue team.

Daddy Daycare

2012-01-16T13:29:00.006-05:00

So much to update, but here's the pic of the day... let's title it "Daddy Daycare!" (and no, don't worry Aunt Katie, we didn't let them sit around and play playstation all day!) :-) It was so cute - even Charlie got in on the action. :-) Love these boys and all I have to say is 2 on 4 is a lot easier than 1 on 4. Ha! Glad to have the hubs home from work today!

bloggy funk - need intervention asap

2012-01-11T13:35:00.003-05:00

I'm in a bloggy funk. Dont' know why, but I am... so much to update I suppose it's just overwhelming. I haven't even gotten to update that Santa did in fact find "snow that won't melt" and a "lotso doll that smells like strawberries" and that overall, Christmas this year was magical. Can't seem to make myself choose which pictures to upload to the ole bloggy. Oh - I can't believe I haven't screamed from the mountain top on here that my sweet hubby got me a CRICUT for Christmas! (go ahead, google it... I'll wait.) Said Cricut is still in the box, because my bloggy funk has also apparently leaked into an all out creative funk and I can't seem to sit down long enough to organize my scrapbooking stuff and break out the Cricut and get busy...I need an intervention. Seriously. :-)

Guess it's the weather, but I think me needs some sunshine. And a beach. Perhaps that would cure me? Oh, a girl can dream, right?

Soon, when my daydreaming kicks in and the thought of sunshine perks me up, I'll have some posts ready to go - you must see some shots from Christmas and Jacob's first basketball game, and I need to update on my goals for 2012... so much to do. Now that it's in print, I guess that's a little accountability for me.

For know though, I just wanted to give a little shout out to my sweet Jonathan... this is one of those moments that I never want to forget. This morning, we were working puzzles in the living room and I said, "my goodness, it's cold in here." He said, "be right back." He went upstairs and worked so hard to bring me an ginormous blanket. Then he said, "I hope you feel better warm now." Thanks sweet baby for making me warm - inside and out. :-)

one heck of a memory...

2011-12-22T11:27:00.005-05:00

Being a mommy undoubtedly does something to the brain. I'm sure all my mommy friends would say amen to that one. Seriously, I used to be smart. I used to be able to speak without adding the "y" suffix to all my words. You know, "where's your shoeseys, your nosey is cold, I need a huggy from my buggy..." Come on, don't make me feel alone, you know you do it too! :-) I used to have a good memory. Now, sometimes I fear I'll forget my address or the way home. I can't remember what I need from the grocery once I get there - because of course I wrote a list, but forgot it at home..., I can't remember which of my kids' turn it is to ride in the "big boy booster seat...." the list goes on and on. One thing I'll never forget, however, is what happened on this exact day, one year ago...

December 22/23, 2011 is one day I'll never forget. I know, it's really two days, but you will see why in a second. Last year, on December 22, a Thursday night, I put my little man to sleep sans paci for the first time. He was a trooper and did really well without it, amazingly. Thought we were in the clear, until about 4 am when he woke up crying. I went to him and he wanted milk. Weird for him, but I gave him a drink of water anyway. Then I went back downstairs, only to be awakened again at about 4:30. Jonathan wanted another drink. Again, super weird for him. He was usually a really great sleeper. This time, when I was walking out of his room, he started to cough and choke. I went over to pat his little back when he started really choking and coughing and then throwing up. So I turned on the light to find the most terrifying thing I've ever seen in my whole entire life... my little guy had not just thrown up, HE HAD THROWN UP BLOOD - tons and tons and tons of blood.

Y'all, I flat out panicked. I yelled for Billy to get up there and call 911. I was holding him and we were both pretty much covered in blood when Billy got in there. The look in Billy's eyes is one that is forever etched in my mind... You see, Jonathan had his tonsils and adenoids removed 3 weeks prior to this and we were warned that bleeding could occur, but we thought we were out of the woods. I was terrified. I thought he was dying. It was seriously that much blood. So, he stopped coughing/choking and he was breathing okay so we got him undressed and changed. Billy was holding him and singing sweet soft songs to soothe him. In the meantime, I was a crazy person on the phone with our on call pediatrician and the ENT. Seriously, couldn't even figure out call waiting when one of them beeped in.

So, we called our dear friends Andy and Lisa, who came immediately to stay with Jacob who was sleeping peacefully, and drove straight to the ER. I think we were on autopilot or something. I mean - why in the world they have to ask all those crazy questions in the ER... I'll never know. They kept saying, "how much blood did he lose?" Really??? I have no freaking clue, but it's my baby and ANY blood is not okay is what I wanted to scream, but I just kept saying over and over again, "a lot. a lot. i don't know. a lot."

So, fast forward a little bit... they wheeled him away after giving him the silly juice because he needed more surgery. Apparently, his scar tissue had ruptured or something. At that moment, Billy and I collapsed in the waiting room chairs and both of us sobbed. He was out of surgery in literally 20 minutes and we got to be with him. He was fine. PRAISE THE LORD! He was an absolute terror, wild man after anesthesia, but we got to take him home shortly thereafter. His blood counts were so low, though that he almost needed a blood transfusion. So, to answer your questions you silly ER people (who were incredibly kind and awesome I must say!!!) see, I told you he lost a lot of blood. Almost enough to need a transfusion.

Anyway, that's why I'll never ever forget December 22 or December 23 for the rest of my life. He healed beautifully. Other than some severe sleep trauma, bless his heart, for a few months, he was and is perfectly fine. He still remembers it, and of course so do we.

Thank you Jesus for the incredible blessing of being a momma, the joys and the pains. Thank you Jesus for holding my sweet little Jonathan in your arms one year ago and keeping him safe. Thank you Jesus for the amazing friends and family that you surround us with daily. Thank you Jesus for somehow holding us in your arms, even when we can't stand on our own.

(pic has nothing to do with the post... just a cute shot of my sweeties with their pa on his birthday yesterday!) but... it's proof that God is good. All the time.

Maybe not me...

2011-12-19T13:44:00.005-05:00

It's Monday and it must be random... right?
* I may have watched my child drop a pretzel stick on the floor at the mall and then pop it into his mouth. I almost threw up in my mouth...
* Three ornaments and two candles might have been broken in my house in the last week. Boys, anyone?
* I may have gone out on a date to a wedding with my hubby and our best friends this weekend, only to panic because what stay at home (almost) mommy has cute sexy clothes anymore?
* I may have smiled when I, on a whim, looked in the very back of my closet and found a little black dress that I wore when we first got married AND IT FIT. Heck, I may have even done a little victory dance in the mirror.
* I may have had to buy pantyhose at the last possible second for said wedding, because hello??? I don't get dolled up that often. And when I do, I MAY wear black pants and turtlenecks, which is my uniform it seems.
* I may have tried to trick my little man into telling me what his daddy got mommy for Christmas. I may have tried, but it sure didn't work. rats!
* I may be wasting time on the internet reading blogs when I.should.be.wrapping.presents. ahem!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T21:04:00.003-05:00

Thank God for Imaginations!

2011-12-07T21:44:00.005-05:00

One of the things I ask a new patient's parent when I see them for an assessment at work is "do they have imaginative play?" Imaginative play is developmentally appropriate starting at about 2 years and is almost 100% evidence that a child does not have and will not develop autism or other social communication disorders. I see a lot of kids with some really tough issues, so when I am home, I hug my babies a little tighter and say prayers of thanksgiving for their health!

One thing that warms my heart is the HUGE imagination my littles have. I mean HUGE doesn't even begin to describe it. I know I've posted about our fascination with costumes several times, but really... it's our most used childhood item. If we don't have a costume they want, we improvise. See????

Jacob and Jonathan created a play called "The Grinch meets Buzz Lightyear." We didn't have a Grinch costume, so we made one - sort of. Jacob was concerned that he didn't have any green pants so he thought we should tape some green paper on his legs. Such a cutie and such a great imagination. Oh, and "the Grinch meets Buzz?"... would totally be a hit. So if any movie studios stumble upon my little bloggy, hit me up. My boys are quite the screen writers. :-)

Introducing...

2011-12-05T13:31:00.005-05:00

The head coach of your Simpsonville 5 year old team (name unknown yet), Billlllllyyyyy Stover. (said in my most perfect Rupp Arena announcer voice). Yep, I think my one of my hubby's dreams is coming true. He is coaching Jacob's first little basketball team. He had their first practice on Saturday. SO cute. Not sure how this whole thing's gonna work, honestly. Jacob would probably work harder for another coach, since he sometimes acts a little shy and goofy around us. Billy had fun though and so did Jacob! He's definitely a beginner though... despite Billy's love for basketball, we haven't spent much time playing ball with the boys. Stay tuned... the season starts in January. :-)

Just so I never forget...

2011-11-09T20:38:00.004-05:00

There are some things that my kiddos do that I make a mental note and say, "you better write that down." Well, of course I forget to write it down most of the time. So here goes: here's a few things I never ever want to forget:
* Without fail, almost the first thing Jonathan says to daddy when he gets home from work is "Hi Daddy. Can I play your phone?"
* I have to try not to laugh at this one, but when one of them gets mad at the other, sometimes they call each other "mean bootie heads." It's so funny, but doggonit, we have a no name calling rule at our house, so I can't laugh.
* Both boys LOVE popcorn. They think it's the bomb-digity.
* Jacob is really into playing monopoly. Yes, he's only 5 and yes, he really knows how to play. He can even be the person totally in charge of handing out the properties. He can't read the chance cards, but he can count what he rolls on the dice and can count small amounts of money. Unbelievable!
* We have been working hard to make Jacob try some new foods. It's a battle, but in the last month, he has eaten ONE lima bean and one green bean and a bite of baked potato. Of course, he said they were "awful." (he tries more things than this at his babysitters, though...go figure.
* costumes are a way of life at our house - we have 2 superman, batman, robin, tigger, pooh, Mickey, Buzz, Woody, pirates, alien, and the list goes on and on. They wear them ever day. Seriously!
* They claim not to like Justin Bieber. We don't even talk about JB in our house.
* We got Jacob a PS3 Toy Story game for his birthday and they love it. Welp, I'll say that I THINK daddy likes it more.
* At least 50 times a day, I hear from Jonathan, "I need a little help."
* Jacob is sleeping like a rock star. Praise the Lord! We've been through a lot to get there, but it is awesome. Now, for the other little person in the bottom bunk - please start sleeping through the night again. Please??? You seem to be getting scared or something through the night. :(
* I get the privilege of keeping Charlie and Caden Gaither on Mondays. The four boys have a blast and are such good friends. Jacob is definitely the leader of this Motley Crew. Jonathan is very protective of Charlie. Whenever we go to the toy aisle at Walmart, he always wants to buy baby toys so "I can play with my friend Charlie."
* One of the classic Jonathanisms is "Gammy, I seep so good I have some chocate pooding?"

There's more, but I'll post later.

Halloween Happiness

2011-11-07T14:45:00.011-05:00

It's a little late, but here's the scoop on our fun-filled Halloween festivities. I have such awesome memories from childhood. We always had tons of family time and got to hang out with my Pappaw. Halloween is proving to be much fun and we are starting some fun traditions of our own for our little family. So, here we go...

The worldly famous BUZZ LIGHTYEAR and his best pal WOODY

Making a few visits in the neighborhood - our favorite neighbors, Lisa-tales and Andy-tales!

Grammy and Pa came for the fun! (Jacob and Jonathan wanted them to dress up SO bad, so they did!)

A visit to Mamaw and Papaws too...

More to come later... this new internet makes uploading pictures excruciatingly slow. Uggh..

Courageous

2011-10-31T13:56:00.004-04:00

Got to go on a date night with my hubby this Saturday - thanks to my awesome in-laws for doing kid duty for a couple of hours. We have been wanting to go see "Courageous" since it's opening a few weeks ago, but we just couldn't work it out. Until this weekend. Oh man - GO SEE IT!!!!!! Really - you won't be disappointed. We enjoyed Fireproof a few years ago by the same film company, so I was hopeful about this one as well. It.was.awesome! Pretty convicting too. The basic storyline of the movie is about 4 cops, trying to save the day... putting their all in at work and sometimes having little left to give at home. They were self-admittedly "good enough" fathers. Tragedy struck one of the families and he, through grief, started seeking the Lord and trying to understand what the Word says about being a dad. He wanted to be better than "good enough." I won't spoil all the movie plot (Seriously - you wanna go see this one!), but I will say that I was impacted greatly. It was full of laughs and serious (actually I cried several times!) parts. The first scene of the movie got my tears a rollin - this guy's car was hijacked at a gas station and the guy literally ran on foot, caught up with the truck and was dragged several hundred or more feet but eventually got hold of the wheel and made it crash into an embankment. Thought he was just a bad dude - but really, he was just concerned about his baby son in the backseat strapped into his car seat. Got me thinking about my kids. I would walk through fire so they wouldn't be harmed. I would die for them in an instant. But I can't imagine for anything willingly giving them up - but that's what God did for me. WOW!

This movie also made me insanely grateful for both my daddy and my hubby. My dad would have (and still would) done anything in the world for us. He loves us so much. I never doubted that. And my hubby??? What a blessing he is to me and to Jacob and Jonathan. I've posted before about how great he is as a daddy, but I will say again, Billy was made to be a dad. He's such a good role model for our boys. I really do hope they grow to be like him as he guides them toward God.

Anyway - getcha a babysitter and go see this one. You won't be disappointed.

Dear Jacob-man,

2011-10-23T20:42:00.011-04:00

Well, a week without internet made me a little crazy, but oh well... I felt a little spoiled all week and each time I complained about having no internet service, God gently reminded me that I have MUCH to be thankful for. Anyway, we've been super busy around these parts. So much to update, I don't even know where to start. How about this... MY BABY TURNED FIVE!!!!! Last weekend, we celebrated like crazy with Mr. Jacob. Started with an awesome little field trip at preschool (how thankful am I that I have the flexibility to go with him??? - another post!).

Then a small cupcake party at his school.

Then, family palooza that evening.

Finally, Sunday, he had his first "school friend" party at All About Kids on Sunday. Mass chaos abounded, but I believe birthdays are the one day (or several days in our case) to really make a person feel special.

So, in honor of Jacob's big day, here's the most recent edition of letters to my boys...

Dear Jacob-man,
Oh how I love you. Five? Really??? Unbelievable. You are full of life and full of questions. You always want to know how "this works" or "why is it that way?" or "what did you say?" You don't miss a beat! You have the best memory of anyone on the planet. Seriously. You remember details about places we've been or things we've done... you even remember what people were wearing. You say the cutest things - for example, we were driving in Cave City this weekend and out your window you saw two deer. You said, "hey look, there's a big buck and his wife." Precious!!! You also love to write little messages all the time - they are treasures. You usually write "I love my mommy and daddy" or "I love Jonathan."

You are really into this new Disney CD you got for your birthday and especially love the song Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - you are trying to master the words. You are still into all things superhero and even had a Superman party. Batman is still your favorite. Grammy and Pa got you and Jonathan Superman costumes and you wear them every.single.day. I'm so proud of you at school and church. Your teachers have nothing but good things to say about you - they say that you are super mature and are kind to your friends in your class. That warms my heart! You are doing great on your school work and love love love preschool. I love hanging out with you for field trips and special days at school. Mommy feels so blessed! You are sleeping like a rock star - THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Still worried about your eating habits, but we are working hard on it. You started eating yogurt (yeah!) and after a battle, you actually ate a green bean tonight. :) We only want what's best for you, never forget that!

You love playing with your brother and isn't it way more fun than fighting with him? Try to remember that he is only 3 and he wants to be like you and with you all the time. He thinks you are awesome, and guess what... HE IS RIGHT!!!! you are awesome and I love you so much. I pray that you would continue to want to learn about Jesus and try to be like Him. I pray that you would be kind and patient and gentle and good. I pray that you are happy and healthy and that you have good friends who lead you to Christ! I already pray for your school, your teachers and your future wife. I pray that you get your identity from God alone and don't listen to what the world has to say. I'm so proud of you and feel so blessed to be your momma.
XOXOXO
Love, Mommy

Fall Ya'll

2011-10-10T21:10:00.005-04:00

It's definitely fall around here. The leaves are falling, the trees are turning and there's pumpkins and mums all around. I like fall. I don't love the decrease in the number of hours of sunlight though... it is wrecking my running schedule. But, overall I love fall. Not as much as spring, but I do love it. If you need more evidence that fall's here, wait no longer! How lucky am I to get to spend my Mondays with these cuties???

preschool happenings

2011-09-29T20:40:00.007-04:00

Good grief, I'm behind on some blog posts. I can't believe I haven't done the first day of preschool post yet. Preschool is in full swing and both my babies are loving every single minute. Jacob's first day was uneventful. He walked away from me happy as a lark and never looked back!

Jonathan's first day - also went well from his perspective. I was a little (nope, a lot!) sad, but he was so totally comfortable and fine.

Walked right in to Mrs. Boyd's class and got busy!

I'm so glad they are adjusting so nicely. That makes mommy's sadness and ohmywordican'tbelievetheyarethatbig feelings much easier to handle! I'm also settling into a nice routine, I think. Oh my, can't believe I haven't mentioned this before but did you know that I HAVE 3 WHOLE HOURS TO MYSELF EVERY TUESDAY???? Holy moly, that's right, you heard me correctly. I have some alone time. For the first time in almost five years! I have taken long runs, cleaned some and run some errands so far. Yeah! I do admit, I felt lost the first week. I miss the boys a lot. But, I am very very grateful for that time. I'm equally as grateful that our boys are happy, healthy and perfectly normal. At work, i see just the opposite, so it makes me all the more grateful for my babies - I need to remember that the next time I'm in the middle of a 45 minute tantrum over a darn remote control. Ahem. :-)

end of an era

2011-09-26T16:19:00.005-04:00

Welp... blue boy finally kicked the bucket. We kept saying we'd drive it until the wheels fall off. Well, the wheels didn't fall off, but the timing belt shattered, which caused the engine valves to bust, which caused something else. Bottom line, when the mechanic called us, he said "your blue car is pretty much scrapped." Alrightythen. Not exactly our plans for the weekend, but we went car shopping. And we got a new car - a dark blue Toyota Corolla. Pretty cool. Car payment, not so cool, but we got a great deal. So, we've bid farewell to our old friend, "blue boy." In his memory, here's a few special things we did in that car...
1. We went on our first date (Southeast and Rafferty's and a movie)
2. We left from our wedding to our "happily ever after."
3. We drove to our honeymoon
4. We brought home our first born baby from the hospital (in the rain!)
5. We both travelled lots and lots of miles for work in old Blue Boy - thankful it kept us safe all those miles.
6. The boys climbed up on top and sat and played make believe in there and made many happy memories. They also called the sunroof the "windshine." Cute!
Goodbye Blue Boy. Hope you can be fixed and make someone else safe and happy for at least a little while.

