Goodbye 2007...

Last year I did a 2006 wrap-up post. I am going to do the same one for this year. Away we go...

1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?
I am ashamed to say that I can't think of anything AGAIN this year. Very bad

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't usually do traditional resolutions. Here is my No Way list from last year..I think I will do that again. I did an overall good job. The weight thing and the school thing happened, but I just had a kid...give me a break.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
ME AGAIN!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, not this year

5. What countries did you visit?
None...I don't get out much anymore

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007
A little more peace with myself.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
November 9th...the day our little Evan was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Not completely losing my mind. I have had one of those up and down years mentally. Right now, we are good. Very good in fact.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Organization...I can get organized, staying there is the issue.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Sprained my ankle while pregnant. Damn thing still gives me problems on cold days.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Jason bought me my CHI...that is the best thing since sliced bread

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jason's...I know this might be hard for some of you to believe, but I can be hard to live with sometimes. I know...shocking.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one close to me thankfully.

14. Where did most of your money go?
We have four kids...enough said.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Evan's birth mostly

16. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Honestly don't know.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
Happier/fatter (this shall change)/richer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Mommy time. I have gotten bad about asking for it, but Jason always attempts to remind me.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Venting.

20. How did you be spend Christmas?
With our families!

21. Did you fall in love in 2007?
I added another amazing boy to our group and of course I fall in love with Jason over and over all the time.

22. How many one-night stands?
Ummm...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Side Order of Life. I loved that show. I hope they bring it back.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Hate is a waste...same as last year.

25. What was the best book you read?
I didn't read nearly as much this year...kids and all. However, right now I am reading Eat, Pray Love and it is pretty good.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jack's Mannequin

27. What did you want and get?
A baby.. a healthy family...a bigger house

28. What did you want and not get?
More money than I can count, but maybe next year.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Movies? You think I have time for movies? Um..I liked Knocked Up.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Read about it here...the big 27

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Magic pill that allows you to eat whatever you want and not gain weight :-)

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?
Stay at home mom chic...again.

33. What kept you sane?
My hubby...without a doubt! Oh and caffeine...the other love of my life.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Again not a big celeb watcher...but I have a crush on Chad Michael Murray

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
The fact that if Hillary is president we are all in BIG BIG trouble..mark my words!

36. Who did you miss?
My family!

37. Who was the best new person you met?
AMANDA!!!!

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007.
God's silence can be a blessing...

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
"Cause every time you hold me in your arms
I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth" -- Bubbly, Colbie Caillat

The life...

That would be my dad...on the beach. My parents are down in Mexico for two weeks. And yes, I am very jealous.

Random-osity...

Totally random post...

* My mom made my sister in law and me scarves and hats for Christmas. She is so crafty and talented. Aren't we cute?

* I don't *do* New Year's Resolutions because I think they just set you up for failure. But I do have several goals that I would like to work toward this year. More on that later, but one of them is to get back to blogging on a regular basis.

* I make really horrible faces when playing video games...especially Guitar Hero. I have a picture, but I will not post.

* I have recently started watching One Tree Hill reruns. OK so I DVR it and watch it when I nurse Evan. How did I not catch on to this show when it started? It is like 90210 but so much better.

* I need new clothes in the worst way, but I refuse to buy any right now. I need to drop at least one size before I buy anything.

* Evan is already 7 weeks old...WHAT?!?!?!

* Chase is building the biggest and funniest vocabulary. Currently "cool" and "ice" are is favorite words. Oh yes and "poop...shew shew...baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad"

* Austin and Brodie are out of school until the 3rd. Usually we leave them in Lubbock over Winter Break, but this year we wanted to have them home. Today we are going to visit our old neighbors. Their youngest daughter and the boys used to play all the time and they are all excited to see each other. Should be fun.

* Having my fourth child has had one unexpected effect on me. I am turning into a total homebody. I don't know if it is cause it just takes so much effort to get everyone out or what, but I just am not out as much as normal. Hmmmmm...

Home...

We are home from our few days in Lubbock. The trip was good, but too short. Jason, Chase and Evan ended up fighting a cold the whole time.

