Idol Recap

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

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."

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)

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?

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

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?

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?

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

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!!!

laides and gentlemen of the jury

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

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!

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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!

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I'm not THAT mommy

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

(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

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,

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,

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

(*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...

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!

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?

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!

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...

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!

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...

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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