It's Monday, and it must be random...

2011-09-19T13:39:00.007-04:00

So, it's Monday, and it's random... a couple of things.
First, I'm thinking of redesigning the bloggy. Any suggestions? I'm not tech savvy, so this may prove to be difficult. I don't read/speak html, so I must keep it simple. Looking for people to point me in the right direction here. :-)

Second, I suck at couponing. My friend, Jody, has given me several pointers and I still can't seem to get the hang of it. Although yesterday, between my Kroger card and coupons, I saved almost $40. Score! Except maybe not...I feel like I spent more money couponing... for instance, I had some coupons that expire 9/30. I didn't really need the items, but knew that I eventually would use them. The result? My typical $100 shopping extravaganza for the week was $130. Ugggh. I need a personal shopper. Oh and someone to deliver and put away the groceries while we're at it.

Third, perhaps the same person who would volunteer to do my personal shopping would also like to become a fairy and sprinkle magic dust on my house to insure I will never have to dust, vacuum or clean the bathrooms again in my life. Oh and while they're at it, never ending clean laundry baskets would be a bonus too. :-) Oh I kid. (not!)

Fourth, I've had a little time (actually I've neglected a few tasks (see above)) and have ALMOST gotten my Disney trip completely scrapbooked. Yeah! I love scrapbooking. Actually, I think I'll neglect a few things now while the boys are resting and go try to finish a couple more pages.

Totally still adjusting to my big boy being away every single morning for preschool. He is totally loving it. I feel like it's come way too fast, but I'm excited to watch him learn and grow. He continues to report that his favorite part of school is riding bikes at "recess." Thataboy!

And finally, I've been meaning to post this for a while (and it's totally not related, but random? Right!!!) My little Jonathan has just started drawing people and it's so darn cute. He is so proud of each and every masterpiece. Love him!

Disney on Ice

2011-09-17T21:48:00.003-04:00

Well, our fascination with all things Disney continues in Stover-ville. Our trip this summer renewed an interest in all the old classic Disney movies (and the new fun ones too!). When I heard Disney on Ice was coming to Louisville, I thought, we must do it. I second-guessed myself a little, since it's ice skating and we have boys. Ahem. BUT, I saw a trailer online for the show and it wasn't all "princessy" or anything. And there was a huge segment on Peter Pan and Captain Hook. What could be more "boyish" than Peter Pan and Captain Hook? So, we got great tickets - a good price thanks to a group discount since Daddy works for the Commonwealth of Kentucky! Yeah! It was a blast. Grammy and Pa drove up today and joined us. The boys were glued to the action. Seriously. They loved every single second! Here's a few shots from our day...

Dear Preschool Boy (Gulp!),

2011-09-08T07:26:00.003-04:00

Dear Jonathan,
Holy moly, I can't even believe that this is the last picture of you before you become a big ole preschool boy! I'm up early this morning, before everyone else in this house (thanks to running with my great friend KATIE!!! - but that's a whole other post!), and I'm just spending a little time praying for you my friend. I love you with all my heart and just when I think my heart will burst with love and pride for you, I love you more than that!!

It's totally hard for me to fathom that you are big enough for preschool. But you are. You are so ready. You are curious and love to learn. You want to do exactly what your bubby does. You recently started drawing picture of people and they are precious. Completely developmentally normal, too, I might add! You also just took and interest in learning to write your letters. I'm so proud of you. I love it when you make a J - you make a line and a swoosh. I love the way you say it. You know how to spell your name and know the numbers on our mailbox. You can recognize all the letters (most of the time!) and all your colors. I don't worry one little bit about you going to preschool - skills wise. I'm just gonna miss my little man in the mornings now!

You are getting so big! You still love to read and you love playing with your toys. You love it if I'll play "Batman" or "Jail" with you. You have a great imagination.

Jonathan, remember that you are a child of the King. Jesus loves you so much and wants you to be loving and kind to others. You have a very sweet heart and are working very hard to share. Mommy and Daddy couldn't be more proud of you! We pray that you would make good friends and that you would be a good listener and sharer. We also pray that you would feel safe and comfortable at preschool.

Know that we are always here for you little man. You are loved beyond imagination. Love Jesus. love others. That's your job little Jonathan!

XOXOXOXOXO,
Mommy

Grateful!

2011-09-04T20:53:00.003-04:00

I am feeling so blessed today. Everyday, I feel grateful, but I suppose today, since it's my birthday (yeah!) I'm feeling even more nostalgic. I have about 10 bloggy posts in my brain that I'd like to post, but today, I'm just grateful. I'm grateful to be married to a wonderful man who loves me dearly and always makes me feel special - not just because it's my birthday, but today, he did good! I haven't cooked, cleaned, wiped a bottom or nose or anything like that today. And, I'm not even "doing bedtime." :-) What a wonderful man he is! Thanks honey! We even got a date night tonight thanks to my awesome in-laws! I love you more now than ever before - and I know it's gonna get better as we get older and older.

I'm grateful that I get to be "mommmmmmmyyyyyyyy" to the sweetest boys on the planet. They have been so sweet to me today and Jacob just said, "happy birthday to the bestest bestest mom on the planet." Jonathan gave me a kiss and said, "I love love you so so so so so so so much." Melt.my.heart. (it's a darn good thing those little moments happen, cuz ya'll know that sometimes my kiddos fight and squabble and drive me nuts.) Ha!

I'm grateful for having lunch with family today and for all the awesome texts, phone calls, messages and FB posts. And I'm grateful that the celebration doesn't end today! I get to go to Cave City to P-A-R-T-Y all over again next weekend. :-) Yeah!

More than anything, I'm grateful to be a princess of the King. The one and only King of Kings treasures me not only today on my birthday, but every single second of every single day. Wow!

Do Everything

2011-08-28T20:38:00.002-04:00

Do Everything
You’re picking up toys on the living room floor for the 15th time today
Matching up socks, sweeping up lost cheerios that got away
You put a baby on your hip, color on your lips and head out the door
While I may not know you, I know you wonder sometimes….
Does it matter at all?
Let me remind you it all matters just as long as you…
Do everything you do to the glory of the ONE who made you
Cause He made you
To do every little thing that you do to bring a smile to His face and tell the story of Grace
With every move that you make
In every little thing that you do

Man, this song really spoke to me this weekend. I heard it on the radio yesterday and haven’t stopped thinking about the ginormous meaning behind this catchy tune. Some days, I just kind of get in a rut. I feel like I do the same things over and over and sometimes, if I’m honest, I don’t have the most joyful attitude. Don’t get me wrong… I am so TOTALLY grateful that my schedule allows me to be a stay-at-home-most-of-the-time mommy. I wouldn’t trade places with one person on the planet. Honestly!!! But, that’s not to say that some days, after cleaning up yet another spilled cup of milk or scraping applesauce off the table or breaking up a little squabble between the kiddos or wiping bottoms or noses that I don’t think to myself “Seriously??? AGAIN???!” That’s also not to say that some days I absolutely countdown to 5pm. :-)

But, this song is a great reminder that all the mundane tasks of life are part of a greater picture. That my purpose in life is to bring Glory to God. The One who made me. He made me (little ole me, cleaning up spills me) to bring a smile to his face. Wow. That’s humbling. I sure pray that God would change my heart so that I can be joyful and grateful – even in the most mundane of daily tasks.

Check it out… Steven Curtis Chapman’s “Do Everything.” Hope it blesses you as much as it has me! (and no, I don’t know him personally and he certainly didn’t request my personal endorsement, but should you read this Mr. Chapman, I sure do admire you and your family. I’ve followed you for a long time and your story over the past few years touched my heart!)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T20:59:00.002-04:00

Loose Tooth Update

2011-08-15T13:47:00.007-04:00

Well, a few days late, but here's the loose tooth update: My sweet baby boy lost his first tooth on Monday night. (one week ago!)

He was so totally excited. My mom had gotten the boys personalized tooth fairy pillows for Christmas a few years ago, so we had to dig that one up and he proudly put it in his pillow before bed time. So much fun!

And just so you know, the tooth fairy left $1 and a little package of toy story tattoos. Fun times. Jacob was even sweet enough to share his tattoos with his brother.

With his $1, Jacob went to Dollar Tree and chose silly string. Fitting for my silly silly boy!

Happy Monday! Oh, and PS - he has another one loose already. Seriously?????

wow

2011-08-11T21:04:00.002-04:00

So, I usually don't talk about work too much on the ole bloggy... primarily because I blog so that one day, I'll have written memories of this precious time in my life. And also because I mostly stay at home, my blog fodder is pretty much consumed with the J's and the hubster. Anyway, this week has been interesting at work and I just needed to share. Yep, that's right, I'm practicing one of my therapy homework assignments I sometimes give to patients...journaling. :-)
Yesterday, I had the privilege of having a new patient. She is an 8 year old cutie, but has a world of difficulties. She is severely autistic - no language, no eye contact, no real communication with anyone. She is visually impaired and has some physical abnormalities - especially her face and mouth. That's not the worst part... she's a self-mutilator. She hits herself in the face and scratches herself until she bleeds. And she screams in unfamiliar situations. Basically any time she is outside her house. So, for an hour yesterday morning, I watched in horror this little girl freak out because of the new environment. My.heart.broke.in.pieces. I'm heart broken for this little girl, and maybe even more than that, I'm so totally heartbroken for the mom and dad. Their life is not their own. I can not imagine what this must be like.
I have been doing therapy/social work stuff for almost 13 years. I have never ever cried in session with a client (it's not really the most professional thing to do). Not to say that I've never felt empathy or sympathy during a session, but yesterday, I was so deeply impacted that I almost lost it. In session. I had tears, not uncontrollable, but tears none the less. Wow. Would you guys do me a favor? Pray for this little family that have come into my path! Pray for me as I work with parents on a behavioral plan to decrease the self-harm behaviors. Pray that this little girl knows Jesus and can experience a miracle in her lifetime.

Say cheese!

2011-08-08T13:21:00.003-04:00

Well, ladies and gentlemen, we have hit another milestone in our little family. I know I say all the time that they are just growing up TOO DARN FAST (stop it boys, would ya? Please for mommy????!!!). Yesterday, Jacob pointed to this:

and said, "my tooth is jiggly". What? How in the world does my baby already have a loose tooth? I quickly googled "when should my child lose his first tooth?" and found the answer to be anywhere from 4 1/2 - 8 years old. Well, holy moly, I didn't know that, but now I do. Since we are only (gulp) 2 months away from being 5, I guess we're right on track. But seriously? I don't know why this milestone feels so old to me. He's going to have a toothless smile before we know it. Ohmywordiwishicouldfreezetime!!!!!!

So, any wise words we could pass on to the tooth fairy? What's the going rate these days? :-)

Nite Nite prayers

2011-08-05T14:16:00.003-04:00

So, I'm a total creature of habit, right? Naturally, I have a routine for my kiddos - especially at bedtime. Here's our basic schedule: go upstairs (about 8:15ish): take baths - well, Jonathan takes a bath, Jacob showers with Daddy; race to get jammies on (everything is a race with boys!); brush teeth; read story in the rocking chair (Jonathan insists on being on the top bunk to hear the story.) Then, Jonathan must turn off the light and we all return to the top bunk for prayer time. It is really sweet.

Here's a recap of most night's prayers...
Jonathan: "Dear God, Jesus in hearts make us feel better. Forgive sins. And I pray for family and sins and hearts better. When we are sad or mad or fight, put our hearts back to feel better. In Jesus's holy name, amen."

Jacob: "Dear God, I agree with Jonathan. We love you and your son so so so so so so much. Forgive us when we sin and help us all sleep really good tonight and you too God, I hope you sleep good. Thank you for my loving daddy and mommy and Jonathan. In Jesus's Holy Holy Holy name, Amen."

Then when Daddy starts to pray, Jonathan always tells him what to say, which is exactly what he prayed earlier. It is hilarious.

I seriously need to video tape this stuff. I never ever want to forget a single detail.

Happy Friday all!

Sweet little messages

2011-08-01T13:37:00.004-04:00

Jacob is all into spelling and creating words. It's so cute. Here's a couple of messages he's written us. Can you say precious?

(dad, you rock and roll for Jacob. So does Mom)

(I am so happy and I hope you are too.) - this one he did completely on his own. He didn't ask for help with any of the words.)

just couldn't resist

2011-07-26T22:32:00.003-04:00

So, this probably tells you a little bit about my sense of humor - this was randomly found in my kitchen floor, and I tell you what, I couldn't stop laughing. The boys asked why and I just said, oh, mommy's just being silly... With boys, we have enough poop, toot and stinky jokes, laughs and giggles. I thought it best not to encourage the craziness. Ahem. :-). I didn't really want them to know I was cracking up at the thought of Barney pooping on my perfectly mopped kitchen floor. Oh in case you can't tell, that's a grape behind Barney's bootie. Hee hee.

Great Season little Dodgers!

2011-07-23T14:37:00.006-04:00

Today was the last game of Jacob's T-ball season. It was supposed to be last night, but the park rescheduled for today due to the heat. Not sure it helped much, because it felt like it was 117 degrees on that T-ball field. But, it was much fun! Jacob has really enjoyed this t-ball thing and I am glad. But not nearly as glad as his daddy - I think being a daddy to little boys who like sports make his heart smile really big.

One of the highlights for the boys is visiting the concession stand for a popsicle - oh boy, I wish we'd never introdued them to that idea this season! Here's Mamaw taking Jacob over to get his spiderman (very messy I might add) popsicle. Little kiddos sure know the right words to get grandparents to do exactly what they want. Sneaky little critters. :-)

Today, little bro got in on the action and it was precious! He asked daddy if he could bat and daddy took him over to ask the coach. She said yes! It was so so so cute.

His smile as he touched home plate was precious.

And Jacob was the beaming proud big bro! Such fun blessings.

Must haves - when you have boys

2011-07-19T13:50:00.005-04:00

I have a running list of "goodies" that I have really liked as a mommy of two boys. Here's a few. Leave a comment and add your "must haves" - those things/activities that have made being a mommy to little ones easier.

1. Random Halloween Costumes - oh.my.word. My boys have gotten some SERIOUS mileage out of the various Halloween costumes we've had over the past few years. We still make the 18 month old Pooh costume work when needed. :-) So much fun. Here's a few recent picks of the shenanigans.

2. Can I just say two of everything? Really, it just makes life easier to purchase doubles of stuff - same strollers for Disney World. Same sunglasses. Same sippy cups. Same swim trunks. Same plates and cups. You get the pattern. It also helps feed my need to have them in matching clothes. I know I won't be able to get away with that forever, but until then... match on I say! (see - matching strollers, shirts, sunglasses???) :-)

3. DVD players for the car. Can I get an AMEN on that one? I feel bad for my parents for having to put up with my sister and I all the way to the beach every year.

4. Toy Story miniature figurines - oh man, we've gotten some mileage out of those little things. They are Jonathan's most favorite toys.

5. Crayons. Lots of them (but of course two of every color!) My boys love to color and that's an activity I always pull out when we need some chill time - read, when they are fighting with each other and can't seem to pull it together. wintertime, summertime, anytime, coloring is a hit in my book! Sometimes we even do it right before our night time routine commences.

6. Puzzles. We love love love puzzles in our house. Both boys are very good at them and again, puzzles are a great chill time activity. But, I always take the puzzles out of the original box and keep them in big ziploc baggies. Less space and those boxes get demolished so easy.

what about you guys? What are your go-tos... your must haves?

2011-07-10T22:27:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to the love of my life (a few days late!) My hubby celebrated birthday number 3-6 on Friday. He is amazing and touches the lives of everyone he meets. In his honor, here's the top ten things I love and admire about my very best friend.
1. He is so very patient and kind. Really - deep down in his innermost being, he is a kind person.
2. He is a wonderful daddy. He takes special time with each of our boys. He worries about them staying safe. He loves to play with them and take them places. He is definitely a REALLY involved daddy.
3. He always makes sure the day to day basic stuff is taken care of... in almost 7 years, I haven't worried one time about our doors being locked at night or the trash taken out. He just does those things. And gets gas in whatever car I'm going to be driving most of the time for me.
4. He takes care of our finances, but includes me as much as I want to be. He balances our checkbook every month and keeps records in order like they are supposed to be. (oddly though, it's my thing to get our tax information ready for filing each spring - weird. we just make a good team!)
5. He always makes sure our bills are paid on time.
6. He works hard at his job - puts his all into it when he's there. He is very good at his job! Judges across the state LOVE him. But I love that when he's home, he's completely home. He leaves work at work and is completely available to me and the boys!
7. He indulges me by watching chic flicks and watching me scrapbook and occasionally plays cards with me.
8. He is oh so helpful in the house. He does the dishes, sweeps the floor and keeps things straight. He hates clutter and I hate dirt, so again, we make a great team.
9. I love that we enjoy the same things in our spare time. We love the same TV shoes (Big Brother, LOST, American Idol). He even secretly likes to watch the Bachelor/ette with me. :-) We genuinely enjoy our time together and it seems so easy and content.
10. He is a leader. Not an "in your face look at me" kind of way, but he is a gentle and quiet leader. He leads our family toward a loving relationship with Jesus and he prayerfully makes decisions for our family. I know I can trust his decisions. I know he has our family's best interest at heart with all decisions he makes.
Happy Birthday Babe! I sure do love you!!!!