I have lots of laundry and cleaning to do. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

Pictures of our trip can be seen here...I wasn't quite as good about taking lots of pictures as normal due to dealing with a baby with a cold.

Back soon with a better post.

Slacker...

That's what I have been with regards to this blog...total slacker. I feel I have good excuses, but really they aren't that good. It seems every time I sit down to write something I am called away by a child. Have you ever felt busy doing a whole lot of nothing? You know, just daily life, but nothing you could really say, "Oh today I had such a productive day." Truth is I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately. Not by the kids, just by the tasks I need to do and that I am not getting done. Oh well...there is always the new year.

We are gearing up to head to Lubbock for Christmas. I actually am letting Austin and Brodie play hooky from school for the day as well. Today is a short school day and they are going to do nothing but watch movies, so instead I am keeping them home for slave labor. OK, not really. Truth is everyone in the house, but me is trying to get sick. Brodie threw up last night and has a sore throat, Austin has a sore throat, Jason's head is stopped up, Chase is sneezey and snotty and Evan even sounds a little nasally. It would figure! I did get a surprise last night. Jason gave me part of my Christmas early. It was too big to take with us and bring back so he just let me have it. I got a new coffee machine. It is is so cool and perfect for us since we don't drink a zillion cups of coffee a day so there is not waste. LOVE IT! Jason and I enjoyed some coffee this morning!

The boys were very excited that Santa called them last night. I have to type this fast before Austin walks in (since he can read and all). I want to share with you guys the story behind our yearly Santa calls. When I was a kid every year without fail Santa called me. It was one of the highlights of my Christmas. He would call and do the "Ho Ho Ho" bit and ask what I wanted and if I was being good. It wasn't until I was probably 16 or 17 that I found out who that "Santa" was. It was my Big Daddy (grandpa for you non-southerners). He has since carried the tradition over to my kids. I actually got teared up last night when he called to talk to them. SO awesome. Jason even thinks its cool.

So, I feel like I have a million things to share, but my bags are not packing themselves.

I hope you all have a VERY Merry Christmas. I may post a few short posts from Lubbock, but don't hold your breath!

Send them my way...

During this time of year about 4 out of every 10 news stories has to do with something involving Christmas shopping it seems (I totally just pulled that out of thin air...I rock that way). I keep hearing them talk about how much money in gift cards goes unused every year. Thus, scaring people away from buying gift cards.

People...if you don't want your gift card send it to me. Seriously.

I don't understand this. I looooooooooooooove gift cards. Don't get me wrong. I love when people buy me a gift as well, especially when they have put a lot of thought into it. But, I am not the easiest person to shop for. Neither is my husband for the record. I love that gift cards allow me to put money towards something I would not normally buy myself. I just don't understand how people can "forget" to use them. IT'S FREE MONEY TO SHOP WITH PEOPLE!!!

So, if you get a gift card this season and fear that you will not use it, just send it my way...especially ones to Target (cause I love Target almost as much as I love my own kids) and any place that sells over priced kitchen gadgets.

Sonic Addiction...

You know you drop by Sonic a little too often (caffeine fix) when the carhop says, "Hey, we haven't seen you in a while."

Hmmmm....Do I tell her that it is because I have been going in the mornings instead of the afternoons now?

No, look over here....stop it...

Trying to take a picture of all four boys is pretty much impossible. Here are some outtakes from our "photo session" last night.

One month...

The first few months of all the boys lives have always gone by REALLY fast. However, this last month has just flown.

Evan is officially one month old today. He is starting to smile at us and is waking up to the world around him. I am just amazed by all my boys. I am even more amazed that I am not more tired.

It started out a good day...

But...it turned out to be a bit of a pain in the butt day. This morning Jason worked around on some things outside and let the the older boys help him work on his car and stuff. It was good.

