Tired today, travelling tomorrow...

What a tiring day it was! Although it was not a "real" school day, I still had to be dressed, feed both boys, pack bags, and out the door by 8:00 this morning. And yes, Sharla, I did most of my preparations the night before, and was STILL moving frantically around the house. :) We made it on time, but I didn't have any lipstick on all day...oh well, at least my shoes matched and everyone had their lunches. The boys didn't go into their regular classrooms today. All teachers were preparing their rooms and meeting all the parents and students. (The first day of school is next Tuesday.) We had some great volunteers that watched all the teachers' kids. I felt comfortable leaving Nash today because I knew both of the ladies in his classroom. I had about 10 sticky notes in Nash's diaper bag and lunch box explaining what to do....yes, 10. One sticky note for each food item, one for each bottle, a few extra's just for good measure. One sticky note attached to a Gerber breakfast bar read "Break into small pieces." Like they would really give a 9 1/2 month old a whole granola bar, right? I'm sure they were laughing at Nash's crazy mommy! I could hear my sweet Nash wailing all the way down the hallway for about an hour and a half after I dropped him off. Poor baby was so ticked off at mom for leaving him there. Ms. Jan was Nash's special friend today. She held him during his morning nap in fear he would cry when she laid him down. Thank you Ms. Jan for taking such good care of my baby today! She even carried him (sleeping) out to the car while I loaded all my gear and put Braxton in his seat.

I also feel pretty good about leaving Nash on Tuesday. I had a great conversation with his teachers today and I know they will take good care of him. His teachers are Ms. Lisa and Ms. Nicole. I'm sure you will be hearing more about them in the future. Braxton met his teacher today as well. He was a little shy with Ms. Davis, but I informed her that it wouldn't last long. I told her how funny he was and that he loved to learn. I wanted to be sure knew how fabulous my Braxton was!!! Only time will tell how my class will be....when all the parents and kids left my classroom today it looked like a tornado had went through there. Blocks, pretend food, puzzles, books, and cars were scattered about. Lesson #1 on Tuesday: Clean up centers!!!

We are leaving for Oklahoma tomorrow. It's Steve's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary!!! SIXTY!!! Wow! I can't even imagine being married to Steve for 60 whole years, I mean, I CAN'T WAIT to be married to Steve for 60 whole years! (Love you honey, I know you read my blog.)

Introducing Julie

I'm so excited my friend, and college roommate, Julie has started a blog!!! Her link is to the left. She has a photography business and is sooooo great at it! Check out her blog and if you live close by you should have her take pictures for you!

Important Papers and Updates...

I am the type of person who puts important papers in a special spot so that I will remember where they are in case I need them. Only my problem is that I forget which "special spot" I put them. I have many locations around the house that I have named "special"....a drawer on the side table in the living room, the basket on the counter in the kitchen, the lovely pile of papers I need to sort through on the island, the desk in the study, and a few others I'm sure of but I can't remember them. I seriously say to myself "I'm putting this here so I can find it later." But of course I seldom do. I experienced that today....

We have "Meet Your Teacher" tomorrow at our preschool. I am supposed to turn in my children's immunization records to their teacher along with a form their doctor signed saying they have been seen within the last year. I was so great about taking care of this paperwork in advance about a month ago. I brought home the papers from the doctor and put them in a "special spot" because it was sooooo important not to lose. Well, I turned the house upside down today looking for them!!!! I yelled at Steve for throwing them away, I called the doctor and arranged to pick up more tomorrow, and I finally gave up the search. Low and behold, I looked in one final spot....the side table in the living room. YAY!!!!!!!! I found them! :)

Speaking of "Meet Your Teacher", I get to meet my sweet students tomorrow. I am excited and anxious about this chapter in my life. I love teaching and being creative...I feel like it's one thing I'm pretty decent at doing. I look forward to seeing my students grow and learn new things. But as a mom, I am not looking forward to leaving my baby at the door. I'm not talking about Braxton this time. He is an old pro at going to school. He is excited and can't wait to take his backpack to his classroom and hang it on the hook! I am nervous about leaving my baby Nash. He is such a momma's boy and just looks at me with fear in his eyes each time I leave him somewhere. It breaks my heart every time. I know he will get used to it and consisitency will be good for him, BUT that's MY baby. Only mommy knows how to get him to laugh through the tears, how to get him to eat that one last bite of green beans, and how to change his diaper without him flippin' over 50 times. It is such a big deal to me to trust someone else to do what's best for my baby as I am teaching other children. Granted I will be just few doors down and can peek in at anytime, but I don't want to be one of "those" moms. Tomorrow is not a "school day" for the boys, but they will be in childcare while I meet with parents and work in my classroom. I will let you know how Nash does in his little class....it won't be with his regular teacher, so it may be a little rocky. Maybe just for tomorrow I will be one of "those" moms and I'll check on him a little bit more than I should!!