D-I-S-N-E-Y W-O-R-L-D!!!!

2011-07-03T16:31:00.004-04:00

Definitely the most fun trip I’ve ever taken.

In the words of Jacob “it was the most fun I’ve ever had in my long long life.”

Special time to celebrate my parent’s 40th anniversary

Not a moment of “down time.” We were on the go from 7 am to 10 or 11 pm every day

Everywhere we walked, we were on the look-out for character sightings – the boys’ most favorite thing!

Yellow shoes – oh yes. Mickey Mouse was a hot commodity and we DID get to see him a few times. He wasn’t out and about in the park like some of the other characters, but we did get a couple of great looks and one great picture of him at Animal Kingdom

Wishes can come true! That’s the motto of the park, and I believe it’s true. Disney World does make wishes come true. Every time you turn around, there’s something fascinating to see or do. WOW.

On their best behavior – Jacob and Jonathan were awesome all week – despite being hot, tired and hungry a lot of the week. They were even troopers about taking pictures.

Really special memories were made. We took 450+ pictures (how in the world will I be able to pick to scrapbook?) It was wonderful.

Loved.every.single.second.of.this.trip.

Definitely want to go back. Can’t really afford it in the near future, but no doubt, we’ll be going back at some point. Preferably when both boys are over 44” tall – since several of the rides had height requirements and Jonathan wasn’t quite tall enough.

Memories of my dad!

2011-06-19T21:05:00.003-04:00

In honor of Father’s Day, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite memories of my dad. He and my hubby are the two greatest men on earth. These two men are shining lights and I’m so grateful for them!
• My daddy and I used to go on frequent dates when I was growing up. He always drove me to Bowling Green for my gymnastics classes and oboe lessons. We always ate out on those nights – just the two of us. Fun times. I especially remember getting a flat tire on the way to gymnastics one night. I wasn’t scared one bit…. Because I was with my daddy!
• When I was in marching band, we had a group of dads called “podium packing papas.” My dad was the leader of this Motley Crew and NEVER EVER missed one of my competitions. And, when I was field commander my senior year, he made sure HE was the one that properly secured the podium for me. He would even climb up and jump on it to make sure it wouldn’t fall down.
• Maybe too much information, but he often had to go buy “the stuff” we girls needed – now that’s a dedicated daddy! He also bought his fair share of panty hose. God love his heart!
• He once drove like a speed demon to Bardstown to rescue me when my car broke down on the way back from Transy. Seriously –he made a normally 1 ½ hour drive in about 50 minutes.
• He didn’t always “love” vacation time, but when we finally got to our destination, he was super fun. He made jokes at restaurants, drove with the windows down and music loud (to embarrass Carol and I, no doubt) and loved to go on early morning walks on the beach. He also loved to play cards on the balcony – I am a total sucker for any kind of games, so you know I loved this!
• His love language is definitely acts of service. He is amazing! When I was in college, he’d always buy me multiple of my favorite snacks and drinks. He never wanted me to have to go out to the grocery by myself. He’s still like this today – when he comes to our house, he often makes several trips to Walmart or Kroger just because “I noticed you were almost out of ____.” He also has mowed our grass and weed eated on numerous occasions – especially when Billy’s out of town.

And now, I get the pleasure of seeing this amazing dad be an even more amazing Pa to my kiddos. He pours his heart and soul into those boys like you wouldn’t believe. If they want it, they get it. He teases them, they tease him back. He sleeps on the floor right beside Jonathan when the boys go to Cave City – just so he’s not scared. He shows them the ropes – like how to spit outside and how to wear work boots with pride and how to drive a tractor and how real men take their shirts off outside. He even teaches them the value of working hard by getting their help with the garden or cooking or whatever activity he’s doing outside.

Simply put, he’s the best! I love you daddy!!!!

What I learned this week - rope and alligator style

2011-06-16T20:43:00.003-04:00

So, my cousin in WVA has been doing this "what I learned this week" post on her blog (www.frominmatestoplaydates.com) for a while and I'm trying to learn how to link to it. When I figure it out, hopefully, ya'll can share all the cool stuff you are learning too!

So, here goes... what I learned this week. Drumroll please:
1. Potty Training is a process. We are almost there, but sometimes it can be so frustrating. Jonathan's routine of holding his stinky until night time is getting really old. But, he does in fact stinky in the potty almost every single night. And I'm proud! It just seems to delay our nighttime routine by 15 minutes. (seriously - just like a man, right??)

2. When he calls me in the bathroom every night, I have learned to expect the unexpected. Tonight, he said, "mommy, come look. I made a rope and an alligator." Oh and let me tell you, he was right. Gross, I know!

3. I bought hopefully my last pack of diapers ever today. He still wears a diaper at night. I almost got pull ups, but they are so much more expensive. Since he's not wearing diapers at all during the day, I think diapers at night okay. Your thoughts?

4. The Target brand diapers are cheaper even after really good coupons for the name brand.

5. Target brand diapers actually work better for us than Huggies. I still like Pampers best though.

6. A slightly strong-willed little man + holding pee pee throughout the day = a rough night. Jonathan cried and cried during the night last night. We finally figured out he was holding his pee pee in. And we made him go (after lots of tears) at (Gulp) 3 am. Geesh.

There you have it... that's what I'm learning this week. What about ya'll?

Goooo Dodgers!

2011-06-10T22:46:00.007-04:00

Tonight may have marked the start of a long love affair with the ball park. Jacob had his very first Tee Ball game and ohmyworditwassocute!!!

We had a whole entourage with us - complete with a very special fan with a "little bro" t-shirt for Jonathan with Jacob's number on it.

It was so fun to watch my little man in action. He was so attentive and always asked his coach what to do. He hit the ball really well, too.

Fielding - another story. He (along with all his teammates) ran after the ball and kind of jumped/fell on top of the ball.

The funniest part - Jacob's team was fielding and a little dude from the other team who had just batted was on first base, ran after the ball and caught it - from his own team mate. So very funny. I foresee many more nights at he ball park. I think I see lots of dusty shoes, dirty clothes, dirty faces and sweaty boys in my future. And I can't wait! What fun.

Thanks to all our family and friends who came to the park to cheer on the Dodgers and especially number 5!

Jonathan's big birthday bash - part two

2011-06-05T08:25:00.005-04:00

Jonathan has so many people that love and cherish him. His birthday celebration was evidence of that! I was so busy, I didn't get a pic of everyone who came to celebrate, but here's a few!

Mamaw and Papaw

Jonathan and my Aunt Lindy

Grammy and Pa

The Wisleys - such a special family to us. They were the first babysitters for the boys. Even though they haven't watched the boys in several years, there's a very special bond. Seriously, we only see them 3-4 times a year, but each time we do, our boys are SO excited!

Some of our awesome family! (Aunt Kelly and Uncle Shawn in the back too!)

Aunt Carol and Uncle Chris - they got Jonathan's biggest cheese of the day! :)

My big THREE year old

2011-05-30T21:19:00.007-04:00

Dear Jonathan,
Holy Catfish (one of your cute sayings)... you are three. I can't believe you are already 3. You are one sweet little boy and you make us so happy. We've had quite the fun party weekend, starting with a little playdate party on Friday morning for you and a few of your little buddies. Then, your family party was on Saturday - a Toy Story theme.

It was tons of fun! At the end, you sweetly said "these are the best presents ever." You were excited with each present and I loved your reactions!

Today, on your "real" birthday, we had a quiet morning at home and then a family cookout at your Uncle Jerry and Aunt Amy's house. It took you about an hour to finally decide to swim, but once you did, you loved it!

You are amazing. Here's some highlights of what's gong on it your life right now:
* You still love Toy Story - you and Daddy have a special thing about saying "dr. Evil
Porkchop

* You ARE potty trained! - well almost! You do great at our house, but sometimes don't like to go pee pee at Mamaw's or Ms. Elsie's. You have started something new. Every night, when we tuck you in, we know that you are going to say "I have to go stinky." And then you get out of bed, go to the potty and proceed to run show me each and every little piece of your "business." Seriously gross, but I'm totally proud of you!
* You are riding your big boy bike like a champ! So cute!
* You really really like to win. Everything is a competition to you. We're working really hard on "being on the same team as your brother." It really makes me sad to see you lose most of the time, since Jacob is naturally faster than you.
* You say "off" when you mean "all." For instance, when you as for food, you say, "I want cheese and applesauce and yogurt and peanut butter and that's off."
* You are a 100% daddy's boy. I mean really, I wish you liked me even a little. :-)

* I love you so much big boy! Happy Happy Happy Birthday!

This man...

2011-05-27T14:40:00.005-04:00

Makes me so happy. He is kind and loving and patient (Lord knows he has to be!)and I love him with all my heart. This man is funny and witty and he's my very best friend. He is a very picky eater and he is a great basketball and softball player. He loves to watch sports and somehow knows any and all details about baseball, basketball and football. Goodness, I'm glad he doesn't follow golf, nascar or hockey. :-) He is a loyal friend to those he meets and everyone who meets him instantly likes him. He is very good at his job, but is the first to say that his j-o-b doesn't come first. We do. That's right - he puts God first and then me and the boys. He is a real man, in my opinion. He loves the Lord and chooses to lead our family toward Him. He is the best daddy in the world. Even with two little ones, he makes me feel like a princess every day. He is helpful beyond belief around the house and has changed his fair share of stinky diapers.

I am so blessed to call this man my husband. On May 21, 2005, he became mine forever!!! Last weekend, we went to Myrtle beach (without our kiddos!) for a brief vacation to celebrate our anniversary. We had a blast! We missed Jacob and Jonathan so very very much, but it was a really wonderful time to rest, relax and reconnect... without wiping bottoms or fixing peanut butter sandwiches or getting "tweets" for "Being such a good good boy."

So grateful that Grammy and pa agreed to keep the boys so we could enjoy ourselves. We will definitely be doing that again!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO MY VERY BEST FRIEND!!!

Wordless Wednesday (more to follow later!)

2011-05-25T20:54:00.002-04:00

yep, I was that mom!

2011-05-13T12:56:00.003-04:00

Oh gosh - today, I was THAT mom. You know, the one with the screaming toddler out in public? Yeah, that was me. Jonathan and I packed up and went to Lowes today. I wanted to go look at some rugs and I need a few more flowers and a couple of odds and ends. Jonathan got to "ride" on all the tractor mowers. Win-win, right? Ummm not so much. So, I found a rug I liked and went to order in a hallway runner size and the computers suddenly started acting ugly. It was taking a good forever. Jonathan was riding in the buggy - you know the big blue race car ones??? Well, he wanted down. So I let him. Then he wanted back in, only he wanted to "DO IT ALL BY MYSEEF." Oh my sweet goodness, I know ya'll all heard him screaming, even from your living rooms. He couldn't do it himself though, so I (gasp) tried to help him up. Well, the screaming meamie of all tantrums commenced. You would have thought I was killing him. I was getting THOSE looks. The kind that make me want to punch people in the face and say, "what, you've never seen a two year old throw a tantrum before?" And of course, "no, as a matter of fact, I'm not a horrible mommy and my kid doesn't always act like that." And REALLY????? can't you get the stupid computer to work so I can just order my rug and get the heck out????? Oh no, they couldn't. So then they called the ordering manager and the front desk manager. Screaming still in full swing as Jonathan is now buckled in his race car - ticked off. Finally, I said in my kindest voice.. " I'll just get the number of the rug I want and order it from home. We are leaving now." And. I. Walked. Out. Left my shopping cart semi-full of a few things we needed and walked out. Didn't get my flowers and Jonathan didn't get his ride on the tractors. Hmph!

Oh well, here's hoping you are having a tantrum-free day! And if I see you out and your little sweetie throws a little fit, I promise I won't give you one of THOSE looks. :-)

(this is Jonathan's "mad face." I wish today, that's all I'd seen!!!!! :-)

just some stuff rumbling round in my brain...

2011-05-10T14:18:00.002-04:00

So, have you ever felt trapped in your own home? I kind of am today. And it's good, I promise. We are getting new floors and carpets installed downstairs TODAY - while I type and the boys are tyring to rest. I say trying, because hello - anyone else been in their house whilst hard wood is being installed? L to the Loud is all I have to say. BUT it will be worth it and I already love it. My house is 12 types of upside down. I couldn't even find my undies this morning. whoops. Should have thought of that when I haphazardly threw all the contents of our dresser into trash bags late last night to move our furniture out of our room. We have to turn them up on their sides to make the crazy angles of our house and everything started to dump out. So I got all "be prepared" and got the trash bags out and stuffed away. Anyway - it's nap time and the boys need some down time. I've been outside all day and I'm dripping with sweat...So we're trapped. But, that's okay. Totally okay. And i'm not really crazy about a stranger being in our house all alone or I'd just pack up and go to the zoo. Oh except that I couldn't because in the midst of the floor installation, an insurance adjuster had to come look at our roof as we've had some leakange with all the rain over the last umpteen weeks. Sheesh. Who needs animals? It's a zoo here at Stover ville.

In other news, mother's day was great. Got to spend some time with my momma and loved being a mommy to my boys. AND, i got to welcome my hubby home from a week long work trip to Phoenix. That was my mother's day present! So glad he's back. Shew. Single parenting is for the birds. I have so much respect for those of you who do the daily grind without a supportive and loving husband. Know that you have my prayers!

And also, we have been working hard on potty training round here. Jonathan is doing great. Most of the time. He's holding it a lot though and that makes me nervous. He holds it all day sometimes. No accidents ever. He just won't go pee. Not everyday, but lots. I worry that he'll get a bladder infection or kidney infection or something. Oh number 2 you ask?? Not much progress there. He usually waits til he has a diaper on at night night time. Not really ready to fight that battle just yet.

Finally, (SORRY FOR THE LONG WINDEDNESS OF THIS POST! -but hey, I'm trapped, remember?) and most important.... PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR MY FRIEND AND FORMER CO-WORKER DAVID. His 7 year old son has a brain tumor and is in surgery at UK hospital at this very moment. Tanner had ben throwing up with no explanation for 3 weeks and last week they did a MRI, which showed a brain tumor. David and Tanner's mother, Ann could use all the prayers they could get. The next few weeks are going to be tough as he recovers from surgery and they have to figure out if the tumor is cancer, etc.

Thanks all! Kind of put things in perspective. My topsy turvy house is nothing compared to what my friend David is goin through.

These Boys...

2011-05-06T14:25:00.002-04:00

Made Me:

* Boo -Boo kisser
* bath water checker
* milk pourer
* breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner maker
* bike ride helper
* learning time teacher
* Referee (seriously, I feel like I should wear a black and white striped tee and a whistle all the time!)
* snot wiper
* booger getterer (not a word, I know, except it is at our house!)
* bottom wiper
* book reader
* taxi driver
* story teller
* manners reminderer(again, I know, reminderer is not a word!)
* the retriever - I often have retrieved items from the vents, from the toilet and even down the sink...
* hugger and kisser
* the bed tucker inner
* the middle of the night paci retriever (not anymore, thank the Lord!)

and most of all.... these boys made me MOMMY. I'm so grateful to be their mommy and I wouldn't trade any of my daily mommy chores for anything. They've also made me a more passionate prayer warrior. I pray for them all the time.

And I'm super grateful for my own mom! What a great role model she has been. Happy Mother's Day, Mom! You are amazing!!!!!!!

Happy Mother's Day weekend to all my special mommas out there. What about ya'll - what are some of your special titles that have been bestowed since becoming a mommy? I love you!

Zoo baby!

2011-04-30T15:32:00.003-04:00

I don't know about the rest of you, but on my goodness, to say all the rain we've had in the last month was making me stir to the crazy would be an understatement. So, yesterday, I packed up the boys and we headed to the zoo. Our first trip this year... it was crazy fun and crazy busy!!!! I guess lots of Kentuckians had the same idea. "i know, since it's the first nice day in like 123456433 days, let's go to the zoo." Anyway. We had a blast. The boys' favorite part? The playground and the carousel. Go figure.

Easter Blessings to you!

2011-04-23T12:23:00.003-04:00

Who could resist this little bunny?

Or this one??? (yep, he's totally rocking his cowboy boots with basketball shorts. nice.)

Hope your Easter is filled with blessing and reminders of the awesome Jesus that we serve. Oh praise the name of Jesus!!!!

April is...

2011-04-15T13:48:00.002-04:00

CHILD ABUSE AWARENESS MONTH!!!! So, what are YOU doing to help prevent child abuse? I believe that preventing child abuse is everyone's business. When I used to work for state government, particularly the Division of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence, I felt like I was doing all kinds of things to support the prevention of abuse. I was involved in awesome Public Service Announcement projects and video series that went to teachers about the recognition of child abuse. We hosted live media events in the Capitol and placed pinwheels in local businesses. Good stuff.

Now, almost a year after I left state government (insert hallelujah chorus for my new part time gig here!), I feel like I'm not doing enough. Sure, I work with children and families and I help teach parents what to do if they get "stressed to the max." But what about in my daily life? Am I helping parents enough? Am I praising the hard work of mommies that I know and love? Am I taking care of myself in ways that allow ME to be the best mommy and not lose my cool over frustrating events at my house?

Well, let me take this opportunity to say to all my mommy friends.... YOU ROCK!!! PARENTING IS HARD WORK AND YOU ARE AWESOME! YOU ARE NOT ALONE WHEN YOU FEEL FRUSTRATED AND NO, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS EVER YELLED AT YOUR SWEET CHILDREN!!!!!! Take some time for yourself. Take some time for your marriage. Support local agencies who work with children who may have bee abused. Pray for the safety of your child and their friends. Sport a nice little blue ribbon on your shirt this month. Those things work together to help stop abuse.