This afternoon I made our grocery list, pumped a bottle for Evan and headed to the grocery. I got to the store only to have my phone ring...it was Jason. The dogs had gotten into a fight. You see, one of our dogs, Beau has a bit of a food issue. He will snap about food, but normally Mojo puts him in his place. Today, Beau decided that he just wasn't having it. Leaving Mojo with an open wound on his chest. So, I left the store and came home to help Jason with the kids an decide what to do about Mojo. We both agreed that he needed to go to the vet just to prevent infection if nothing else. Jason just called from the vet's office. They are going to leave the wound open because apparently there is an air bubble in it or something and it will heal better left alone. They are flushing it out and putting him on antibiotics. Beau is outside pouting.

And I thought the kids were a lot of trouble.

It's begininng to look a lot like Christmas...

Our tree is up, the lights are up on the house and it is actually quite chilly this morning. All this has me in the Christmas mood. I love Christmas.

I do not, however, love what the Christmas season does to some people. People get grouchy and insane. I think a lot of it is the pressure that we put on ourselves this time of year. Our kids need the latest and greatest toys and gadgets right? We need to buy all of our "friends" something that will WOW them and make them realize how truly awesome we are, right? We need to bake the perfect cookies to take to that party, right?

NO! People you are missing the point of the entire holiday. So, I am issuing a challenge to all of my friends. Everyday for the rest of December take 5 minutes to reflect on your life. Try to remember that the latest and greatest toys do not really make your kids the happiest kids. Remember that your friends love you for you, not for the amount of money you can spend on them. Most of all remember the real reason for Christmas. Jesus...He has already given you the best gift and everything else pales in comparison.

Three weeks...

The first picture was Evan at 1 day old. The second picture is at 3 weeks old (I promise he is not that pale...bad lighting).

I can chunk up some cheeks in a hurry on a baby.

I don't have much time to write, but I couldn't let Evan's 3 week birthday pass by without acknowledgement. He is such a good baby. And handsome too!

That kind of day...

As I sat down to write this post I spilled an entire glass of chocolate milk in my lap and all over my desk. It has been that kind of day today...

This week had been going really well. With Austin and Brodie back in school after Thanksgiving break and Jason back at work full time, Chase, Evan and I were getting ourselves on a pretty good little schedule. I have been working on just figuring out how to make everything work. I have decided that adding a fourth child isn't hard...adding a baby when you have an 18 month old is. Up until today things have been going well.

Chase has thrown up today...several times. I will be shampooing the couch in the morning (and the carpet under my desk now). Even before the sickies hit I was having a hard time getting in a groove today. Everything just wasn't gelling together. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow.

As a side note: I took Evan in for his two week check up on Monday. I am continuing the grand tradition of being a super baby grower. Evan has gained two pounds in two weeks. Yes, I my milk is super milk!!!

Lazy Days

This is pretty much all we have been doing lately. Productive I know!

I promise we are alive...

We are just trying to find our rhythm and that isn't always easy. Things are going pretty well. Chase is having some adjustment issues, but nothing that won't be solved once this week is over and I can pick him up again and resume normal Mommy duties with him. We have had people in and out of the house of course. My mom has been here this whole time and has been an absolute angel. She is taking care of everything for me and allowing me to just be with the kiddos. My dad drove his Harley down this weekend and stayed with us to meet the newest addition. My grandmother is also in town visiting, though she has gotten ill and is at my aunt's house, she did get to meet Evan. My mom will be going home tomorrow after being gone almost two weeks. My in laws will be back for Thanksgiving. So as you can see, things will probably be quiet around here for the rest of the week as well. After this week I will be allowed to resume normal activities and hopefully we can start to resume some sort of schedule. Wish me luck :-)

Settling in...

We are all settling in at home. It will obviously be a few weeks before any state of normalcy can be established, but so far so good. Our biggest issue is Chase not understanding why I can not pick him up.

I will keep everyone posted on the goings on as well as letting you all know when I have all the pictures put up...right now I am off to nap.

Come and meet our new one!!!

He is finally here!

Everyone meet Evan Kade!

7lbs 3 oz 20 inches long

Born at 1:26 pm today

Mommy and baby are doing great. Better update coming!

Just about time...

Well....I am here at the hospital. No major contractions, but I am dilated to four so they are keeping me. They will break my water in the morning if it doesn't happen before then.

Right now they are about to give me an Ambien and I am off to dream land. SWEEEEET!