Mmm, mmm, mmm

If I could put a sound effect with this post it would be "mmm, mmm, mmm"! I just finished licking the bowl of my new favorite ice cream. Well, one of TWO new favorites. I must share their names so you can rush to the store and buy some for yourself.
1. Blue Bell's Key Lime Pie (Thank you Steph. for introducing this yummy treat! If you love key lime pie, you will love this ice cream.)
2. Blue Bell's Chocolate Covered Strawberry (Wow! This tops them all! I just finished eating a bowl a few minutes ago. I love strawberries. I love chocolate. AND I love ice cream. This is the perfect freezing cold dessert.)
Warning: Do not look at the calories, the carbs, the sugars, the fat grams, etc. Just close your eyes and enjoy every single stinkin' bite...it's sooo good!

Model Material

I entered our sweet boy Braxton in a photo contest! Crazy, I know...but he's a looker and I thought for sure he'd have a chance. It was with The Company Store - Kids...they were looking for models for their spring catalog. We were supposed to hear from them today if he won, but I haven't heard anything as of 1:00. So most likely they chose some other little cutie. A friend of ours took some great pictures of Braxton so at least we have those to hold on to! She also took some of the boys together. I'll post those another day. Here's a few of our little model!

Rhyme Time

Okay, I must brag on my almost 4 year old....well, he'll be 4 in October. I think that's 'almost' enough. Here's our conversation:

Braxton, "Mom, do these words rhyme? Cracker and Wacker?"
Me, "Yes!!!! They do rhyme!"
Braxton, "How about sign and pine?"
Me, "Oh yes, they rhyme too. You are so smart!"

Braxton continued during his bath and until it was time to get under the covers.....kazoo and pazoo? Fly and sky? Up and cup? Even as I was telling him goodnight he said, "Hey, can I tell you a few more rhymes after I pray?" :) The boy is loving to rhyme and I'm so proud of him!

A crime has been committed....

We have had a special friend living in our backyard for a little over a month. Braxton named her Charlotte. She is, well WAS, a huge yellow and black garden spider. I am not a fan of spiders, but it has been fun to watch her spin her web, catch flies, and hang on tight during the heavy rains and winds. What a trooper sweet Charlotte was during the 20 plus days of rain around here! This morning I looked out the window and noticed a very large amount of snappy black birds in our backyard. (Braxton calls all birds "snappy birds" for some reason, so I have adopted that term as well.) I would say there were about 30-35 of them. Our backyard is not that big, so it looked like there were about 100 of them. I am not sure what brought them to the yard. We have no trees, no water, nothing interesting a bird might like....except Charlotte. My eyes slowly moved to the corner of the fence where our dear friend Charlotte made her home. GASP!!! She's gone. One of those snappy black birds helped himself to a tasty breakfast.

The topic around the house this morning has been "why those snappy birds 'ated' our spider".....poor, poor Charlotte. We will miss you!

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football.....my husband loves it, I dread it!! It's the time of year where Steve is constantly having to "check scores" and get online to "make changes". For the next few months, football will be spoken of, watched, thought about, and prayed over (yes, he will pray that his players do well). He is getting together with a group of friends from The Woodlands for the BIG DRAFT tonight....ugh! He will be up all night picking players, arguing with the guys over players, eating, laughing, and once again picking players. He LOVES it so I "let" him do it. :) Not only is he in a draft from The Woodlands, but he is also a part of a draft with some pals in Oklahoma. I'm hoping for a big win this season...we could use a little extra moo-la! Yes, there is a prize involved for the winning team. Go Steve!!

As for me this evening.....I'm at home with the boys. Still doing breathing treatments with Braxton and praying that Nash's newly developed cough doesn't turn into the croup. Thankfully Steve's mom is here one more night to help with the kids. The boys are on a wagon ride with Mimi right now, allowing Mommy to have a little computer time! Yay!