You can also partner with Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky on some special activities throughout the state for Child Abuse Awareness Month. www.pcaky.org

Sunny Days, Chasing the Clouds Away

2011-04-10T13:36:00.003-04:00

Well, we had a once in a lifetime fun-filled Friday night. We took the boys to see Sesame Street Live - "Elmo's Green Thumb." It was at the Brown Theater in Louisville and was oh so fun. The boys were high-fiving each other on the way there saying "ELMO!" We really enjoyed the show. Jacob's favorite - Oscar the Grouch. Jonathan's favorite? Cookie Monster. It was so funny when they started singing "sunny days, chasing the clouds away..." all the parents in the audience were bringing the house down. I guess we were living vicariously through the kiddos? Ha!

It really was fun. I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to do special things like this for our boys. We are blessed beyond imagination. May we never ever take it for granted.

Oh - and as a hint, take cash if you ever go to anything like that! Of course, there's Elmo balloons and binoculars and cotton candy and t-shirts and M&Ms and the list goes on and on. The boys eyes were open to ALL those things of course. We only had enough cash with us for parking, but did manage to find one sales guy selling cotton candy that took debit cards.

Meet our newest cousin

2011-04-09T14:36:00.002-04:00

Welcome Lucy May Pickering! She is gorgeous. Proud parents are Josh and Melissa. Melissa is Billy's "baby" cousin. Yeah!!!

Idol Recap

2011-04-06T22:56:00.001-04:00

American Idol Recap (from my little view)… “Off we go “ – oh I can’t believe I say this, but I miss you Simon!
Jacob – “Man in the Mirror” – I love MJ. I don’t usually love Jacob but tonight– I thought he was great. I think it’s cute and sweet that he wouldn’t sing a song about “doing the nasty.” That made me smile. I really thought he was great! Steven liked it. Jennifer liked it. They both called it beautiful. Randy liked it. I wish more people would stand up for the morals they believe in. Way to go!!

Hailey – Janis Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart” – good start. Man, her hair is big. That would make me nuts. She has a cool rasp to her voice. But if I’m honest, it sounds a little screamish sometimes. I do like her overall image though. She’s had some rough weeks but the last few have been better. I like her, but tonight was just okay. Judges all seem to like it. “Wow” they say.

Casey - oh my, never know what this cat’s gonna do. Holy moly, he’s playing the bass. Impressively talented. “Have you ever seen the rain? “ CCR – I’m a little young for them, but I do know this song. I like this performance. I think he is entertaining. Randy says “you made the upright bass cool.” Steven says “you’re a true musician.” Jennifer said something about front row… Overall very good.

Lauren – “Natural Woman” – not a fan of the shorts with tights/boots combo, but I think she can flat out sing! Her performances are sometimes a little flat to me. Maybe it’s because she’s so young. I mean who could really make her feel like a woman? This one is just okay for me. Wonder what the judges have to say? Steven just said you just growded up – what?? The judges liked it more than I did.

James – “something about a guitar” – by a Beatles guy. Ummm. I like the Beatles, but don’t know this one. Let’s see. I really like this guy’s story. I work with a lot of kiddos with tourette syndrome, so I TRULY admire him!!! I actually really like this performance. I do not understand this song, but I really really like this performance! Rocker goes a little softer. Judges agree with me. Maybe I could get a gig on idol? I mean who wouldn’t want a mommy’s opinion?

Scotty – “That’s alright momma” – ELVIS – okay lets do it. I love Elvis. I like Scotty. I’m anxious to see what happens here. A little interaction with the audience. Cute. He’s having fun and that’s important. I liked it a lot. I think he’s a doll and has a bright future in Country Music. His confidence has really grown and that really shows. What in the world is up with the little girls mobbing him on stage? Weird. Judges also liked it!

Pia – Tina Turner - man, Pia is beautiful. Weird outfit, but she is so pretty. I don’t know this song, but from my perspective, she’s doing awesome on it. Jennifer looks like she’s on a bouncy ball. What’s up with that? Wow – Pia has an amazing voice!!!! She’s been my favorite from the beginning. Steven – “you killed it.” Jennifer – “amazing.” Randy – you delivered.

Stefano – Percy Sledge – “When a Man Loves a Woman.” Stefano usually reminds me of a Glee cast member, so let’s see what happens. (ps – I love Glee, so that’s not a bad thing.) Pretty good if you ask me. But still Glee-like. Can’t really describe it better than that. He’s a cutie though. Prolly gonna keep getting lots of young girl votes. Judges like him a lot. Randy didn’t like it as much as Steven and Jennifer.

Paul- Johnny Cash – oooh. This could be good. OH WOW. I love this. He is Billy’s favorite this season. Very very very good in my opinion! He is so original. He dances like a freak, but I really really like him. He is an amazing performer. My personal favorite of the night! Hooray! Randy loved it. Steven loved it. Jennifer loved it. Yes.

(AI producers if you happen upon my bloggy, feel free to contact me for my monetary reward for the commentary. Thankyouverymuch.)

Run the Bluegrass

2011-04-04T14:01:00.004-04:00

Well, I reached another fitness milestone yesterday... (drum roll please) I RAN THE LEXINGTON HALF MARATHON! Hooray. 13.1 miles to be exact. And I didn't stop. And my time was pretty darn good (2 hours 9 minutes)!

It was so much fun to run with with of my very best friends, Whitney and some of her sweet running buddies from Lexington. Whitney and I met at Transy - she was really my first friend there. On my 18th birthday, she brought me a twinkie with a candle in it and really... the rest is history. She is an amazing friend and an amazing mother of 4 precious little kiddos and I'm so thankful to call her my friend. She's the kind of friend that whenever we're together, it seems as though we were never apart. Even though we don't see each other regularly, we always have fun together. AND, did I mention that we ran a half marathon??? I'll say it one more time - we ran 13.1 miles!!! It was a beautiful course - through the Kentucky Horse Park and beyond. The sun was coming up, momma horses and their foals were galloping in the distance - just a perfect perfect morning. We wore these cute little butterfly wing headbands and we were just too cute.

Happy Monday - and can I just encourage you- if you have a certain fitness goal in mind - take it easy. Rejoice in baby steps. Sing hallelujahs for big steps. Pace yourself and BELIEVE YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

"I did it. Oh Yeah. I did it."

2011-03-28T20:50:00.004-04:00

Well, we are at it once again. We've been "talking" about potty training Jonathan around these parts for a while now. Today, sweet hallelujah, he showed interest! AND HE ACTUALLY WENT PEE PEE ON THE POTTY 7 times. He wore underwear all day and only had one accident. Hooray! It is so funny - when we goes, even if it's only a few drops, he gets so excited and says - "I did it. I did it. Oh Yeah. Oh Yeah." And dances around like a little crazy guy. It is GREAT! I really need to figure out how to post video on here.

So, now... the hard part is for me. I need to stick with it and make him sit on the potty every 45 mins or so until he gets used to his little body. We didn't make stinkies on the potty today, so we'll see how that goes tomorrow. I can't pass up this little opportunity!

I can't believe my baby boy is getting so big. *sigh*

Final Four Baby!!!! (and some other randomness)

2011-03-27T22:03:00.002-04:00

That's us celebrating - sorry for the poor pic quality. Yahoo! UK is going to the final four. Holy Moly. What a great day in Kentucky! We enjoyed the game with our friends, the Gaithers. Our boys - all four of them, were GREAT! What's your favorite color baby, BLUE and WHITE!

Also - did you know that MOM upside down looks like WOW? Coincidence? I think not!

Snow in March - late March? Wrong! Just wrong!

I am nervous about going to the new Kroger because I don't know the order of the aisles. I have been planning out my weekly meals since the beginning of the year and making my grocery list accordingly. One of my new years resolutions and I've actually kept it for the most part. But, I could make my list according to the order of the aisles in Kroger so I can be in and out in a jiffy. OCD much? Yep, I admit it.

One of my other new years resolutions - to start couponing - hasn't happened yet. I need a tutorial. Any volunteers?

I had to go to a training on ethics on Friday as a requirement for my social work license. It was B-O-R-I-N-G. But necessary.

My boys have been almost perfect this weekend. I know I brag on them a lot on here, but really, I can't remember such a great weekend in a very long time. No real agenda. Lots of special activities. Treats for awesome behavior.

We ate inside two restaurants this weekend. Granted, one was McDonalds. But still - we dined inside TWICE and it was perfect. If you are around us much at meal time, you know that is MAJOR!!! We aren't the best at making our kiddos stay in their seats during meals at home. They eat a bit and then they are off to play. Then they come back... you get the drill. SO, eating out isn't one of our favorite activities But, I was so proud this weekend.

There you have it... random, see? Happy Sunday! Hope your weekend was filled with precious memories too.

a little advice?

2011-03-22T14:00:00.002-04:00

So, something weird in the world of mommy-hood happened today and I'm not exactly sure how to handle it (or I guess how to handle it in the future...) There's tons of kids on our street and it is fun in the spring. Everyone is out, running and playing. As soon as we drive up today from getting Jacob from Preschool, a little girl rides up on her bike. She is 5. ONLY 5!!!! She lives at least 8 houses away at the end of our side of the street. So, I told my boys they had to play in the back yard because I was going to cook lunch (thank you fenced in back yard.) Jacob asked the girl to come play. She did. Of course, I don't mind this. The more the merrier! But, I just couldn't get it out of my mind that her parents probably had NO idea where she was and they definitely couldn't see her or her bike if they peeked out to check on her. So I asked her if her parents were home. She said her daddy was and he didn't care if she played. So then, it was lunch time. She asked for lunch too - which again, I totally don't mind, but this whole thing was making me feel super weird. So, I asked her to hop on her bike and ride down and tell her daddy she was at our house and eating lunch. She did and returned really quickly. She ate lunch and stayed another hour or so after that. I hated to, but I asked her to leave since it is rest time. So she rode off back down the street, still not a parent in sight.

so advice??? how should I handle this in the future? I totally welcome her playing here, I just freak out at the thought of my boys going to a complete starnger's house eating lunch and stuff. It's one thing to ride bikes and play in the yards, but inside? Oh me, I just didn't know what to do. My boys were having the time of their lives and she seemed to have fun too. I hate to sound judgmental, but what was her dad thinking???? what if ( I know I'm getting close to crazy on this one) but what if I was a crazy serial killer or pedophile??? She could have been in danger. I know it might seem like overkill, but I don't exactly let the boys out of my sight when they are out front! I keep a close watch on them every second. So, what if the pages were turned and it was my boys who just jumped in cars or asked to go to strangers houses. YIKES!!!

Ten Terrific Tuesday Tidbits

2011-03-15T20:58:00.002-04:00

Jonathan style:
1. You say “you can’t catch me not so fast.” 117 times a day – and when you do, it’s a little sing-songy.
2. You love cereal. I mean you are obsessed. I’m worried about your teeth! I’m trying to brush extra since you are getting about 3 bowls of sugary cereal each day. (Kirby, don’t read!)
3. You have shown a little interest in potty training, but honestly, mommy hasn’t put forth the proper effort. I need to just buckle down and do it. You are very stubborn so I have a lot of anxiety about this process.
4. You have inherited my OCD-like qualities. (Sorry!) You like to line things up and get freaked out if anything is not as it should be – a speck of dirt on your cup, tags on your shirt. Oddly though, things like inside out socks and dirt on your face don’t faze you one little bit.
5. You have quite the entourage at nite nite time. You have “bear,” “monkey,” “elephant,” “teddy bear” and “lady bug.” Stop the world with the originality of their names.
6. You love going to Walmart, which you call “mallmart.”
7. Your speech is very clear now. But, you stutter sometimes. Should I be worried???
8. You love going to “ex –a-size” with me and it is so cute. You even try the stretches.
9. You HATE me touching your ears. Consequently, you have the dirtiest ears on the planet. Sorry kiddo!
10. I signed you up for (GULP!) preschool last month and can’t believe it’s already time for that.

Jacob man:
1. You are so very bright. I love how much you are learning these days! You have the best memory!
2. You still like superheroes, but your obsession has cooled somewhat.
3. YOU ARE SLEEPING ON YOUR OWN AND IT IS AWESOME!!!! I couldn’t me more proud of you! Santa’s letter to you had a real impression. (Santa said to Jacob, “I sure hope you start sleeping on your own before I come see you next year!”)
4. You have a very kind heart. I hope it always stays that way and that you never experience heart ache. I know you will, but I wish I could take it away.
5. Along with that kind heart, you wear your emotions on your sleeve. When you get upset, it’s not at all uncommon for me to hear, “I don’t want to play with you ever again.” Or “I wanna live in a new house.” “Growllllll. I’m mad at you.”
6. Sometimes you hurt my feelings (see number 6) and I have a hard time with that.
7. You can be the BEST helper most of the time. You love helping me dust and wash the dishes. I need to be more patient and let you do it, even though it takes twice as long. It really is good quality time for the two of us.
8. You also love cereal, but not as much as your brother.
9. You love to wear the boots that Pa and Grammy got you for Christmas. And you love to get yourself dressed. Sometimes you look like a little ragamuffin. Short pants, mismatched shirts, comfy pants and boots… but you try so hard. I try not to correct.
10. You can get dressed, brush your teeth, pour your milk (if the milk gallon is less than half full), put on most of your shoes, zip your jacket and buckle your seatbelt all by yourself. How did you get so grown up my little angel?

Play anyone?

2011-03-14T14:24:00.002-04:00

So, often, people ask me "what do you do at your job?" Sometimes, I have to remember that other than my MAIN j-o-b of domestic goddess, I do have a part time job. I am a therapist at Square One: Specialists in Child and Adolescent Development. I work with kids and families with some type of behavior/mental illness. And often, since I work with kids, the medium I use is PLAY! Really???? What did that say? Yep, I get to play all day long. In fact, I'm working toward a special license in play therapy. AND.I.LOVE.IT!

I was fortunate to get to go to Kentucky's play therapy conference last week. And the topic was using play when working with families who have endured some trauma. Well, I came back totally inspired. The trainer, Eliana Gil, was fantastic! She taught many techniques and this was the most practical conference I've ever attended.

She demonstrated several therapy ideas that involved the use of miniatures. You know, little figures like animals, super heroes, princesses, dragons, etc. I learned that I will never ever throw away any more happy meal toys!

So, I'm shamelessly going to ask that if anyone have any little figures that they don't want or plan to throw away, PLEASE think of me first and I'll be happy to take them and put them to good use. I have several that I've collected through the years do do sand tray therapy (a whole other post), but my collection is still very small. Thanks all!

What's your favorite color baby?

2011-03-13T21:00:00.003-04:00

BLUE and WHITE!!!!!

C-A-T-S!! Cats Cats Cats!

So, today, we watched our beloved Wildcats win another SEC championship. What fun! The boys like the Cats too, but they don't get into a whole 2 hour game. Lucky for us, it was nap/rest time!

We think they got ripped off getting a 4 seed in the big dance - don't you??? And Florida got a 2? Not fair, not fair!

Billy always hosts a bracket challenge for his work. I don't know if he's gonna be able to do it this year because next weekend is his biggest work weekend of the year. But I hope he does. Because he's really good at it. And sometimes even wins. And that means a trip to Pottery Barn for this happy momma! :-) (I know my high school English teacher would be shattered if she read all those sentence fragments.)

Random facts

2011-03-07T14:29:00.002-05:00

So, I’m jumping on the bandwagon and following Megan, Rachie and Shubie and doing the random facts post. Sadly, I’m older that the others and more than 30 facts just seems like overkill, so I’ll go with 21 facts – because my anniversary is May 21.
1. I hate veggies – except green beans. It’s embarrassing, really!
2. If chocolate milk were beer, I’d be in major trouble. Not just any chocolate milk, but Nestle Quik – YUMMO!!
3. I’ve always loved babies and kids. I started babysitting when I was 12 and was really good at it! I even made sure I washed all dishes and houses were perfectly clean when families returned home. Oh how I wish I could make me house perfectly clean now!
4. When I was in 8th grade, I was on national TV. Seriously – America’s Funniest Videos crew was traveling through my town and they called my high school to see if some students would help do the pre-commercial promo…. “after these messages, America’s Funniest Videos will be right back.” What a sad little claim to fame.
5. I like to dip almost anything and everything I eat in either ketchup or barbeque sauce.
6. I have never seen the Star Wars movies all the way through. Every time I try, I fall asleep.
7. One of my favorite memories from middle school and high school was playing “Girl Talk” with my besties, Amanda, Belinda and Beth. Do any of you remember that game???
8. I once tried to “be a rebel” and take my dad’s truck out for a spin before I was 16. I got as far as the garage and started the truck before my big ole conscience told me to go back upstairs.
9. I broke my wrist in 4th grade - my wrist bone still sticks out a little crazy.
10. Once, my sister hid my piano books and it kept me from going on a fun trip to Huntsville, AL. Mean mean sister!
11. The day I found out I was preggo with Jacob, I went to lunch at Taco Bell - when I walked in, I almost threw up. Shortly after that, I went to Kroger and bought a pregnancy test. First, I NEVER eat Taco Bell, and it sounded good. Second, the urge to throw up was just too strong to ignore!
12. I got to go on a special trip to Europe the summer after I graduated from High School. I had to pay half. 
13. My first job, other than babysitting was at Bugle Boy factory outlet store. I can still fold a mean t-shirt.
14. I accepted Christ when I was 11 years old because I was afraid of dying. I really began to know who Christ was during college. Now, my relationship with Him means everything to me. I can’t fathom life as a young mommy without Jesus as my guide!
15. My favorite pizza is Wicks – hands down.
16. I think I should have taken stock in pampers or huggies – or Target, since now I use the Target brand diapers.
17. I may pull my hair out potty training my sweet little Jonathan. He has shown interest the last few days, but today said, “when I’m three, I’ll use the potty.” Well, allrighty then. That’s settled.
18. I love love love hanging out with my family. Immediate and extended.
19. I am super competitive about some things – like board games. Look out!
20. I have seen every single episode of Beverly Hills 90210 – some more than once. And if I get the chance, I still watch re-runs on the Soap channel’s “breakfast in bed” every Saturday.
21. I’m madly in love with my hubby and feel like the luckiest woman on the planet to be walking through life. We are so much alike, it’s scary.