The next update should include details of Evan's arrival.

Night Night all!

Waiting...

It is dark in my house and cold (which I loooooooooove). Everyone is sleeping except for me. I have been having contractions for over 24 hours now, but they are not getting strong yet or regular for that matter. THIS is the annoying part of pregnancy...the waiting. My mom decided to go ahead and come on down so that I can relax just in knowing that she is here when the big event does happen. I hope I didn't call her down here for nothing. I keep getting the comment, "You would think with your fourth kid you would be more sure about what is going on". I realize this, BUT each of my pregnancies and deliveries have been VASTLY different. The funny thing is that Evan has dropped so low that I am having trouble keeping my pants pulled up. Quite funny given how big I am right now.

The plan for today is to walk, walk, walk, walk. Even if it doesn't produce anything, it sure beats sitting around wondering.

(Beckie, we have Internet at the hospital....there will be at the very least an announcement ASAP after the little one makes his arrival)

Quick Update...

Busy day, but I wanted to put up a little update.

Went to my doctor yesterday. I am still 2 cm dilated, but VERY soft. Evan's head is not floating any longer which is surprising since my last two babies did not engage until I was in full blown labor. So hopefully we are looking at having a baby anytime now. I hate this waiting part of pregnancy, but am doing my best to not get impatient.

That being said, I am going to go do some shopping and major walking to try to get some action started!!!

Tales of Poop Water and Other Such Goings On...

It has been an interesting few days around here. I will sum up...

* As you can see, Chase shares my distaste for laundry. Afterall, why use the dryer for clothes when it is the perfect place to play with your toys.

* Speaking of Chase...he has a new found obsession with Spiderman. I was telling Jason this morning I think it is funny to see the difference big brothers make in kids. When Austin was little he stayed interested in things like Bear and the Big Blue House (I miss that show) and Blue's Clues well on until he was 3 years old. Brodie started to grow out of that kind of stuff earlier because Austin was moving on as well. Chase has skipped right over some of the little kid stuff. He goes straight for Spiderman and Spongebob cause he wants to be like his brothers.

* We had a plumbing incident on Friday. It was pretty gross. We have noticed since moving in this house since May that things get clogged easily (HI, I have all boys!). Well, this wasn't just a "Honey we need the plunger" moment. We had STANDING water in the showers and bathtub. It was so disgusting. It took Jason snaking the outside line to finally free it all. We also discovered that the people that lived here before us were hairy and nasty.

* The aforementioned incident resulted in much bleach and much Lysol being used. Hazmat was on standby.

* My energy level is officially in the toilet (HA TOILET!). I hope this means Evan is coming soon. Last night for about an hour it felt like he was literally trying to poke his way out. Fun stuff folks!

* I really wish I could figure out how to get Chase to sleep better. Seriously.

* Shana, you should be proud. I am starting my Christmas shopping today. AND IT ISN'T EVEN THANKSGIVING! However, decorating can not happen until the appropriate date!

* Jason's work threw him a surprise baby party Friday. We scored a big ass gift card to Target. What better store could there be?

* I was folding clothes yesterday and noticed how big Austin's clothes are compared to Chase's. It just isn't good for my emotions.

Everybody was kung fu fighting...

Halloween was a great success this year. Honestly, I didn't get into it much this year. It is usually one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it is the pregnancy. *shrug*

As you can see the boys were all ninjas. Chase was VERY proud of the few pieces of candy he got. He kept stopping along the way and showing everyone his "'nack" as he says. I was also surprised that Austin and Brodie were pretty satisfied after only being gone about 20-30 minutes.

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween.

When Will Evan Make His Debut?

By popular demand I have decided to open betting on when Evan will arrive and how much you think he will weigh. To make it fair to everyone I will give you all the information I know of that might help you:

~Due Date: November 16th (as dated by ultrasound at 7 weeks)
~At my 20 week ultrasound Evan measured one week big.
~As of Monday 10/29 I am 2 centimeters dilated and about 50% effaced.
~This was a big change since I was not dilated at all 6 days prior.
~Austin was born at 37 weeks (I was induced due to pre-eclampsia) and weighed 6lbs 14 oz.
~Brodie was born 4 days after due date weighing 7lbs 10oz.
~Chase was born 3 days after due date weighing 7lbs 13 oz.
~I am now officially waddling when I do not make a conscious effort not too...I have never waddled in past pregnancies....EVER. Through this whole pregnancy I have carried Evan high....until this week.