A Starbucks kind of day...

I left the house a little bit early this morning in order to allow enough time to hit the nearest Starbucks. It was definitely a necessity in order to become a functioning human being today. I ordered a tall, double, non-fat, sugar free cinnamon dolce latte with whip and two splenda. I laugh at myself each time I order it because it is so me...very specific and made to order. It was definitely a Starbucks kind of day!!! As my day progressed I realized that I should have made it a triple...

I sat in a very long meeting today sippin' on my Starbucks even when it got too cold to enjoy. It was a very informative meeting, not boring, just a lot of info. to digest. Even on the preschool level the beginning of the school year is filled with paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. I will enjoy my job much more when the children walk in the door and I can begin my day with them.

My mind was NOT focused on my meeting today because I left a sick one at home this morning. Here are the facts:
1. Braxton has been on steroids for the past 3 days because of croup.
2. His behavior was loony because of them.
3. He had his last dose of them yesterday.
4. He went to bed at 5:30 pm last night.
5. Woke up at 8:00...not by choice but because Daddy woke him up.
6. At 10:30 am he went back to his room and crawled in bed and fell asleep for about an hour.

Needless to say I was worried all day about him being so lethargic. I took him to the doctor this afternoon and found out that the croup has gone into his lungs causing him to be tired and unable to breathe well. Soooooo, we are on breathing treatments....the little contraption looks like an asthma puffer. Oh man, he hates it!!! We have only done two treatments since we have been home and it was a battle both times. We are supposed to do treatments every 3 hours for the next day...even in the middle of the night. (Then we ease up and space them out for next 7 days.) Grrrrrr, and I only thought that I'd get a good night's sleep tonight! If you happen to wake up at 3:00 in the morning for some odd reason then think of me. I'll me holding my kid down trying to get him to breathe deeply into a little yellow puffer. Looks like tomorrow will be another Starbucks kind of day!!!

Paci Time

Oh paci, sweet paci, you are more than just tool for comfort. You are a teether and a toy and I love you so!

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go.....

Well ya'll, I gotta get up early tomorrow and head to "the office". Gone are the days of wearing my pajama bottoms all day long and listening to Braxton ask his daily question "Mom, is it a stay at home day or a go day?" With my hair piled on top of my head, glasses on, and baby food on my shirt, I would most likely respond, "Ummmm, a stay at home day!" Within a few weeks we will get accustomed to our new morning routine as we are all rushing out the door to make it to school on time. I imagine chaos in the near future: one diaper bag filled with all the usual baby stuff, two lunch boxes (no make that 3, I forgot me), one backpack, one purse, one "teacher bag" filled with all the treasures needed for my students, two children with full tummies from a healthy breakfast, the three of us-clean, dressed, and all smiley ready for school!! Did I forget anything? I'm sure I'll take one last look around the house each morning to make sure we have it all! I'm sure I will have to pray for patience each morning as I hear the words, "No mommy, I'm not going to put my clothes on." Thankfully I do not have to even think about that for a few more days. Steve's mom is here visiting and will be home with the boys for the next 3 days while I'm at work. Yay for Mimi...especially since both boys are on the sickly side. Now back to tomorrow....I will definitely be on time in the morning, can't be late on my first day! Tomorrow I have "new teacher" training. :) I'm sure I will learn how to use the copy machine, the di-cut machine, get a tour, go over the dress code, the policies, the rules, etc. I will learn what to do in case of an emergency, how to take care of a sick child, a bleeding child, a non-compliant child...hmmmm, I think my sweet strong-willed Braxton has helped me in all of those areas!

As I type this entry my eyes are getting blurry and I'm hitting the back key a little more often to correct my mistakes. I think that's a sign that I better go to bed. Gone are the days of watching All My Children at midnight and reading blogs until 1:00 in the morning.

Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go.......