Okay - leave me a comment with a couple of random facts about you! Can't wait!

Bubbles + Baloons + Blankets + Boys = FUN!!!

2011-03-04T13:44:00.001-05:00

laides and gentlemen of the jury

2011-03-03T20:37:00.003-05:00

I’m here today to present the facts. Once the facts are presented, I’m sure you, the jury, can determine what these little facts mean. They are irrefutable and sometimes irresistible:
• Forgotten toilet seats left up
• Pee stains on the toilet seat (and some on the floor surrounding the potty)
• Weapons made from the most simple household items
• Wrestling matches nearly every hour (I mean minute)
• Dirty fingernails
• Stinky shoes and socks
• Stinky toots that make the crowd erupt in laughter and giggles
• Balls, hoops, bats, tees, helmets, etc. are found quite frequently
• Cars, legos and superheros are constantly underfoot
• “to infinity and beyond” followed by loud thumps from jumping off furniture
• “Hey bubby, watch this” also followed by loud thumps from jumping off
furniture
• “Betcha can’t beat me” -heard loud and clear throughout the house
• Grass-stained knees on jeans
• Scuffed up shoes
• Bubble wars
• Dirty faces
• Bed heads
• Slobbery kisses
• Dance parties
• Endless games of hide and seek

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury - what say you? Have you reached a verdict?

Yep, you guessed it. I am in fact surrounded by sweet little boys and one big handsome boy. I am outnumbered. There is no shortage of testosterone in this house. And. I. Love. It!

Live Strong

2011-03-01T13:58:00.003-05:00

So, I've talked on here before about my journey to wellness and weight loss. Still on that journey and loving almost every second of it. It's a huge sacrifice to fit exercise into the busy life of a mommy, but for me, it is oh so worth it. And, I need to publicly thank my husband for his support and for helping me make time for it. Currently, I am training for the Lexington Mini-marathon on April 2. So you can hold me accountable on my training, okay? I need all the encouragement that I can get. I ran 8 miles this past weekend and will try to do a 9+ mile run this weekend. Holy moly... Here's my problem though. The more I run, the more I wanna eat. And I mean eat fatty stuff. I'm craving pizza and french fries. Not good. Not good. Does anyone have any advice for some good filling foods that I can eat after a run? (Keep in mind that I am super picky!)

I have also reacquainted myself with a great website that I would recommend to anyone. www.livestrong.com - there's a thing on there called "my Plate" that allows you to track every thing you put in your mouth as well as how many calories you burn. So, it's kind of like Weight Watchers, except it doesn't work on points - only calories. It breaks things down nutritionally - lets you see how much protein, fiber, fat, sugar, etc. you are consuming. I have learned that my fiber intake is severely low and that my sugar intake is usually too high. It allows you to type in your weight and weight loss goals (mine is currently to lose 1 lb a week) and it gives you a maximum amount of calories you can consume each day. It corrects for exercise too, which is really nice!

Check it out and let me know what you think. Also, if you happen to see me, be sure to ask if I've tracked my progress on Live Strong that day!

I love weekends!

2011-02-26T16:27:00.002-05:00

This is the real reason my hubby wanted boys! So he would "have" to play video games with them. :-) Startin' them early! I love weekends with no agenda. That makes this momma happy!

Things not to say to a SAHM

2011-02-24T14:01:00.002-05:00

So, I was reading this trashy magazine today (nothing else interesting around!) and read something that I thought was funny and true. The list was titled "top ten things not to say to a stay at home mom." Now, I'm not a complete stay at home mom, granted. But I feel like it. I work on Wednesdays and Thursdays - yep, working now. One of my patients canceled, so I have a little free time. :-) But, I get to stay at home with my sweet boys the other 5 days of the week. So I consider myself a "stay at home most of the time mom." I thought the list was so funny, I'd come up with my own. Here's my top things not to say to a stay at home mom. Feel free to leave your own in the comments! :-)
1. "Didn't you wear those same pants yesterday?"
2. "Wow - you look nice. I usually only see you in sweats and with no makeup."
3. "You did brush your teeth today, right?"
4. "Oh, you stay at home. What a strange way to use your college degree." (read - what a waste of money)
5. "Wow. With you being home all day, I'm surprised your house isn't spotless!"
6. "When your kiddos get big, do you think you'll get a real job?"
7. "What in the world do you do with your all that free time?"
8. "Boy, I wish my hubby was as successful as yours so I could stay home all day long."
9. "Why do you want to go shopping? All you ever wear is sweats."
10. "Who needs adult interaction when you have Barney and Mickey and the Backyardigans and Veggie Tales to listen to."

My hubby rocks!

2011-02-22T14:27:00.004-05:00

I have a couple of bloggy posts that are a tad overdue, but it's been a bit crazy around these parts. My hubby and I enjoyed a wonderfully relaxing weekend sans kiddos last weekend. We had lots on our plates, but we were kid free, which just makes things easier sometimes. We missed those little guys, but admittedly, those weekends at Grammy and Pa's are wonderful for all of us. :-) So, how did we fill our time? Friday night, we went to this really cool thing at Southeast Christian Church called "Marriage Rocks." It is a wonderfully awesome time of fellowship, laughter and marriage strengthening. This time, Bebo Norman was the featured speaker/singer. Ya'll should definitely go with us next time - the next one is June 10. :-) Seriously, check your calendars and get a babysitter and come with us!!!

Saturday, we ran some errands and visited with family (billy's grandma is sick and in the hospital - you can pray for her!) and then Saturday night, we had the awesome privilege of speaking at an event called "Love Actually" at Shelbyville FBC. We were honored to share our story - one of love and redemption and faithfulness and joy and all that "happily ever after" stuff. We were even more honored to share the truth about God's grace and truth as it relates to purity in relationships. "Love Actually" was a program for high school students and their parents and the entire focus was on staying pure until marriage - all in God's plan and timing. At the end of the evening, parents were given the opportunity to present a purity ring to their children who will in turn give that ring to their spouse on their wedding day. Neat stuff. Really neat stuff.

To start our talk, we took off our sweaters to reveal these cool shirts! Fun times!

We also participated in a "not so newlywed" game and oh man, I'm sad to report that we lost. :-( Oh well...

We've volunteered in student ministry off and on throughout our entire relationship and we are currently teaching seniors in HS. We love those kids and pray God's blessings over them in every area of their lives. What a privilege to share in their lives even for a moment.

Parenting with Grace

2011-02-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

I am continually learning lessons from my children. I hope they learn half as much from me as I learn from them. Seriously! This blog is full of the good, the bad, and the ugly, so I'm just warning that this one isn't full of good. For some reason, my lovely children have chosen the last two days to drive me nine kinds of crazy. I am serious. Now as a disclaimer, I must say that 95% of yesterday and today were perfect days with my children. But the other 5% - well that's where all the kinds of crazy comes in. Bedtime has been particularly challenging, for some reason. I am probably blowing their disobedience out of proportion (could be because I've had a head cold and cough for 6 stinkin weeks and can't sleep very well!!!!!), but it just seems like everything is a fight. We do the exact same thing every single night. Why have the past two nights been tough??? No clue. Let me just be real honest and say that last night, I sucked as a mom at nite nite time. Seriously, if I was grading myself, I would have given me an F. Tonight, I've been so much better. Last night I threw my own little temper tantrum and it.wasn't.pretty. I raised my voice. I stomped my feet. I spanked. Oh gosh, I feel guilty even typing that. I apologized to both my sweeties this morning. :( Anyway... tonight, even though they've challenged me, I am patiently sitting in their room listening to them breathe and thanking God for these sweet boys who stretch my faith every day.

So here's my lesson learned (or that I am trying to learn.....). Tonight I got to go for a run. 50 glorious minutes of alone time. I heart to run - for lots of reasons, but the alone time is one of the best. Some of my most passionate prayers happen when I'm running. One of the songs on my iPod is an old one - "your love is deep." Based on the scripture in Ephesians that talks about the depth and width of the love of Christ. God really spoke to me through that song. If I am to be a living picture of who Jesus is to my children, I have to do better. I have to love deeper, wider, higher and longer. God's love is deep - so should mine be. God's love is wide - so should mine be. God's love is high - so should mine be... you get the picture, right? Even when they challenge my authority and act like snotty-nosed little brats (sorry!), I am called to show patience and love and parent them with grace - not with threats and a temper tantrum that isn't productive for anyone.

Walking through parenthood sure is a scary job. It's a learning experiment, that's for certain. I do love them. With all my being. I just hope I can be the kind of mommy that Jesus would have me be. That's the desire of this tired momma's heart tonight. :-) What about ya'll - what's the desire of your heart?

oops, I did it again.

2011-02-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

Oh my goodness. Never fails. I can be so prepared. I know exactly what is needed. I talk to myself and say "remember, get in and get out. Fast." No matter how much self talk I do to prepare myself, I always fail... today, I visited Target (one of my favorite places!) and literally needed two things: conversation heart candy - my assignment for Jacob's Valentine party at preschool and suckers to attach to his little friends' Valentines cards. Do you think for a second I walked out of T.A.R.G.E.T with just those two items? Of course not. I just had to peruse the $1 spot and (uh oh) the craft spot. I picked up some glue sticks, letter stickers, glitter glue and some other fun stuff for our Valentines Palooza party on Monday. Oh and some work out pants that were on clearance. Those darn little red clearance stickers get me every single time. Oh Target.... I love to hate you. :-)

You gotta check this out!

2011-02-08T14:04:00.003-05:00

One of my hobbies the last year or so has become "blog stalking." I mean seriously - I love to read blogs. I love the ones my friends write and I even love the ones my friends' friends write. Yep, I read the blogs of complete strangers. Nosey much? Hmmm, I admit it. I am absolutely nosey! And I absolutely love it. I love hearing stories about motherhood and kids and trying to make sense out of parenting. I can use all the advise I can get, afterall! So, one example of a friend's friend that I've "met" in bloggy world is my friend Rachie's friend Megan Terry. Her blog (www.millionsofmiles.com) is amazing. I don't even know Megan, but I feel strongly connected to her. She is a mommy of three and is hilarious. i love her daily dose of reality - she tells it like it is. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I totally respect her for that! Her third critter is an adorable little boy named Miles whom she and her family adopted from the Congo in Africa. OH MY WORD... I could eat him. He is full of sweetness. When I see his pictures on her bloggy, I am immediately taken back to the beautiful children I encountered from Zimbabwe 7 years ago. Part of my heart will always be with the children of Africa, specifically Zimbabwe, since I was there, immersed in their lives and culture for a brief period. God has been laying that country and all of Africa on my heart for much of the last 8 years or so. So, through Megan's journey, I have re-lived a little of my passion. Go check out her blog. It is awesome!!!!

While you're there, make sure you enter to win a chance for one of two awesome vacations. Proceeds go to children of the Congo and Haiti. www.millionsofmiles.com

Enjoy!

2011-02-03T20:59:00.001-05:00

This digital invitation created with Smilebox

I'm not THAT mommy

2011-01-30T13:58:00.003-05:00

It isn't me who:

Went to Walmart and let her 4 year old go in his Batman costume. Nope, not me. But if it was me, I would have made sure that he wore his tennis shoes and not his "woody boots" because Woody boots and Batman costume just simply do not match.
Opens up Goldfish containers and feeds them to my boys while I shop and then sheepishly pay or an empty container at the end of our shopping fiasco. Nope, not me. But if it was me, surely, I would have pretended not to notice the strange looks as I opened up the little container.
Gets my kids McDonalds because when I think about lunch, all I see is another mess to sweep up and dishes to wash. Nope, definitely not me.
Says "oh that store is closed or the oreos are all gone or oh my, McDonalds stopped serving ice cream cones a little while ago..." just to avoid a meltdown. Nope, not me because I always have long rational conversations about such nonsense and my kids always agree with me.
Is at times a "short order cook," running around my kitchen fixing whatever my sweet lovies desire. Nope, not me, the healthiest eater on the planet
Rejoices when my oldest eats applesauce and a nutrigrain bar - all in one week. Nope not me, because he is full of nutritious choices
Leaves puzzles all over the floor for 2-3 days beautifully put together by my loves because I simply don't want to sweep or mop the floor. Nope, not me, but if I did, I'd really enjoy looking at the hard work and determination that went into completing the puzzles.
Often forgoes bathtime and thinks to myself "they really didn't sweat today." Nope not me...
AND it most definitely was NOT me who snuck a big bowl of ice cream for me and my hubby during rest time and only gave the boys 1 tiny scoop each after rest time. Oh, and my bowl most definitely did not also happen to be covered in chocolate topping. :-)

What about you, friends? What did you most definitely NOT do lately? ;-)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-27T09:29:00.003-05:00

(I know I know, it's actually Thursday, but this picture was taken on Wednesday... I was sick last night, so no blogging for me.)

a whole lot of randomness

2011-01-24T14:00:00.003-05:00

So, I suppose when you're a mom (or maybe just a woman... don't really remember my thoughts B.C. -Before Critters), there's a whole lot of random thoughts swarming in your mind at any given time of day. Particularly in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep but you. Why in the world does that ever happen? Beats me... here goes. The list of randomness for today or last night rather:
1. We have several "junk" drawers - drawers can be used loosely as really they are junk areas. We have one official junk drawer, one big brown bag that catches a lot of junk and the top of the washer and dryer that catches the rest. Why does any family need 3 junk areas? Must attend to those soon. Anywhoo.
2. I am addicted to Nestles Quik. Seriously. During my weight loss journey, I've challenged myself to give it up for months on end. This is not one of those months... and I've gained 2 pounds. RRRRRRR.
3. We almost got roped into teaching middle schoolers at church yesterday cuz the teachers were sick. Well, let me tell you, I almost threw up in my mouth at the thought. Middle schoolers give me heartburn. :-)
4. Planning a Disney trip for the fall - everyone tells you to start early. I feel like I'm already behind. Oh gosh...
5. My son changes underwear more times than Elizabeth Taylor changes husbands. Seriously -I have no idea why, but he changes underpants about 5-6 times each day - and NO, thank goodness, he doesn't usually have accidents. He just gets the urge to have a new superhero touching his stuff I suppose.
6. I actually watched most of two football games yesterday and sort of liked them. Don't tell Billy though!
7. Scrapbooking is better than therapy.
8. Why were there absolutely no snowmen built this time around? I think it was pretty sticky snow - not one single snowman have I seen after last week's snowstorm. Maybe it's because other mommies like me hate being cold.
9. The Bachelor is my guilty pleasure. I even referenced it in my Sunday School class - we teach seniors in High School. Embarrassed? Nah, not me! I admit, I looked at the spoilers online last night. Don't know why I do it every season. Will I still watch? Of course. Reality Steve has to be wrong sometimes, right?
10. Case 39 is the scariest movie I've ever seen. Period. Rent it if you like scary ones!

See, random - I told ya!

Glad I got some of that out of my brain and into cyberworld. Happy Monday ya'll!

Dear Jonathan,

2011-01-21T14:08:00.004-05:00

You and Jacob are "going to work" - nice tie and hat!

See - there's your favorite toys - all lined up in a row. Funny!

To my sweet little Jonathan,

Life hasn't been easy for you the last few months and I am so sorry for that. I am so sorry that you had to endure not 1 but 3 surgeries last year - two in December. Poor baby. I am hopeful that 2011 will be a GREAT year for you! You are so sweet and have the most infectious smile. It truly truly warms my heart. You are a ton of fun these days. Your interest in pretend play has really blossomed and you absolutely love your brother to pieces. You want to be where he is every second of the day. Ya'll play together so nicely - most of the time. :-) You have a couple of favorite things right now. You love Toy Story 3. You love to watch the movie, but more than that, you love your new Toy Story toys Mamaw and Papaw got you for Christmas. You love it when we hide them and you have to find them. When you hide them for us, it's hilarious. You put them all in one spot and you show us as soon as we come into the room. You also still LOVE books. It is so cute. When you finish a book, you always say "amen." You and your brother have this new favorite trick - you get on the top bunk and he gets on the bottom and you both read books then trade them by passing them through the secret passage. It is so fun to watch you play together. He is very patient with you and gives in most of the time when you want something. You should be so grateful! You also love your Hermie puzzle. it is quite hard, but you do it very well. You also have really started to like trains - you got lots of Thomas stuff for Christmas and you enjoy it a lot!

You are very smart - you know all your letters, colors and your numbers to 10. You also know most of your shapes - at least the basic ones. Your speech is fantastic and I can understand everything you say now. You are quite the chatty Kathy, actually. It's funny that we were once worried about your speech. I think articulation is still problematic at times, but it is much much better.

You got a new sound machine and you are obsessed. It has a little projection screen thing and puts pictures of moons and stars up on your wall. Seriously. Obsessed. And you like the heartbeat sound, which if I'm being honest, totally creeps me out. :-)

You have been having quite a bit of trouble sleeping and it's getting a little old. I hope the memories of what happened in December quickly fade, so you will no longer be afraid to sleep. Sleeping is cool, my friend. very very cool! I promise!

I think you inherited a little of mommy's OCD traits and I'm sorry little man! You like to stack things and put them in rows. You like things to look and feel a certain way. Tags irritate you and you ask me to take them off - even off your stuffed animals. (who you oh so creatively call "bear, monkey, elephant and teddy bear.)" I tried to give them more creative names, but you like to stick to the basics. You also are really into counting things - and you do a great job at it! All the way to 14. Way to go!