So, what's your guess? Leave me a comment with a date and time you think Evan will be born and give a guess as to how big you think he will be.

Two is better than none...

Well, I am 2 cm dilated. Now, I was 2 cms when I was pregnant with Chase for two weeks, BUT I never went from zero to 2 in one week.

I am very excited about this.

I have more to say, but I also have a sick toddler who is requesting Mommy.

He wins over you people.

Pumpkin patch...

Just thought I would post a picture from the pumpkin patch. We had fun even if we didn't stay too long (our clan is all getting that dang cold again). As you can see Chase did NOT want to sit still for the pictures...he was way too busy!

We need a bigger bed...

The boys all love to pile into our bed and watch TV at night. I think we might need to get a bigger bed!

Negative Nancy...

That's me! I have resisted the urge to blog lately just because I am tired of my negative attitude so I know everyone else is. On to better things...

After today I will have everything ready so that if I go into labor nothing horrible will be left behind. I bought all the stuff to have my bag packed and ready to go. This I am sure will make Jason happy since I won't be telling him he brought me the wrong lotion :-) There are still minor things to work out, but Evan could come any time now. I even have my diaper bag on the way (SOOOO freaking cute) and my baby sling. Better late than never.

Speaking of...I am officially 37 weeks today...FULL TERM BABY! However, my last two boys were a few days past due date, so I am pretty much braced for 3 more weeks. Now that the weather has turned cooler it isn't so bad. If it was still in the 90s I would be even bitchier!!! I know hard to believe.

When life gets in the way...

No I have not gone into labor (as of yesterday I am 50% effaced, but no dilation yet). I did ditch out on the blog for a few days due to sick kiddos. Brodie had to be picked up from school yesterday since he was running a fever and is home again today.

I will post more later, but I did want to hop on and mention something. I am now a contributing blogger at Larger Families. It is a website with about a dozen bloggers, all with larger than normal size families. I am really excited about it. In fact, my first post is up. Run on over and check it out!

It's Official...

I am tired of being pregnant.

Now, you all know as well as I do that in a year or two I am going to be pining for the days of pregnancy and all the good stuff that goes along with it....BUT, right now I am done.

How did I reach this point? Well, you see, when BREATHING AIR gives you heartburn you have pretty much reached your breaking point. Ever since my last stomach attack I have been pretty careful about what I eat. That seems have helped the gallbladder and/or reflux thing. However, it seems to have done nothing for the heartburn. Drinking water even seems to be a culprit.

Not to mention Evan has now found the oh so fun pastimes of bladder bongos and sciatic nerve rolling.

Big Brother in the Making...

So Chase loves his new baby doll. Here he is rocking him...right before he tossed him to the ground.

I never said it wasn't still a work in progress...

I really need to stop...

I was once again going through some pictures today.....and well.

LOST IT! Snot running BAWLING!

This picture was taken the day Brodie was born...

Austin was so smitten with his little brother from the moment he crawled up on my bed to see him. We sometimes call Austin "little mother hen" because he is always worried about his brothers...to the point of smothering them. Though he and Brodie fight a lot, they are still best buds.

I need to go get more tissues now.

*I just saw the difference in Austin in this picture and in the one from the last post...it did not help the snot situation any*

Should have been an 80's child...

This child is obsessed with hairspray. I can not explain this as hairspray is one of the few hair and body products that I am not fond of and rarely use. I have some for emergencies. Austin has taken over control of doing his hair for school. It has to pass my inspection, but I let him do it. We have always used gel on his hair. The poor child has the most obstinate cowlick. I noticed over the last few weeks that his hair has been getting increasingly "sticky" when he is done doing his hair. I finally figured out why. He decided to use hairspray on his wet hair instead of gel. Given that he is 7 and his arms aren't exactly long you can imagine how well distributed the hairspray is. The word globs comes to mind. I have banned him from hairspray and told him he must use gel. So imagine my surprise when I hear "sprrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrshhhhhhhhhhhh" coming from my bathroom this morning.