Doctor Visit

I took the boys to the doctor today. Braxton coughed all night and continued coughing throughout the day. Nash woke up with his fever still going strong at 101.7. I thought it best to nip it in the bud whatever it was! A trip to the doctor is always an adventure....especially when a strep test and a blood test are in the cards. Well, the strep test was negative for both boys although their tonsils are the size of plums and bright red. Braxton has a sore throat and the "croup" which is such a funny and gross sounding word. Nash....not sure what's going on with that little guy. He appears to have a bad sore throat like his brother. Nash also had a CBC today (complete blood test). We have been down that road way too many times with Braxton. (For those that don't know, Braxton has a history of neutropenia....which basically means the blood cells that fight off bacteria infections are missing or few in numbers. He is doing great now and is in the clear...Praise God!) Nash had great neutrophil numbers today, BUT his red blood cells were off....mostly likely he is just low in iron, but we will return next Monday for another CBC to make sure. Looks like the boys will be resting for a few days....maybe mommy will get a little rest too! It's never fun when your babies are sick. I'm praying that my BIG BABY (Steve) won't get what the boys have....now when that happens the world sure falls apart! :)

It's a good thing....

It's a good thing we decided to skip out on church this morning. When Nash woke up from his morning nap he felt awfully hot. I took his temp. and sure 'nough he had a fever....102. :( Poor baby!

Braxton's Podcast

I added a link under "Sites I love" for Braxton's Podcast. Steve created it last spring. It needs to be updated, but it has a few good stories on it. Enjoy!

Skipping Church

The boys and I are skipping church today. I came home from my meeting yesterday to my sweet Braxton running 102.2 fever. I let him sleep in today and took his temp. again this morning. The fever has gone down, but when he talks it sounds as if he throat is closed and he's developing a nasty cough. :( Of course, he tells me he's fine and he doesn't need to rest! I decided to keep him out of his Sunday School class out of respect for the other kiddos. I would hope that the other moms would do the same if their child had some sickly symptoms. Otherwise the cycle just continues.....

Since we're staying home today, I'm going to do a little cleaning. I'm in the "company's coming so I better get cracking" cleaning mode. Steve's mom is coming tomorrow. She's going to help me with the kiddos while I have to be at a few teacher trainings. Training for what? You might ask. Ummmmm, I guess my degree in Early Childhood Education, my years of experience in the classroom, and the fact that I have two children do not go toward my hours needed for inservice! lol

HSM2

We watched High School Musical 2 on the Disney Channel tonight. Cute movie, but I am partial to teeny-bopper movies anyway. There's a part in the movie where Troy is in his room talking to his dad. We noticed that his pillowcases were just like Braxton's. Braxton said, "But mine are still on my bed!!" He was very worried his pillows were on TV and ran to his room to make sure they were still there. He came back to the living room relieved and somewhat confused as to why his pillows were on TV. After a quick explanation he thought it was cool that Troy had the same ones as him! :)

Cutie Pies

I noticed these cutie pie pictures on the
computer and thought I'd share them!

Oh, I love my boys!

Back to work...

After much prayer and deliberation I have decided to go back to work....part time. Although I'll be making nickels and dimes, it will help pay a bill, get my hair highlighted, and buy some clothes that are in style!! I will be teaching preschool two days a week. Surely after 6 years of managing a first grade classroom, teaching kids how to read, write, and problem solve, I will be able to handle a small group of almost 3 year olds....surely! :) I am excited for the challenge and my brain is already churning with ideas. When I worked in the public school system I loved my job...I loved being creative and coming up with new ways to teach an old concept. A little about the position....I will have no more that 10 children in my class, a co-teacher, will be working only on Tuesdays and Thursdays, AND my children get to go with me. It really is a great little job, but I still have mixed feelings about this decision. Number 1: Other than Sunday School and a few other times, I have never left Nash and especially not for more than a couple of hours. Entrusting someone to take care of my baby is a big deal to me. No one does it like mommy, right? I value the time I have with that little bald guy and I don't look forward to dropping him off. I am praying for peace and that God would bring the right teacher to love on him and meet his needs. Number 2: I am a control freak!!! I am worried about how I will handle working with a partner. Seriously, I like control and it will be hard for me to give up even a little of that. Only time will tell if I am able to relax a little and go with the flow. You will definintely hear more about my new endeavours on this blog!

To Answer Your Questions....

Many of you have asked some questions on my blog as well as personal e-mails, so I thought I'd take a brief moment to answer them.

1. How did I know about lakes "turning over"?
The question was brought up at dinner and I volunteered to find the answer. I am the queen of research!!! I love to look things up on the internet and jump at the opportunity to learn something cool. Steve makes fun of me because I am known to type in a whole sentence in the search engine until I find what I'm looking for. I could possibly have multiple degrees because of what I have learned from the internet. Am I a nerd? Perhaps.