I love you little bug. You are a precious gift from God and I'm grateful to be your mommy. I promise to try to be more patient with you at night time and those tantrums??? well, let's just get rid of those all together, m'kay?

Love you, Mommy

Dear Bird Man,

2011-01-21T13:56:00.003-05:00

This is your "going to work outfit." Perfect!

You have this strange affinity for my shoes. Always have... you are too funny!

Dear Jacob,

My sweet little 4 year old. I love you so. You are full of life and energy and you have pretty much two speeds - asleep or wide open. You are fast and funny and love to be doing something every second of the day. You have recently started to share my love for card games and board games and I love that! You love to play Uno with me and you are really good at Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. But more than playing with any particular toys, you love love love to play pretend. Pretend work. Pretend church. Pretend library. Pretend Preschool. Name it and you'll pretend it. It's really fun and you are very creative. The other day you were playing with Jonathan's Toy Story 3 toys and you created this big story about how Buzz swallowed a penny and had to go to the hospital to have his tummy cut open. I have NO idea where you heard about that, my love, but it sure was cute. You also still love Batman and put your costume on almost every single day! So cute!

Jonathan adores you and wants to play with you all the time. You are pretty patient with him and guess what??? You actually really like to play with him too! Your favorite thing to do with him these days is to "give books." You get on the bottom bunk and he's on top and you each pick a book, "read" it then pass them to one another through the secret passage. It is so cute. I love the bond that you two have.

You still love preschool and are learning so much about sharing and caring for others. You also started Tumble Time and you do a great job. I love how well you follow directions. You are very strong willed at home sometimes and direction following is a little harder at home, but you still work very very hard.

You are sleeping very well these days - I just wish you didn't need us to lay down with you every night. You did go to sleep on your own 2-3 times in the last month. Way.to.go! We are still working hard and praying for your eating habits. You have actually eaten applesauce a few times at home (a major accomplishment) and ate a nutri-grain bar today. Now, let's just eat a few veggies, okay?

I love you more than you'll ever know. Thanks for being such a sweet little boy. You melt my heart! love, Mommy

Challenged to love deeper

2011-01-18T13:52:00.005-05:00

(*warning* airing dirty laundry below)

To say that I feel challenged by something we learned in our Couple Time Bible study last night is an understatement... I've been mulling it over all night and know that I have a lot of work to do. We are so blessed to be a part of an amazing "couple time" group - 6 other couples our age, all with kids, which meets once each month. We look forward to it so much each month. We are currently doing a study by Andy Stanley called "I Marriage." The basis of the study is that we are to drop all our expectations of our spouse and simply love them because they.owe.us.nothing. Last night, in the video, Andy said something like this.. "you are chosen by God to be the earthly conduit by which God pours out His love on your spouse." WOW... that means that my primary job in my marriage to be "Jesus" to Billy. To truly love him the way God loves him, without wanting or expecting anything in return. Now, I'd like to think that that's a piece of cake and we do that naturally for each other, but let's be real. I don't. I am selfish and often "keep score." I don't even mean too - really I don't. Sometimes when he's playing ball or playing video games, I think to myself "when's it my turn? When am I supposed to get some me time" And then I'm reminded that Billy lets me exercise nearly every day while taking on full responsibilities for the boys when I do that for about an hour each day. Or when one of the boys wakes up and I secretly lay there thinking if I don't move, he'll get up and go so I can stay in my warm bed...or even worse - I jab him awake and say Jacob wants you... :-) Or when I'm cooking dinner and think "he better enjoy this... and I sure hope he cleans the dishes." Or when I get all passive aggressive about stuff and sulk around pretending to do my own thing around the house. Sometimes at the end of the day, I think to myself "omg if one more person needs something from me today or asks me to do something for them or says my "moooooommmmmyyyyyy" one more time, I might just crawl under the covers. Sometimes, when 5:00 rolls around and Billy comes home, I've got very little left to give him...(not that I'd ever do those things, but just sayin' what if?)

Oh my. I am so thankful for Billy. He is a wonderful man and I'm so privileged to call him mine. No better life partner could be found for me I'm certain. We really are a perfect match and love each other very much. But I've been challenged to try to love him even more deeply. With no selfishness attached. I know that's only possible by the grace of God and by my efforts to continually know the Father better. Only if I am truly being led by the Holy Spirit can I make this even remotely possible. Ya'll be praying for me and hold me accountable, m'kay?

Dr. Kirby to the rescue...

2011-01-12T20:21:00.004-05:00

Let me tell you a little about our adventure on Monday... I took the boys to the dentist for the first time. We went to our good friend, Kirby, or as my boys like to say "Tate's mommy." Well, all started out okay... lobby full of fun toys and books about teeth and big knights with shiny armor to greet us.

Then they called our names....holy moly. Jacob about crapped his pants. We got back in the room and he did pretty well when Kirby's assistant said, "I'm just gonna count your teeth, okay?" Jacob had this look of terror, but did pretty good. Then it was Jonathan's turn. He too did fairly well with the whole teeth counting trick. Dr. Kirby enters the room (drum roll) and that's when the fear set in. Jacob let her look in his mouth but then when she started to put the fluoride treatment in, he freaked out. Seriously... I had to hold him down while he was screaming. Heaven forbid if he ever gets a cavity. We'll be on the DL for 6-7 weeks for that. Jonathan hopped on the table after that and cried a little, but not too bad. Jacob was scared out of his mind for his little brother. Poor Kirby... I hope my boys weren't the worst she's seen. :-) When we were leaving, she said, "don't worry boys. Next time I'll see you, I'll just be Tate's momma." So sweet!

After the "trauma" they got new toothbrushes and a toy, so all was well. Oh the joys...

DIY... I wish!

2011-01-10T20:57:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been dreaming again. I often do that - I come up with some grandiose plans for home improvement... except most of the time, they are just that - plans that never come to fruition. Because you see, my lovely hubby and are aren't the handiest tools in the shed. On a good day, we know where our hammer is and may use it to hang up a picture or two... The only other "fix-it-up" ability in the Stover house is that which is found on the cute little cartoon Handy Mandy, which can frequently be seen on the Disney channel. Oh I kid...except not really. We have really good intentions, but really don't even know where to start. We fear the unknown... we walk in Lowes and feel like fish out of water. Seriously! Take my newest idea for example. I want to re-do our bathroom. It is tiny, but I think we are way under maximizing the space and potential. I'd love to put in a great pedestal sink (though I've been warned that I would desperately miss my space in our current vanity) like this one:

And then I really want to get rid of the laminate and lay some beautiful ceramic tile - maybe like this one:

Or this one - only not on the wall - I think it looks gorgeous on the wall, but I just wanna tackle the floor first.

But, idea shopping is as far as I've gotten. I don't even know where to begin - who to ask to come measure... who could do the work... better yet, who could teach us how to do it since we are on a bit of a tight budget these days.

Maybe 2011 is the year - the year that Billy and I will conquer our project phobia and just get 'er done. :-) Or if any of my sweet bloggy readers want to volunteer to do it for us, we'd probably take ya up on that too.

Where in the world is Jonthan Patrick Stover?

2011-01-04T20:14:00.003-05:00

Anyone else watch Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? So picture that song... only where's my little man? He had so much fun hiding in this closet at my parents' house over Christmas break. But that's not the reason for this post... it was just a super cute pic.

Anyway... I knew the day would come - my little guy is growing up so fast. His speech is improving every single day and I'm so glad. But one thing he says, I hoped would never change. Jonathan has called his brother "bubup" for as long as he could talk. We never ever corrected him because we both (and our speech therapist too!) thought it was so cute. We even started calling Jacob "bubup." And now, the last few days that has changed. Now, Jonathan calls Jacob "Jacup". Clear as day. I must say, I'm a little sad at this turn of events. It's another reminder that time goes so fast and these little treasures won't be little forever. Tear!

I did it! I did it! I did it!

2011-01-01T21:07:00.002-05:00

I DID IT!! Today I completed the Hangover Classic - a TEN mile race in Louisville. Yes, I said ten miles. I am so proud of myself. The most I'd run in the last month or so was 6 miles so this was definitely a challenge. I did pretty good until mile 7, so I had to really dig deep to finish. :-) The weather was nice - in the low 50s and no rain during race time. It was very wet though, so my pants and shoes were soaked. When I got close to the end, I saw the big blue van with my three favorite fans in tow. I was so happy to see them - it gave me a needed burst of energy. Here's a pic with one of my fans!

I'm pretty sore tonight, but it was oh.so.worth.it. Hooray!

What a cool way to ring in the new year. I wonder what my fitness goals will be this year?

hands down the scariest moment of my life...

2010-12-23T14:41:00.003-05:00

Oh my word. Today has been one crazy, scary day! For starters, yesterday, we lost Jonathan's paci... I know I know, we should have given it up long ago, but he still gets it at night time. But I have been determined not to spend any more money on pacis, so when they are gone/broken/lost... we're done. So that was yesterday. He actually went to bed okay last night without too many tears. Good boy. He didn't sleep as well as usual, but all things considered, did okay. Then, at 4:30 he woke up and wanted milk, which is weird for him. I gave him some water and sent him back to bed only to be woken up at 5:25 am again. He wanted another drink and when he got back in his bunk bed, he started coughing and then what sounded like choking. Then he projectile vomited... BLOOD. I didn't know it was blood until I turned on the light and I almost freaked out. It was so much blood. Seriously... so much blood. I yelled for Billy to call 911, but then, Jonathan stopped bleeding and was just freaking out. So we changed him, cleaned him up a little and Billy just held him. I had enough wits about me to call our pediatrician on call and the ENT emergency call number. We waited a few minutes and heard from one of our pediatricians - Dr. Trace, who was an angel. She helped me be calm and rational, when I was really about to fall to pieces. We needed to get to the ER fast. We had Jacob to consider though, so we called our dear friends, Andy and Lisa who live up the street and they were here in 5 minutes. I hated to wake them up, but we needed someone. THEY WERE AWESOME... while we were gone, they cleaned up all the blood. They even took all the bedding to their house and washed it. Not even their child's blood... amazing. amazing amazing friends. I was overwhelmed by their love.

So fast forward a few minutes... we were in the car on the way to Baptist East ER because that's where our ENT wanted to check on him. We got there and everyone was great. Dr. Gould (ENT) called and said he needed to do another operation. GULP! Poor little baby. He had to cauterize (?) the area to stop the bleeding. Bless his little heart. So he went to the OR and got the special juice and they wheeled him away. Again. Three surgeries for my sweet baby. The procedure only lasted 15 minutes and we were with him within an hour. He was a crazy wild man after the surgery. I hate anesthesia. Hate it! We got home and he calmed down and ate a little bit and then rested. He's really had a pretty good day overall. So sweet and so brave.

My prayer for this little guy is that there is no more bleeding. That he sails through this recovery like a champ. And that he never has to see the inside of a hospital again. Seriously. As I reflect, this is undoubtedly one of the, if not THE scariest moment of my life. I honestly thought my baby was going to die this morning when it all started. I thought my baby was dying. As I type it, tears are filling my eyes. I am so grateful that everything is okay and we are hopefully out of the woods. I love my kids so much and can't imagine anything ever happening to one of them.
When I was running today (when Jonathan was resting!) I kept thinking about Mary. How awful it would have been for her to see her sweet baby Jesus tortured and in pain and ultimately crucified. Wow. Just wow.

prayer from Jacob - totally uncoached!

2010-12-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

Dear God,
Thank you so much for Christmas. Thank you for sending your son to be born on this earth so we can celebrate Christmas. That is the best gift ever God. We really like that gift. Thanks. We love you, Amen

What a difference a year makes...

2010-12-16T21:06:00.003-05:00

So, one of my best friends has been encouraging me to write this post for a long time (thanks Rachie!!!) and I've hesitated. Don't really know why, but it's been difficult for me to figure out a way to get it into words... so here goes. I know these aren't the best pics to get my point across, but they are exactly one year apart.

This was our Christmas card pic last year - taken by the oh so talented Angela Wisley. :)

This is our pic taken this year by my parents' neighbor - we did our whole family pic this year - they turned out great. I'll have to share those soon.

So, what's the difference you ask??? (besides the fact that my kiddos were WAY MORE COOPERATIVE THIS YEAR...) DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!! I've lost nearly 40 lbs since last year's picture. HOORAY!!! I know he angle of the pictures make it a little hard to tell, but holy cow, I know (and only I know) what size those jeans were last year. Let me just say that they are out of my closet now. And I hope forever!!!!!

I don't really know what happened to me weight-wise. I had two kids in less than two years, true, but I actually lost most of the baby weight pretty quickly and then I stopped nursing. My appetite didn't exactly get the memo that "the girls" were no longer helping me burn 500-600 extra calories a day, I suppose. I was eating crappy food all the time and exercise??? What's that when you have two babies to chase. So, last year when I went to the gyno for my checkup (July 2009), I got a big ole lecture... I weighed more than when I delivered sweet Jonathan. Can you say wake up call??? But I didn't get my butt in gear until that November.

So, when Rachie invited me to go to Boot Camp with her, I went. And oh.my.word.it.was.hard! But, here's a secret. I loved it. It is challenging as heck, but I started to go regularly. It meets 3 times each week. It is such a sacrifice - of time, energy and money. But, Billy and I prayed about it and thought it to be worth the investment. I paid in advance for one 7 week session and just said, "we'll see what happens." Now, I didn't start to lose weight immediately. But I started to feel so much better and so much stronger. My boot camp teacher gave me some personal challenges early on that really helped. Finally, after 3-4 months, I started noticing some changes. but, here's my confession... I wasn't really changing any of my eating habits. It wasn't until this summer that I started to change the way I was eating. Here's a couple of things I've changed:
* I used to eat whatever I fixed for the boys for breakfast - usually carbs like Cinnamon Rolls, Crescent Rolls, Pancakes etc.
*NOW, I hardly ever eat those things... my breakfast is usually a nutri-grain bar or a scrambled egg with some cheese and maybe some ham or turkey for added protein
* when I worked full time in Frankfort, I ate out nearly every day for lunch. But I wasn't making healthy choices. I was eating McDonalds or Steak N Shake or Dairy Queen... or something like that.
* Now, I hardly ever eat fast food. I still eat it occasionally, but definitely not once a week! And I've STOPPED EATING LEFT OVER CHICKEN NUGGETS from my boys' happy meals. Geesh.
* I have given myself personal challenges. I will never be the healthiest eater because I am so picky. But, I have quite a sweet tooth that I've had to tame. I have put myself on a no sweets diet several months out of this year. I am currently on a no sweets diet for December (but will definitely cheat on Christmas!) because I want to lose 3 more pounds before the end of the year.
* oh - and probably the most significant... I've really upped my cardio. I've been running a lot. Nearly every day until this pesky snow and ice stuff started... I am working toward running a 10 mile race on January 1. You can pray that I can make it... lately, the longest distance I've conquered is 4 1/2 miles.

My results??? almost 40 lbs lighter and I can fit in most of all my pre-Jacob clothes! YEAH!!! So glad that Ann Taylor clothes never go out of style. :-) I wore some pants last week that I definitely hadn't been able to get in since 2005 - right before I got preggo with Jacob. Exercise is important to me and is one of my priorities. I'm so so so so so grateful that Billy is supportive and agrees to be superdad while I exercise 5-6 days a week. I only do Boot Camp two times a week now due to my work schedule and the finances. But I've found some personal motivation to keep it up on my own. The Boot Camp is awesome though... I would highly recommend it. It's an interval training class - with cardio and strength training combined. Let me know if you would like to join me. :-)

I also appreciate your encouragement... keep it coming! This is a lifelong journey. I never ever hope to see those big girl jeans I wore in last year's Christmas pic! :-)

bless his heart

2010-12-08T21:42:00.003-05:00

A sweet shot of baby boy just afer he came out of the recovery room. He was out of it... but did keep perking up every time he heard Andy-Tale's voice. :-)

Before the procedure... sweet boy had just been given the sedative before they took him away from us. Can you say LOOPY???

Before the procedure (and the magic juice that helped him not be afraid)... goofy boy!

My little bubby had surgery on Monday. Nothing severe. Nothing major. (he had his tonsils and adenoids removed) BUT, he's still my little baby. And I was a mess. Short and simple. So was his sweet daddy, who didn't sleep a wink the night before and was with his bubby every step of the way. Jonathan was a real trooper. So very brave and amazingly calm. Love that sweet boy. It's been a long week with very little sleep. Today was a pretty good day for Jonathan - he rested lots, read books and drank two whole cups of milk and a yogurt drink. We are praying that he increases his fluid intake each day and regains his strength. He's very weak, but still sweet and happy - well, maybe not happy all the time. Actually, he's pretty darn cranky a lot of the times. He hates his medicine, so we have to force it and he's battled a fever all day today, but thankfully, he is peacefully sleeping as we speak and is currently fever free. And he ate a yogurt and a piece of cheese tonight.

While we were at the hospital and since then, I have been overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude to the Lord. So many people have showered love on us it's unbelievable. God has provided in small ways and HUGE ways this week. We are blessed beyond imagination. Not only did God lavish his love on us in practical ways, but also really worked on my heart! We saw several families in the hospital whose kiddos have cancer. We were waiting at registration by a mom with a six year old with stage 3 brain cancer. Man oh man, I was humbled and heartbroken for her. I know God has a plan for all these sweet families and I don't know any of their names, but I know God does.

I choose to try to keep my focus on the great things in life and thank God every single moment - the good times and bad. Thanks all for your prayers and well-wishes for Big Bad Jon... keep em coming. Recovery will be a long process!