Austin's defense of his use of hairspray: "I used gel first, Mom, but it just didn't make it shiny enough".

Yeah...

Confessions...

I would be a complete liar if I said that I wasn't nervous about adding this new baby to the mix. Not petrified nervous, but nervous nonetheless.

Most of my nerves just come from realizing that unlike when Chase was a baby I won't be able to really nap much with this baby. Chase is slowly showing signs that he is ready to move from two naps a day to one, which will only add to the challenge of finding time to rest. Not to mention that I worry about having enough time for Austin and Brodie. While I am a laid back mom and I know things will work into their own rhythm, I am just beginning to feel the nervousness of what the first few months hold. Chase is only going to be 18 months old when Evan is born. Chase has always been a pretty crazy child. You have to watch him like a hawk and he is very jealous of his Mommy's time. However, he is also a very sweet child and loves to look at babies when we are out and about. I am seriously considering buying him a baby doll so that he can take care of it while I am taking care of Evan. Just don't tell Jason.

That all being said....I can't wait!

Animal House...

(Mojo and Cloe)

Anyone who reads my blog knows that our house is crazy just due to my having three active boys and a hilarious husband. We also have four animals, two dogs and two cats. So yea, it is a little nutty around here. I took this picture last night because I am always posting pictures of my kids on the blog, but really the animals are our kids too. I have rarely come across more spoiled animals in my life...OK other than my mom's dogs. Jason and I both have to fight the urge to have more animals. We want another dog so badly we can hardly stand it. If I wasn't due with Evan in 4 1/2 weeks I guarantee you that we would get a dog in the next month. Since we don't think it would be wise to try to house train a new puppy and deal with adding another child to the mix at the same time we have been setting up our saltwater aquarium. The process for it started about a month ago. Saltwater is harder to set up than fresh water just because you have to let everything sit and get just right before you can add fish. Well, we have added fish. I will try to get a picture tomorrow, but they are still being really shy. They are our tester fishes. Hopefully they will live while Jason is gone for the next few days. I already have 7 mouths to feed on a daily basis (not including Jason), hopefully our three new fish and the new crab will not be forgotten.

Special...

Everyone say HI to Shana. She is going to kill me for posting this picture, but I thought it was so good of her (YES, Shana even if your hair is curly). The girl is always on the phone. It works!

Today Shana got together a few of our friends for a small baby shower lunch for me. It was lovely and perfect since I did not want a full blown shower this time around. And really, we need to do girl lunches a little more often anyway. Jason's favorite gift we got was a tiny little Texas Tech hat. He was so excited...thanks Amanda.

Blog Material Falls From the Monkey Bars...

Look closely at Brodie's shirt. Do you see the sticker? Sometimes blog material just comes to you. I got a call yesterday just before noon from Brodie's school saying he bumped his head. Due to schools being crazy afraid of being sued by crazy people they call if they even THINK a kid bumped his head. They iced it, he was fine. Not even a bump really.

When he walked out of school wearing that sticker I laughed so hard. I think I actually said out loud, "BLOG MATERIAL!"

So how did it happen? Anyone who knows Brodie knows that he isn't always the most graceful child. He is the king of running into things. Well, at recess he was hanging upside down on the monkey bars and when he tried to reach up to get off he slipped and fell. While that image alone in my head makes me laugh, as he is telling me about it he had to act it out. Made my day. (Does it make me a bad mom that I laugh about stuff like this?)

Who knew that monkey bars could provide parents so much entertainment?

She's doing the "ugly cry"...

I was cleaning out one of my photo accounts online and found this picture. This was taken on Austin's first day of Kindergarten. DO YOU SEE HOW LITTLE THEY ARE?!?!?!

It is a cry-fest over here now.

LaShawn day...not a total bust.

So, today was supposed to be LaShawn Day. Turns out only part of it was. I woke up this morning completely out of it due to being up all night coughing. After taking the boys to school I came home did some emailing and went back to bed. I watched the news from bed a bit and talked to Jason on his way to yet another airport and then decided I needed a good nap.