2. What happened to the picture next to my "About Me"?
I deleted it. It kept appearing when I left a comment on other people's blog sites. Why does it do that? I don't know. I've noticed on other people that it doesn't appear. Feel free to offer assistance if you know how to help me! I tried to get it off my comments and I don't know how. I just want it on my "About Me" section. Sooooo, until I can figure it out, no picture. Most of you know what I look like anyway! :)

3. Where have I been?
Just busy......hanging out with old friends, cleaning, taking care of kiddos. Today was my first day back at work....yes, you heard me right - WORK!!!! I will have to create a whole new entry for that topic, so stay tuned.

Science Lesson

By the request from a few friends at dinner, I am posting some information on lakes "turning over". At dinner tonight the water tasted HORRIBLE which brought up the question, why? Here's a little nugget of knowledge you can wow your friends with the next time you are drinking water and it tastes bad. The lake where the water supply comes from is "turning over". Did you know that a lake has 3 layers? I am not going to bore you with the scientific terms mainly because I do not know how to pronounce them or spell them correctly. The top layer is circulating warm water where a lot of oxygen is present. In the middle layer the water moves more rapid and the oxygen decreases with depth. The bottom layer is cold, deep-water, non circulating and oxygen is low or absent. Well, there are several times of the year that a lake will "turn over". Due to wind, temperatures, and conditions of the water the top layer moves to the bottom and the bottom moves to the top. All that mixing causes some crazy things to happen!!! We are currently experiencing the "Fall Turnover"....the first deep water is rising to the surface, all the while releasing sulphurous gases into the air.....thus making the water taste bad. Have no fear though....it won't last forever and things will be back to normal in no time...that is until the cycle continues and we experience the "Spring Turnover".

Tada!!!! There's your science lesson for the day! :)

Hot Day and Southfork Ranch

Today it is too hot to do ANYTHING!!!! Braxton keeps asking me, "Mom, is it a good day to swim?" It's too hot for even that! We went swimming on Sunday and the water was extremely warm...felt kinda like bath water. The high today is supposed to be a whopping 103 degrees!!! The nice weather lady said that with the heat index it will feel more like 110 today. Come on now, let's get back into the double digits!!!

Steve and I have a dinner to attend tonight and we have a friend coming over to watch the kids. Braxton has been asking every hour "When is Ms. Cheryl going to be here?" Seriously, he's been asking ALL DAY. Our dinner is at Southfork Ranch...where they filmed the wonderful drama series called Dallas years ago. Some of you young'ins won't remember that t.v. show. Maybe the phrase "Who shot J.R.?" will ring a bell. The dinner is with all the other pastors and their wives.....should be good food and good company! Last year I remember having to park far away and walking to the house. I'm sure I'll be sweating bullets by the time I reach the house for dinner! Too hot today!!!

Here is a picture of Southfork Ranch....awwww, pretty!

The Good Ole' Days

I like having a cell phone. I carry it with me wherever I go. It's nice to have if I'm at the grocery store and need to call home or if I have a flat tire or some other emergency. It's great to have in the car if both kids are asleep and I actually have a quiet moment to call an old friend. It's especially nice to have if the kiddos are with a sitter and I want to call and check on them. But a part of me longs for "the good ole' days" before we had cell phones. Our children will never know those days. They will someday say, "Mom, I can't believe you didn't have a phone when you were my age!" Remember when if someone needed to get a hold of you they just kept calling your house over and over until you finally picked up? Ever want to NOT be "gotten a hold of"? I sure do. My husband Steve has a trio phone.....he receives e-mails in his pocket. It is a bittersweet situation for me. It's great for him to be able to work from anywhere. But sometimes not so great to be "gotten a hold of" at anytime and anywhere. I long for the good ole' days....when the office stayed at the office. I miss the days when we could go out and no one would know where we were or how to reach us. I also miss when car rides were a time to talk to each other or to just think.....now one of us is always on the phone between destinations. Think back to the last time you got in your car and drove without talking to someone on your phone! It's amazing how accessible we are these days. Just a phone call, a text message, or an e-mail away. Ever want to escape from technology? I sure do, but then again, I would never leave home without it!!

Tag you're it.....

I've been tagged by a friend named Lindsay!
Here is some life changing info about me...

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (**if you’re a non-blogger, you can email them!)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 Random Facts or Habits about me:
1. I love to write. I would love to have something published someday....maybe a children's book or some type of devotional book. It's been a secret talent hidden from many for a while.