How to keep the main thing, the MAIN thing

2010-12-01T21:11:00.003-05:00

So, we, I'm sure along with many families with little people sturggle with Christmas season and often ask ourselves...how do we keep the main thing, the main thing this year? Christmas is definitely one of my most favorite holidays and I have so many awesome memories from my childhood. Now that we are building traditions of our own, I want my kiddos to have wonderful memories as well. I want them to have fun, I want them to enjoy Santa and presents and making a snack for Santa and his reindeer. I want them to be excited about family traditions and all the hustle and bustle of the season. BUT, more than that, I want them to understand the deep deep meaning behind Christmas day. That God loved us so much that He sent a Savior to be born - who would live a perfect life and then die for me and you. A Savior that gives us hope for tomorrow and a purpose for living - to share the good news with others. So, how do we teach our little 4 and 2 year olds these truths? What about you??? Any ideas? Here's a few traditions we are trying to set...
1. We make cupcakes for Jesus's birthday on Christmas Eve. That's what we leave for Santa and his elves
2. We read the Christmas story from Luke 2 before the day gets started - before we even walk downstairs and see the stockings and presents under the tree
3. We decorate like crazy - our house is beautiful and I tell the boys that this is the biggest birthday party ever, so our house should look beautiful for the King!
4. This year, we are trying this one... since Jesus received three presents from the Wise men, we are giving our children 3 presents each. (I'm not sure how this will play out with "santa" presents just yet...)
5. We have mangers/nativity sets all around our house -- see???

This one is our new additon this year and I.love.it! My dad made the manger and the star and some friends of my parents made the figures. The boys got to go with me to find a baby Jesus and took great care in putting him in the manger. I really love this!!!

This one is very special to me. I got this unique hand-carved nativity set when I went on a mission trip to Zimbawe, Africa. The details on this set are exquisite! You may notice that Baby Jesus is missing... each year, I save him and bring him out on Christmas morning and make a really big deal about putting him in his special spot. This year, I'm thinking of wrapping him up and putting him under the tree and making him the last present that's opened.

This one is in the boys' room. It's the Little People nativity set. SO cute and so perfect for little hands!

I quadruple heart this one. It's hard to see because of my weird camera angle, but this one is so sweet. The little figures are cloth and can fit right into the little barn and it velcros up nice and neat. My friend Whitney got this for Jacob when he was born and I love it so much. The boys have both carried this little set around, chewed on pieces and kissed baby Jesus with slobbery kisses and sticky lips. For some reason, this one is the easiest for me to tell the story. And I have probably told them the story about 20 times already this season.

And finally, this one reminds me of my childhood. This nativity set always had a special place in my living room growing up. I love it's rustic look. When I got my first place on my own (and was totally broke by the way) my mom let me pick some of my favorite Christmas decorations to take with me to start my collection. How cool is that?

I know that despite my attempts, Jacob and Jonathan will super excited about the presents and may say "what's my next present?" a few times that day, but I sure hope at least part of the day is totally 100% focused on Jesus, our Lord.

What about you guys? Any ideas?

Here's TWO of the many reasons I'm grateful today and everyday!

2010-11-25T09:19:00.000-05:00

my day started off with a BANG thank you very much...

2010-11-19T20:44:00.002-05:00

So, this is what Jacob would describe happened to him today... that a shot as big as Kentucky came after his leg. In reality, it wasn't that big, but oh my word, he had to get SIX crazy shots. Yes, you saw that right.. SIX shots. And a finger prick, which may have been more traumatic than the six shots. I've never heard him scream like that. He was screaming at the top of his lungs "WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT TO ME?????" "IT HURTS." And he screamed loud for what seemed like 30 minutes. It probably wasn't that long, but it seemed like forever. I had to endure the screaming two separate times - the finger prick at the beginning of the visit, and the six shots at the end of his 4 year check up... Poor baby. And tonight, he's walking around like an old old man with arthritis. It's kind of funny - I hate to laugh at him because I'm sure his legs really are sore, but I have had to turn my face several times. You see, my Jacob is somewhat of a wimp. God love his heart. Seriously - a paper cut puts him on the "disabled list" for at least 2 days. And blood? Oh my goodness. Don't get me started. :-)

Can't believe my baby is already big enough for his 4 year check up at the doctor. My how time flies. I love my little man so much - I really do hate that he was hurt today.

(oh and our pediatrician says my hubby owes me big time for having to do THIS check up all by myself. I agree, don't you????)

My new normal...

2010-11-15T13:51:00.003-05:00

It occurred to me at one of my many "random thought times" that I hadn't yet blogged about my new schedule and what is now my new normal - whatever the heck normal is! My life has changed a ton in the last 6 months and I couldn't be happier about it. Here's a breakdown of key moments that led to my new schedule. I had a baby - yes 4 years ago. I was blessed to have my first sweet baby boy. At the time, I was working full time and went back to work when he was 12 weeks old and while I loved my job at the time, I felt like a piece of me was being broken every single morning I had to leave my little man. So, after about 6 months and lots of praying, I left my job and went to work for the AOC doing a part time gig. I worked 3 days a week and it was pretty cool. I helped plan a major conference and was still somewhat flexible with my little guy. Then, 4 short months after my part time gig started, my bosses talked me into (tricked, bribed???) working full time as a supervisor. Now, mind you, I was flattered that they respected my work ethic and wanted me in a full time capacity. They even said "you can work from home 2 days a week." Well, I accepted and then... GOT preggo again. So, I worked from home during the whole pregnancy with Jonathan and even when he was a newborn. Let me just tell you - working from home DID NOT WORK for me or my office. I was miserable and wasn't a very happy mommy either. I was getting up at 5 every morning and working before the boys got up and then after they went to bed, I was working until midnight most nights so I could get all my hours in for the week. After several months of this, Billy and I decided it needed to stop. So, we proposed a "new" plan for our employer. We would both work 4 days a week and Billy would be off on Mondays and I would be off on Fridays. So, that's what we did. I went from happily part time to working 4 long days and we made it work. I still felt like I was missing out on some of the most memorable times in my boys' lives. And we had fantastic child care, so no worries there either. We did this schedule for a little more than a year and I had this overwhelming tugging at my heart telling me I needed to be home more. I know now that this was God's voice telling me that my children need me. That my children will only be this small once. So, last January, I made a serious proposal to my boss to reduce my hours to part time. He accepted my proposal, but said he couldn't make it happen right away. So I waited. and waited. And waited. I approached him again several times over the course of 6 months with no news. Then, on April 29, I found out I was losing my job thanks to the state budget crisis. Now, don't get me wrong, I was devastated...but amidst it all, I heard God say to me, "see, I told you to be home more. Now, go. Obey me." So, without hesitation, I began to search for a job that would allow me some flexibility. And I found just that.

On July 19, I started a new path - I'm now a therapist at a place called Square One Specialists in Child and Adolescent Development and I LOVE IT!!!!! Great atmosphere, great people, great challenges and decent income. And I'm back in the saddle of helping others, which is my passion! Here's the best part..... (drumroll!) I'm home with the boys 5 out of 7 days! YEEEEEHAW! I work Wednesdays and Thursdays and I really do love it. The other days I'm hangin' out at home with my two favorite fellas.

Now, my new normal took a little bit to become adjusted to, I must admit. I suppose my expectations of being a stay-at-home-mom were of glamorous days with smooches and happy boys all the time. Being a SAHM (most of the time) isn't quite as glamorous as I imagined. Here' s a glimmer into my new normal: * sweeping the kitchen floor at least 5 times a day * acting as a referee for two boys who seem to wrestle all the time * transporting to and from preschool * stepping over toys, I mean tripping over toys * eating left over chicken nuggets (yuck!) * looking at the clock and thinking seriously - how much longer til daddy gets home? * Playing hide and seek for hours on end * going on long walks looking for wildlife * setting up playdates (thank the Lord for playdates!) * trying to maintain some type of structure and schedule * and playing playing playing.

Being a SAHM might not be so glamorous, BUT I LOVE IT SO!! I love reading books up on the bunkbeds, and teaching the boys games like Ring Around The Rosey and Mother May I, and using our mornings for creative learning time. We've gone through all the letters and are now focusing on numbers. I love sleepy hugs after nap time and I love wild hair in the morning. I love being outside with my boys and I love taking them on adventures and I am getting used to the fact that my house is never perfectly straight and my floors are sometimes sticky and the toys aren't always in their proper place. One day, I hope my boys know just how much time and energy I put into being their mommy. I am far from perfect. I yell at them (that's another post), get frustrated sometimes and for a brief second, wish for some peace and quiet. But I promise that I would not trade my life with anyone on the planet. I am a most blessed mommy and wife and am perfectly content. Thank you Jesus for all the small blessings that make up a day in my life!

Big Bad Jon

2010-11-06T21:39:00.004-04:00

Jonathan… you constantly do or say things that I think are so cute. So, just so I never ever forget them, here's a few things that you do at 2 1/2. I love you more than you'll ever know!

You say "Don’t" when you mean won’t or can’t.. (like if we say Don’t jump on the couch… you say “I don’t.” Or if you can’t see the tv, you say “I don’t see” if we say “don’t touch… you say “I don’t I just wooking.”)
Whenever someone asks you your name, you say, "I'm Bad." (we call you Big Bad...after the old song "big bad Jon.") Such a bad habit for us, but oh well...

You say thank you very well and use please most of the time, but we are still really working on that one!

You follow every move Jacob makes – good or bad!

You respond pretty well to timeout

You call Jacob “bubup”

“Don’t wash my hair “– we hear this every night at bath time.

You love gogo(yogurt) but it must be PEACH gogo…..or you may give it back.

You like Batman almost as much as your brother; and when you see the joker or penguin you say “bad guys.”

You Sing the sweetest prayer at meal time with Bubup that goes something like this while opening and closing your hands – “Open shut them, open shut them, give a little clap; open shut them, open shut them, fold them in your lap. Thank you Father, thank you Father, for our food, for our food, many many blessings, many many blessings, amen amen. Dear God, thank you for our food and nourishment in Jesus Name Amen.” It is so cute, but honestly when you do it all by yourself, it goes on and on and on... :-)

You say “Wait a Minute” many times a day.

You took your first drink of coke (unless we didn’t know otherwise thanks to his Aunt Amy, or grandparents :) ) after we bribed you to eat all your food and then you looked at us and said “Me like Coke”

You are sleeping fairly well in the bunk bed and say “bunk bed” whenever someone mentions sleep. However, you still gets up probably every other night and I hear you say “where my pacis go?” and then you run to the gate and cry for mommy. Not cool, little guy. NOT cool!

You say “hep me” – A LOT.

When we go to Ms. Maureen’s every time, you say “Omi’s street (Naomi is one of the boys’ sweet friends from church), Amy’s street, and Ms. Piggy’s street (one of Mamaw’s friends – Ms. Peggy.) So cute!

At least 117 times a day, we hear, “ Bubup poosh me or Bubup hit me.”

When we say, what are the rules, you say “no hit, no poosh, no poke eyeball, no sceam”

You buckle Jacob’s car seat nearly every time we exit the van. It makes Jacob crazy!

You always wants to go “pierce’s way” home – to see the big ghost (at Halloween) and now, the Turkey in one of our neighbor’s yard and you are very worried about where the ghost has gone.

Calls your Mamaw and Papaw “Moomaw and Poopaw” - I think it’s so cute I never correct you!

You love the songs Saving the World and Sweetly Broken on our iPod.

Your nite nite routine includes the following songs and you know every word! How Great is Our God, Oh How I love Jesus, Jesus Loves Me, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Up on the Housetop and the I love you song from Barney.

You make us so happy and keep us laughing! Love you like crazy!

Mommy

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T13:32:00.005-04:00

Halloween has always been such a fun family time for me. Growing up, I lived out in the country, so we always spent Halloween at my Pappaw's who lived in town. He loved loved loved it when all the family was together. He would get a bunch of "cheap" candy and we always complained and then, he would trick us and bring out the "Good stuff" for my sister and I.... M&Ms. All the little trick or treaters thought it was so cool to see their teacher - my mom was a first grade teacher -and they thought she was a movie star or something. She just loved opening the door and seeing their surprise when they saw her. We trick or treated a little and went to visit my other grandparents too. Such fun! SO, when we started our little family, I knew Halloween would always be fun. This year did NOT disappoint. Yesterday, Mamaw and Papaw came over early and carved the pumpkin (very cool! It had a Bat-a-rang on it). Then, Grammy and Pa came and the boys got all dressed up in their Batman and Robin costumes and the fun began! We made a few stops to some very important people in the boys' lives (Ms. Mary, Ms. Maureen, Aunt Amy and Uncle Jerry and Mamaw and Papaw's). Then we came back to our neighborhood and trick or treated a little. Our neighborhood is a pretty hoppin' place on Trick or treat night... last night, we had 236 trick or treaters (and we shut the door at 6:30!). Then we went to FBC for Fall Festival and it was fabulous! Way to go FBC!!!! What a great community outreach opportunity.

Needless to say, the boys were sufficiently sugared up and had so much fun. And truthfully... SO.DID.I. Oh, how I love establishing traditions with my family that are similar to mine as a little girl. Halloween is not about scary icky stuff to me. In fact, all the commercial stuff about Halloween is a major turn off, but the fun, fantastic family time??? Can't beat it!

A preview article...

2010-10-27T22:15:00.002-04:00

(Okay so, I'm shamelessly using my bloggy to preview this little article... I'm submitting it to a couple of newspapers and regional magazines. Seriously, let me know if ya'll have any suggestions on how to make it better!)

“Stop doing that.” “No No.” “Don’t even think about it.” “Quit it.”
Any of those negative phrases sound familiar? As a mommy of a preschooler and a toddler, I must admit, those phrases seem to roll off my tongue without even giving a second thought. And wouldn’t you know, they happen to be heard in my house probably 127 times a day? Sometimes, I feel like a broken record. There’s got to be a more effective way to get my point across, right?

Correction is an imperative part of parenting and must occur on a regular basis. No one would argue with that. However, I’ve found that changing my thoughts and the way I communicate with my children makes all the difference in the world. “Positive parenting” has transformed my approach to parenting and has enabled me be more optimistic.

The purpose of this article is not to place guilt on parents, but to empower and educate about alternatives to being caught in the tailspin of negativity. Naturally, dangerous situations and/or behaviors will require an immediate “No” response. That must not change. “Positive parenting” encourages parents to save “No” for significant instances, and rely on positive statements for all other situations.

“Positive parenting” has transformed my little family and has made being a mommy much more enjoyable. The underlying premise is to ensure that child(ren) understand what behaviors are desired or expected as opposed to only being told what not to do. Parents should communicate clearly the replacement behavior that is expected. For example, if a parents wishes that his/her child would stop screaming, rather than saying forcefully, “Stop that screaming right this instance,” try a statement such as “We use our inside voice when we are in our home. Screaming is for playing outside.” Then, demonstrating alternative behaviors such as whispering or singing will show the child the desired behaviors. The end result? No screaming… exactly what was desired in the beginning of this scenario.

“Positive parenting” is not a technique per se, but is a conscious effort by parents to choose positive words. The more it is used in daily interactions, the more it permeates an overall familial attitude.

Parents, remember… none of us is perfect! At times, we will still need to rely on trial and error and “our best guess” when dealing with our little blessings. “Positive parenting” is one tool that can help you with this tough job!

You are not alone. All parents struggle and desire solutions to help make parenting manageable. If you would appreciate support, would like to learn more about “positive parenting” and other parenting strategies, and would like to meet other parents who are fighting the good fight, Coffee Talk may be of interest to you. Coffee Talk is a parenting group offered at Square One: Specialists in Child and Adolescent Development. Square One is a unique, multidisciplinary practice which serves children and their families for developmental, behavioral, emotional, speech-language, and academic concerns in Louisville, Kentucky and the surrounding areas.
If you’d like more information about Square One or “Coffee Talk,” please contact the office at (502) 896-2606 or visit our website at www.squareonemd.com.

18 kiddos, lots of mommies, pumpkins, paint and tattoos...

2010-10-22T21:08:00.007-04:00

That's what was up at the Stover house today. We did a Halloween/Birthday party today and it was oh.so.fun!!!! We have a little group that gets together on Fridays and today was playdate in honor of my little four year old. We did some great craft projects and the kiddos were so cute! We made super hero capes (fabric paint+Halloween costumes=trouble) - I learned too late and finally got out the old t-shirts for protection! We also had batman tattoos, face painting and regular painting and of course... cupcakes. The costumes were the best part. Such cuties!!!! I'm gonna try to post all the pictures - I can't believe I didn't get a picture of sweet baby Jules.. she was so sweet and quiet in her little car seat. Next time, baby Jules, you'll be my FIRST pic! Happy Friday!

Today, mommy and Jonathan got to....

2010-10-19T21:50:00.002-04:00

HANG OUT WITH JACOB AT PRESCHOOL!!!!!
Since they were on fall break last week on Jacob's actual birthday, we got to celebrate today.
I took cupcakes - yellow ones of course and got to hang out with Jacob for half of preschool!

This is a shot of his class waiting to go use the restroom. They really do sit that still and listen so well. They've clearly learned a ton in the first 6 weeks of preschool. While each little friend goes to the potty, the others get to sing songs. SO CUTE!!! Jacob has shared most of these songs, so Jonathan knows them too. He sat right by his bubup and looked like "one of the gang." They sang "three little muffins" "zippideedoodah" and a little song about an owl and one about 3 speckled frogs eating bugs. SO Cute. I can't express how my heart swelled watching Jacob interact with his teacher and his new little friends. He seemed so grown up. And so obedient. He was the line leader and "king of the day" - complete with a crown and a sparkly ring and a cool gold whistle.

This is what I was probably most excited to see... Jacob has talked endlessly about getting to ride bikes inside. He loves it. and.i.can.see.why. Who wouldn't want to zoom around on one of those things? " :-) Jonathan got to take part too, but mommy had to help him some.