Skip to when I woke up at 11:00. By the time I got up and got awake my day was half over. I took a shower and again got sucked into computer related things. I didn't leave the house until after 1:00. So I stopped and ate a sandwich and then went to the bookstore. The bookstore was lovely. I love bookstores and can spend an insane amount of time walking through them if I am alone. I grabbed some Starbucks on my way out. I had about 45 minutes once done there before I had to get the boys. Not enough time for my planned pedicure so I ran to Walmart to get some things for supper. Now, grocery shopping should not be allowed on LaShawn Day, but oh well. Then I got the boys.

SOOOOO...LaShawn Day is extended into tomorrow. In the morning Aunt Kree and I are going to go get pedicures. And since I am feeling lovey towards myself I am going to throw in a manicure too.


*I couldn't help but do a Halloween header*

I declare a LaShawn Day...

Tomorrow, Ocotber 10th, is officially LaShawn Day around here.

Jason is out of town...Chase is out of town...the boys are in school. Why am I not doing something nice for myself?

At first, my plans for tomorrow were to clean house a bit and work on the kids rooms. Then I realized...I need to do something nice for JUST ME. I originally said I was going to have a "Mommy" Day. But the thing is that is what I am going to be rebelling against. I am always being MOMMY. Tomorrow, from the hours of 8am until 3pm I am going to be LaShawn. I am going to go to the bookstore and I might even get a pedicure. I am going to sit outside Starbucks and read the paper.

The point being...I am going to spend the day with myself and I am not going to once feel guilty that I have laundry sitting at home.

Not exactly the Smurfs...

Jason and I took Austin and Brodie to see The Blue Man Group last night. We had so much fun. The show was especially good because it has obvious kid appeal...music, lights, drums, silly guys painted blue...BUT it also has great jokes and social commentary that are fun for the adults. The boys kept telling Jason thank you for getting the tickets. It was a really fun "big boy" night. **Just as a side note...Mike Relm, who opened for the group was amazing and fun to watch...check out his MySpace here**

This week is going to be an odd one. Chase is gone to Lubbock to visit for a week and half and Jason is out of town for work until late Thursday night. It is just the big boys and mom this week. Since the boys were out of school today we did some shopping and hanging out. I am trying to think of things to do this week that they normally don't get to do because of little brother. I think later in the week or early next week we are going to go to this cool pottery painting place. FUN STUFF!

It starts today...

Much like a diet today starts a challenge. Shana and I have been talking about how we are not good bloggers lately. So starting today for the REST OF OCTOBER (did you hear that Shana?) I will be posting everyday and I also will have a new picture everyday. We did this back in November and it was good. So.....

Here we go. (this post does not count as my one for the day)

34 Weeks...

I will be 34 weeks tomorrow. My how time is flying. This is a FLATTERING picture because my stomach is HUGE right now. I don't know how it is going to get bigger for 6 more weeks!!!

I am lucky...

I have a VERY wonderful husband. I feel like I have been hard on him lately, just due to being pregnant and tired. So, I am here to say, I know how very lucky I am. Jason is a WONDERFUL father and husband.

That is all...

Catch up...

My mom came this weekend and brought my nephew. It was so nice because I rarely get to see Cason, much less have him without competition from other people. There are a few photos here.

I can not believe that tomorrow is October! I am feeling more and more prepared for Evan's arrival. October, however, also brings a last minute blitz for Jason at work. He will be gone off and on for a few days at a time almost every week in October...LA, Philly, Cincinnati, Atlanta...whew! It had to get done before he took time off for Evan's arrival, so we are cramming it in. It will be odd to have him gone. Especially since we are also trying to finish up a few projects around the house. Mostly, I am looking forward to some cooler weather!

I will have more posts this week, but right now my kids are chanting, "SNACK SNACK SNACK".

Blogger love...

Now I feel bad for being negative lately. Kelli has given me this award....YAY! I will pass it on soon I promise.

Thanks Kelli!!!!

Bland and Tasteless...