2. I don't like to snuggle. When it's time to drift off into dreamland I can't fall asleep if I am being touched. Not an arm, toe, hairy leg. etc. I also can't be breathed on while I'm trying to fall asleep. Poor Steve has to face the opposite direction until I'm alseep.

3. I'm stealing this one from Lindsay...I too do not like to talk to people (friends not included) on the phone. I laughed out loud when I read Lindsay's comment about this because we are so much alike....I wish we lived closer!!! I don't like to call the cable guy, the exterminator, the pizza guy, etc. I don't like to pay bills over the phone because you have to talk to them. When we have a problem with one of our services or need to order food to be delivered, Steve always has to make the call. He says, "Come on Kathryn, just call them." No, I cannot.

4. I grew up on a chicken farm in Arkansas. My dad raises chickens for Tyson. He has 14,000 of them. That's a lot of chickens!!!!!!

5. I do not like to be given flowers because they just die.

6. I do not like surprises....no surprise parties, no secret gifts. I think this is because I am a bit of a control freak and if there is a surprise I do not have control over what it is.

7. Going along with #6, I am a planner. I like to know where we are going, what time we will get there, how long we are staying, what we will do when we get there, and what we need while we are there.

8. I recently discovered that we have the Soap Network on our television. I like to watch Days of our Lives and All My Children. I was so excited to find out we get this channel. There have been times when I have stayed up until midnight to watch AMC or have watched it at 6:00 a.m. No, we do not have tivo or dvr.....that would be too easy for me and it's not in the budget.

Tag you're it....Sharla, Ashley, Allison, Lacey, Julie S., Julie R. Stephanie, Steve. (I tagged my sweet hubby because I'm curious as to what his answers would be!!)

Okaaaaaay Mom!

Sunday mornings are always insane for me. Today was no exception! I am a single mom on Sunday's because Steve leaves the house around 7:30. (He is the youth minister at our church for those that don't already know.) The boys and I don't have to be there until later. I am always in a hurry on Sundays to make it out the door in hopes to arrive to church on time. Most people try to look their best when they go to church....freshly ironed clothes, hair in place, jewelry that matches, etc. Me, on the other hand.....I just try to make sure I have clothes ON when I walk out the door!!! There are TOO MANY Sundays that I end up wearing my hair in a pony tail because I don't have time to fix it. I was up at 6:00 this morning ironing clothes for the four of us, packing Nash's diaper bag, making coffee, and attempting to get dressed before Nash woke up. IF I can get ready before my sweet ones wake up then I tend to make it on time. That did not happen today.

It's funny how your kids know when you're in a hurry. It's like they can sense it or something and decide subconsciously to take their time. That's how Braxton was this morning. He argued with me about fixing his hair. He ate breakfast extra slow. (He wanted an egg, but I didn't have time to fix it so I gave him leftover meatloaf.) He didn't want to wear the shoes I picked out. He didn't want to get dressed. I told him, "Go get your shirt that mommy ironed....it's on the kitchen chair." In his most sarcastic voice, like an annoyed teenager would use, he said, "Okaaaaaaay Mom!" I stopped him in his tracks and gave the speech about how we don't talk to mommy that way because it isn't nice, etc. In his sweetest voice he replied, "Mommy, I did say it nice. It's just that my mouth isn't working too good this morning." (Smile)

A little bit longer....

My sweet little Nash is known to all as a "momma's boy". He loves to snuggle and I'm still having a hard time getting him to go to sleep without nursing or swaying back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He wakes up one or two times at night wanting to be close to momma. And I am a sucker...yes, I pick him up and hold him, love on him, nurse him, do whatever it takes to get him back to sleep. I can't let him "cry it out"....it makes me sad. I KNOW I need sleep and that he needs to learn to put himself back to sleep as well. Maybe we will try that route soon, but I'm not ready yet. (Braxton was not like this....I could lay him down wide awake and wouldn't hear from him until 10-12 hours later.) Oh, how each child is so different!