Oh - words can't express how much today meant to me. I am admittedly a total sap and cry at commercials some times, and as I look back on today, it is easily one of my highlights as a mommy. My heart is full of emotion. Today taught me a lot. Jacob is doing great. He is learning a lot and is PERFECTLY NORMAL AND HEALTHY. In my line of work, I see the unhealthy and abnormal behaviors so much that I need to see how well my kiddos are doing.
Jacob interacts beautifully with his peers, yet still thinks that Mommy hung the moon. You should have seen his little eyes when I showed up during recess time. He wasn't embarrassed at all. In fact, having mommy there (and the cupcakes) made him even cooler to his pals. Several of his little friends even took turns hopping in my lap during story time.

Today showed me that Jacob is healthy and well-adjusted. He listens well. He cares about others. He uses manners. EVEN WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED. He cares about his brother and wants him to be included. He was so proud to be Jonathan's big brother. Jacob is h-a-p-p-y and that, my friends, makes this momma 100% happy as a little bug.

Birthday letter

2010-10-14T23:16:00.001-04:00

Dear Jacob,
It’s been a while since I’ve posted a letter to you – and tonight, your 4th birthday feels like the perfect time. I can’t wrap my hands around the fact that you are already turning four. Time has gone by pretty fast little buddy. Sometimes, I wish I could freeze time and keep you just the way you are right this moment. You are loads of fun and you fill this house with laughter and joy. And you absolutely “wow” me with the things that you are learning right now. Just two days ago, we were outside with our besties Walker and his mommy Rachie, and you started writing Jonathan’s name (JOANTAN) – pretty close considering I have never ever showed you how to write his name or practiced with you. And then, you proceeded to write the entire alphabet. Amazing. Simply amazing. And you kept it all in a straight line and messed up only a few times. I couldn’t believe that skill – again, something you’ve never practiced or been taught. You are learning so many cute songs at Preschool – my favorite is the “Three Little Muffins” song, but I also like the “open shut them” and the sweet little prayer you sing before our meals. You got to be the line leader last week and you beamed with pride when you told me that. We saw Mrs. Boyd at Kroger last week and you thought it was magical – it is hard for you to imagine Mrs. Boyd as just a regular person, since at preschool, she is your teacher and the object of all your affection.
You are also working so hard on your behavior and obedience and I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know. You enjoy working towards rewards and I love rewarding your great behavior. Often, I just need to remind you to make good choices and you do just that! We still put you in time out some, and send you upstairs to think about your attitude, but honestly not very often. You are a very obedient and compliant young man. Busy, but overall obedient. You are a very patient big brother and often share with him or give in even when you really want something. Jonathan adores you and really looks up to you. You are a great role model and I pray that it stays that way forever. He’s always watching you, so please remember that!
You got bunk beds a few weeks ago and LOVE them and think it’s super cool to sleep on top. Too bad you still think you need to lay down with your daddy most nights. We pray that you start to feel safe enough to sleep all night long by yourself… we believe in you!!!! You can do it! I love it when you stand up in your bed and touch the ceiling and say “I can touch Jesus.” Precious!!!!
Speaking of Jesus, you are so interested in all things about Jesus, his death on the cross and the Bible in general. I love your questions and genuine faith. You are an example for me and your daddy!!!! You remember to thank Jesus for all the great things in our lives and constantly remind us that Jesus loves us more than anything or anyone else on all the planet. Oh baby, I believe you will be saved early and I pray that God does great things in your life.
You still love Superheros, especially Batman and your Batman party was a smashing success. I didn’t know that much Batman stuff existed. Wow – we are having so much fun playing Batman. I have a lot to learn… I’m so girlie that “playing good guys vs. bad guys” is hard for me. I just want everyone to be friends. :)
You are also SO VERY independent – putting on your own clothes, putting them in the dirty clothes basket, even trying to tie your shoes. Sometimes I just want to help you so I feel needed. :[ But you always remind me that you are in fact a very big boy.
You continue to be a very picky eater. Seriously, it’s pretty bad. You ate raisins today and I felt like that was a MAJOR success. Mommy and Daddy need to fight the good fight and make you eat better, but he are dragging our feet. In a bad way. Praying about that too!
Jacob-man, we love you with all our hearts and are so proud of the young man you’ve become.
Love always,
MOMMY

"S" is for SUPER SILLY SUPER HERO SOCK PUPPETS

2010-10-12T20:12:00.003-04:00

In keeping with our "letter of the day" process, today was "S" day. Sometimes I have good ideas, sometimes I am scrambling at the last second. Sometimes, something pretty cool pops into my head and I'd like to think today was one of those days. :-) We made School buses and talked about the Shapes that go with it (circles for wheels and rectangles for the door), we practiced writing S's on lined paper, colored Spider-man and (drum roll please...) made super silly super-hero sock puppets. I sewed buttons on for the eyes and we used markers to draw the faces and then used safety pins to put on the hair (pipe cleaners) and capes (scrapbooking paper). Oh - we had a ball. Sorry honey, you lost a pair of socks today! :-) But it was for a good cause!

da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da BATMAN

2010-10-10T21:15:00.003-04:00

The boys with their Papaw and Mamaw (or poopaw and moomaw as Jonathan likes to say)

Jonathan wanted in on the action too...

Jacob, Jonathan and Grammy and Pa

Rare family shot with everyone looking at the camera. :-)

Jacob LOVED his Batman baloons. We looked everywhere for those darn things... Billy had to make a trip to Louisville on party day as we finally located some.

Yesterday, we celebrated in big time fashion at the Stover house - also now known as the Batcave. Jacob-man has been really into superheros for quite some time and Batman is his F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E. So, of course when we started planning his party, we knew it must have a Batman theme. We had a wonderful, perfect day for a party and had so much fun with our family. Jacob had a ball - all day long. He was so excited from the moment he woke up til he went to bed. He is such a blessed little boy and so many people love him so much. My prayer is that we can help him have a grateful heart and thank God for all his blessings, INCLUDING all the cool Batman toys and clothing he got yesterday... :-)

Allow me to introduce...

2010-10-05T14:58:00.002-04:00

My new friends, the marble jars. Being a parent is a bunch of trial and error experiments and recently, we tried this technique...and at least for now, we are seeing some success and motivation. There are so many things about raising two toddlers that are challenging (can I get an amen out there???), but one thing that just makes me crazy is having to ask my children to do something over and over and over again. I'm talking about some FIRST TIME OBEDIENCE. Nothing makes me happier than saying, "okay boys, time to go in" and they come running to the back door and say, "yes mommy." We seem to struggle a little at the Stover house with first time obedience, so I introduced a little reward system known as the marble jars. The boys helped me buy the marbles and jars (got em at dollar tree, so they didn't break the bank), then we talked up the idea. We even practiced a few times to make sure they knew exactly what first time obedience means. So, we are a few days in, and honestly are having a lot of luck with obedience. Each time they are obedient (well, not every time... that's really up to the parent) they get the opportunity to earn a marble. Sometimes a simple reminder about the marble jars will turn little disobedient hearts into those that wish to do what mom and dad say. I love to be able to give marbles totally out of the blue, like I was able to do today when we were outside and they both came right in when I asked them to. They are both working to fill up their jars for a "special treat" - they don't even know what the treat is, and honestly, we don't either. But they both enjoy it very much. Here's the kicker, though... for deliberate disobedience, we can remove marbles from their jar. Often, the threat of removing marbles makes them change their tune. Of course, we still rely on other discipline techniques to punish undesirable behaviors, so removing marbles is only one tool in that tool box. So, at least for a moment, the marble jars are working for us!

What about all you other awesome mommies???? What are your "tricks of the trade" to ensure obedience.

We've been so busy...

2010-10-01T21:43:00.003-04:00

Jumping in the Leaves - happy Fall ya'll!

Hangin out with our buds!

Weekend excursion to the Game Farm (we had a funny experience there...we got to the Dragonfly Marsh and we told the boys to be really quiet and tell us what animal noises they could hear. At the exact moment we said that, another guest burped really loudly and Jacob said, "daddy, I heard a frog!" It was hilarious!!!!! I was about to die of embarrassment.)

Hangin with our little friend Walker. Three silly musketeers. Three amigos. Three CUTE boys n the bath - how good is my photography to not get any inappropriate images. :-)

And DRUM ROLL please: Jacob got his first little award at Preschool. He was like, "mom, it's no big deal." But oh my... I was so proud. He got the Teddy Bear Award on stuffed animal day. His little build a bear frog made especially for him by his big cousins Lauren and Taylor. My proud mama instincts were sure in full swing that day! :-)

Whew, September was a blessed month. We have so much for which to be grateful.

2010-09-19T21:22:00.002-04:00

Have any of you ever seen "While you were out" on HGTV? Well, I'm a HGTV junkie, so I love that show... it's a makeover shoe where one family member or friend chooses a special home makeover project for a loved one and surprises them while they are away. Upon their return, they are usually overjoyed by the fact that they have a new bedroom or bathroom or whatever room. Well, picture this at the Stover house this weekend. The boys were at Grammy and Pa's and Mommy and Daddy did a "while you were out" project. We transformed their room from a frog-themed nursery to a BIG BOY superhero room...complete with bunk beds. Billy and I worked our little tails off yesterday. Originally, I'd asked Billy if he was up for a road trip to Columbus Ohio to go to the Pottery Barn outlet. I'm a self-proclaimed Pottery Barn junkie and an outlet... oh my. But, Billy wasn't on board, so we switched gears and decided to go into Louisville "just to look for ideas" for the boys room. Our day started with an innocent trip to Louisville where we enjoyed a quiet lunch. We got the idea to go to USA baby to check out the bunk beds. We've been looking around, but honestly dragging our heals for some reason. We had found some we were getting ready to order online, but wanted to double check a few stores just to make sure. Well, the ones we liked there originally - several months ago - were.on.clearance. And then an extra 10% off for a one day sale. So, we bought them. Fully expecting them to say "thanks for your purchase, it'll be ready for pick up in 6-8 weeks" - we were pleasantly surprised when they told us it was all in stock. Holy moly - the wheels started turning. It wasn't until then that our "While you were out" plans started taking on a life of their own. We scrambled to make a plan - first we needed a truck to pick them up. Second we needed mattresses. (USA baby also had those on sale!!!!!). Third we needed bedding. So I batted my eyes and casually suggested Pottery Barn Kids. :-) :-) :-) We got some great deals on some really cute bedding and picked up a couple of Batman accessories (those weren't on sale, but I just couldn't resist) and ran to Macy's for a couple of sets of twin sheets and we were off. While we were zooming around the mall, we were anxiously awaiting a call from our friend Chris B (THANK YOU!!!!!!) to tell us he was on his way with his truck. So we finished our business at the mall and met him at the store to get our loot. And then the madness ensued. We got home and worked for 9 hours straight putting together the beds, a dresser, bookshelf and night stand, which I found at Target all for $130 - SCORE!!! Our little thumbs were so tired from all the screws, bolts, nuts and whatever else those tool and pieces are called. When we finally crawled into bed, our project was nearly complete. Oh - forgot to mention that we also painted two walls in their room at some point during the craziness. We had to wait until today, when the walls were dry to put everything in place. And it looks amazing. And the best part is this..... the boys were so excited! Jacob even said, "this is the best surprise ever!" There's still a couple of things I have planned for the room - I want to create some little superhero pieces of art for the wall above the dresser and there's a huge Batman Decal at Pottery Barn that I think I will get Jacob for his birthday and I'd like to have a cute little lamp. Oh and I need to change the window treatment. So finishing touches will be forthcoming. BUT, it's close and we felt like we'd run a marathon. We were so proud that we did it all.by.ourselves. We are not the handy-man type of couple, so we were oh so proud!

"I had the best day in the world"

2010-09-15T21:21:00.003-04:00

Here's my big boy with his cool Batman back pack... (I have no idea who that mystery guy is in the background...weird)

Contemplating the world ahead of him... on the way to preschool!

Oh my, I love this one. Jacob, your daddy is the best role model. Thank you Jesus for such a Godly father and husband!

Welcome to Preschool big boy!

That's Jacob and his teacher, Mrs. Boyd. We already know she's going to be a blessing to our family!

And at the end of his first day of preschool - here's what Jacob had to say... "I HAD THE BEST DAY IN THE WORLD MOMMY!"

Twas the night before preschool

2010-09-08T21:52:00.001-04:00

Twas the night before Preschool in the Stover House,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The boys were all snuggled in their beds with care,
With hopes of tomorrow in the late summer air.
Baby Jonathan won’t know exactly what to do,
When his best friend “Bubup” goes off to preschool .
Baby, oh baby, how can it be?
My first born munchkin is getting big you see.
Tomorrow is the first day of Jacob’s new preschool.
He’s so excited because he knows it will be cool.
He will play, learn and grow
And make lots of great friends, I know.
Then why, oh why, do I still feel sad?
Because my baby’s no longer a baby for his mom and dad.
He’s growing so big, so strong and so smart.
I love him, I love him with all of my heart.
Now, go. Go Jacob Go. Be who you are.
Love Jesus, Love others and you will go far.
Always know how much you are loved.
I love you forever I love you for always my little bug. :-)

Letter of the Day = Lesson of the Year!

2010-08-31T08:23:00.008-04:00

So, the letter of the day yesterday was "J" - a popular letter at our house. :-) So, you'd think that "J" day would be an easy one for me. Well, I had so much to choose from, I focused on three specific activities: Jesus dying on the Cross, Jack and Jill nursery rhyme (we even acted it out... so funny!), and finally, the story of Jonah and the whale. We had much fun doing art and telling the stories on our chalk board. Of course, there's no more powerful story than Jesus on the Cross, but honestly, I was struck by how much my boys seemed to learn about Jonah. And oh my word, me too. The Bible encourages a childlike faith and teaching these stories to my boys is helping me do that. I love their questions. Here's some of their questions about Jonah: Why didn't he just obey? Wouldn't that be easier? Was he scared in that fish? Did he want his mommy? How did the fish find him? Here's some of MY questions that arose too - Why does God love us so much that He's willing to give us second (and third and fourth) chances when we deliberately disobey him? Why is disobedience so enticing? Why is it so easy? What blessings have I missed because I simply didn't want to do something God told me to do? What if He chose (chooses) NOT to give me a second chance when I disobey?
Wow - didn't expect a simple letter of the day to have such a profound impact on me. Thank you Lord for continually teaching me. Even through my children.

Lunch Conversations

2010-08-20T13:21:00.003-04:00

I have so many bloggy ideas running through my head... so many in fact that they are probably up there fighting in all that unused brain space that used to be occupied by fully functioning brain cells that turned to mush when I became a mommy. So, stay tuned, hopefully I'll get to empty out my brain and my computer chip soon, but today's post is so special. Today at lunch, the sweetest thing happened. Jacob said, "i love you mommy." And I said, " I love you too, bug." Jonathan said, "i love you mommy." and I said, "I love you too sweetie!" Jacob then said, "you know who else is here that loves us?" Jonathan said, "WHO?" Jacob said, "Jesus." Jonathan said, " I don't see him." So then they ran back and forth to the living room to see Jesus - we have a picture of Jesus on the cross in the living room. After a few minutes of them running into the living room, I decided to bring Jesus to the table so they could see Jesus and eat at the same time. Well, what happened next is definitely in the top 5 all time favorite moments of mommyhood thus far. Here's the conversation:

Jacob: Look Jonathan, here's Jesus on the Cross. He has lots of Boo Boos."

Jonathan: Boo Boos? I want see.

Jacob: Boo Boos are from the crown of thorns and the roman soldiers because they were mean to him and cut him and hurt him with a stick.

Jonathan: Jesus Cross?

Jacob: Then he was up on the Cross with nails.

Jonathan: (pointing to the verse beside the picture) What's that?

Jacob: That says God so loved the world that he gave his son Jesus.

Then Jacob told him the whole story verbatim from his little Bible - even getting the details about Judas in there. Then he said, "you know what Jonathan? JESUS IS ALIVE."

Awesome, don't you think? I think Jacob will be saved early and I pray that God will use his life in mighty ways. Jonathan too. Wow... my heart is full of praise today and everyday for these sweet boys. Even when I feel like I might pull my hair out some days. :-)

momma feels sad!

2010-08-12T20:32:00.005-04:00

Okay, so this is a confession of gargantuous proportions (I have no idea if gargantuous is even a word and if it is, heck if I know if I spelled it right). My big boy hurt my feelings tonight in a big way. Now, you must know that I was awake last night fighting the good fight with Jonathan - he is out of his crib and we are in full sleep training in the big bed mode- from 1 am til 4:30 am. So, admittedly, I'm a little tired and thus, probably more easily upset. Tonight, Jacob has been 99.9% perfect. and .1% mean and hurtful. We played outside in the sprinkler and he didn't want to come in, but finally he complied. While I was bringing him inside, he said "I am angry with you and I'm not living here anymore." I just said, "okay honey. You can be mad at me, but you still have to follow the rules." Then, he was downstairs mumbling things about me and I could hear them, but I chose not to say anything. He's entitled to vent, right? Even if it is to his little Mickey figurine. So after about 5 minutes, he turned back into "sweet 99.9% perfect Jacob" for most of the evening. Until bedtime. He was not a happy camper and screamed bloody murder for a few minutes. Again, I said, you can be mad, but you still have to obey. He went into his room and I gave him a kiss and said, "I love you very much, even when you scream." He said (THE WORDS EVERY MOTHER DREADS TO HEAR) "I don't love you and I want a new mommy." To that, I said calmly, " okay, but it's still bedtime. I love you. You hurt my heart and I'm not telling you stories right now. I want you to think about your words and how hurtful they are. If you continue to use hurtful words with mommy, I will take your TV out of your room tonight" (GULP). And I didn't tell him stories. I kissed him and walked out. Billy's in there right now telling him nite nite stories. Jacob came out and apologized and gave me a hug, which I know was sincere and very very sweet, but why is it that my heart really is sad about his words? I mean, come on... he's 3 and I'm 32. I know better. And he's very very sleepy, obviously.
On another note.... I'm happy to report that as of this moment, Jonathan is happily snoring away in his big boy bed. Here's praying tonight is much much much much better than last night. I know you can do it big boy!!!! Mommy and Daddy believe in you!