As I was holding Nash and rocking him at midnight last night, I started to pray....prayed for my boys, our friends' baby James, and a few others God brought to mind. As I rocked I also began to think about my sweet little Nash and how he loves to be held. He cries and cries until I come rescue him from his bed. Then I thought, isn't it like that with us and God sometimes? There are times I feel as if I'm alone in the dark crying, "God, pick me up, hold me, rescue me!!!" And He does......everytime. I feel so safe is God's arms, so secure, at peace and refreshed. Then it's time to put me back down, tell me it's okay, that I'm alright, and that I can do it on my own (with Him of course not far away). But sometimes I want Him to hold me for just a little bit longer and beg "please don't put me down, I'm not ready yet". So last night I rocked my precious baby and held him close.....for a little bit longer.

My Day

I couldn't think of a catchy title, so it's just "my day" because that's what I'm going to write about! We had such a nice day with my parents. Our neighborhood has several great pools to choose from, so we took the kiddos swimming. We packed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon. It is always such fun for Braxton to pack a lunch! We labeled everyone's ziploc bags and he was so proud to show everyone their names. Braxton took swim lessons at the beginning of the summer so he got to show off his skills to Nanny and Pa. It was a great way to spend a hot afternoon in Texas!

While we were at the pool a small wave of depression swept over me. We were not the only family soaking up the sun today. Across from us on a spread of lounge chairs were several moms and their kiddos. These were not just any moms. They were "hot moms".....very tan, washboard abs, bikinis, bleach blonde hair, each with 3-4 children. Where in the world do these moms come from????? I looked at Steve and apologized for him being stuck with me. I am once again motivated to hit the gym, so maybe next summer I will be a "hot mom". :)

My parents kept the kids tonight so Steve and I could go on a REAL date!!! We went to a few shops, got Starbucks, went to dinner and ate good food. I had to remind myself to SLOW DOWN and enjoy my food! I am constantly eating in a rush in order to tend to one of the boys. It was nice to savor my bites!

I'm home now...both kids are in bed at 8:00, and I think I'm going to have a Coke float....I'll work on that whole "hot mom" thing another day.

Cleaning Machine

Isn't it funny how when we have company coming we immediately become cleaning machines? My parents are in their car on their way to visit and my house is almost ready for their arrival. Granted, I have two small children that constantly drag out the items I just put away moments before. Surely that counts for something! I do not like to clean. I do not like to do laundry. I do not like to do dishes. But today I am a cleaning machine! Every other day my son Braxton would know if he needed a pair of underwear, a clean shirt, or a washcloth for the bath to go look on the "little couch" in the living room. :) That is where the never ending pile of clean laundry lives. But not today....the clothes are put away in their spots, the kitchen sink is shiny and smiling at me, and the now hardened peas that have been under the kitchen table for a few days are swept up. I have a roast in the crockpot. My children are dressed and clean at 9:30 in the morning. (Typically we would still be in pajamas.) Just a few more last minute touch ups and we'll be ready for Nanny and Pa. The appearance of an all together mommy and wife is pleasantly in place!

Brothers

Thanks to the help of a friend I think I've got the photo uploading problem solved! Here are my boys! Braxton will be 4 in October and Nash will be 1 in November.

My Funny Kid

I feel as if I live in a house of comedians. If you know my husband, you know he's a jokester. Well, my oldest son, Braxton, is following in daddy's footsteps! Braxton will be 4 in October and he is constantly making us laugh. I wanted to share a conversation that I had with Braxton recently. Although we have had several conversations about where babies come from, for some reason it has been fresh on Braxton's mind. The conversation was actually more one sided because he did most of the talking as I listened intently and tried not to laugh. It went something like this....

"Mom, tell me again how Nash got out of you tummy.
Is there a door? MOM, show me the door! Where is it?
Just show me mommy!"

"Okay, did he come out of your mouth?"

"How about your nose? Did you blow him out?
Come on mom, just tell me."

Funny Kid! His mind is constantly racing and he asked new questions each day. He is very persistent and will not let down until he gets an answer. I am sure to never bore you with Braxton stories because they will always make you smile!

Here it goes.....

Here it goes....I have joined the blogging world! After stalking friends (and strangers) on their blogs I have decided to start my own. Although I wonder, "Who would want to read about me?" I know that there's a select few who would be interested in the craziness of my life...you know who you are!! Hopefully this site will give a glimpse into my daily life, my challenges, what makes me smile, what gets me flustered, and what makes me who I am. I am married to my best friend, Steve. He works hard, loves his family, and is a big kid at heart. We have 2 wonderful boys, Braxton and Nash. They are my complete joy and my complete chaos. There is never a dull moment in my home! I am a newbie to the blogging world, so be patient as I'm learning!