I have about a million things I want to post about today, but don't have time to post them all. SOOOOOOOO...I will go with what has been going on with me. Over the weekend I had another "stomach attack". I say it like that because we really don't know what it is. It has happened about 5 times since July. The first time we blamed it on a stomach virus. We are waiting on some results from some blood work and then we will go for there. The three things that are most likely the culprit are: reflux (though my symptoms are not very consistent with it..this is what I HOPE it is cause it is the least worrisome), liver, or gallbladder. OR, it really could be coincidence and I may just be picking up random stomach bugs. OK, so that is four..I can't count.

I feel better now, but it was HORRID over the weekend. Poor Jason. I am grumpy anyway when I don't feel good, but add 32 weeks pregnant to the mix and well...it ain't pretty! My doctor has advised that I go on a very bland diet either until we figure it out OR until I deliver. Which after delivery I will be dieting anyway, so really it doesn't matter. Sandwiches are quickly becoming my go to meal.

Otherwise, the pregnancy is going great. I went in to the OB yesterday. I am now measuring right on for my due date and his heart rate sounded wonderful. My weight actually maintained from two weeks ago (mostly due to the stomach thing I am sure).

So now I must go and attempt to find my house. I know it is under all this crap somewhere. Subject of posts to come...."Moms don't get sick days" and "Why people who cause drama suck."

Take care all!

I am just boring these days...

You get random things today...just because I need to post.

* Jason and I went to the Dallas Stars game on Tuesday night. His company owns a box at the American Airlines Center. Awesome seats. Fun time. Very nice to get out for a few hours kid-free (thanks Kree and Chris).

* After an easy pregnancy I am entering the "OH MY GAWD I CAN NOT GET COMFORTABLE NO MATTER WHAT I DO" phase. Seriously. Every part of my body feels huge and yucky and it just isn't pretty.

* Chase (the monkey) can climb UP a very steep curly slide. He did this at Chick-fil-a yesterday. He thought it was HILARIOUS and refused to come back down. My friend Amanda had to climb up into the tubes and get him. Thank goodness she is the size of a 14 year old!

* Austin has had a bad week at school. He is grounded. However, I found out what is the worst punishment for him. We went to Walmart yesterday and on the way home I told him that when Jason got home from work that HE was going to tell Jason what happened at school. Austin FLIPPED OUT! Like hyperventilate almost throw up freak out. He did not want to disappoint Jason. Jason handle it really well and told him he needed to shape up and get back to doing what is expected of him. We shall see.

* 8 more weeks (give or take) until I am done being pregnant forever. Despite being uncomfortable I am a little sad about that, but very ready.

* We have chosen a first name....Evan. Got any middle name ideas?

Unprepared you say?

I am due in less than 9 weeks with this little guy and guess how much stuff I have gotten ready for him......

NONE! NOTHING! NADA!

I know you get more laid back with each kid, but I think we are taking it a bit too far.

Big Trouble...

So not only does Austin have his first official girlfriend, BUT Brodie's two best friends at school are both girls. The one in the picture is Alex. Good news about this is that Alex's mom is awesome. First mom I have gotten along with in quite awhile. We met up and let the kids see if they could break the windows of Burger King with their voices this afternoon. Brodie sure knows how to pick 'em.

I am in so much trouble.

You don't say...

Yea, so he takes after his mom. Chase's new favorite thing to do is to "talk" on the phone. He will get the cordless and laugh and cover his mouth and carry on. It is REALLY adorable. However, he won't do it if someone is actually on the other end of the line.

This post brought to you by the fact I have nothing really interesting to say right now.

#2...

Brodie is often referred to as "#2". He was the second born so it makes sense. I was just thinking though that it is fitting for another reason.

He is an opportunistic pooper.

I know there is a collective, "HUH?" going on out there right now.....let me 'splain.

Me: "Brodie, you need to go clean your room."
Brodie: "After I poop."

Me: "Brodie you guys need to hurry up and get ready for school."
Brodie: "I have to poop."

Me: "Brodie you go get your shoes on".
Me (10 mins later when there is no sign of Brodie): "BRODIE...WHERE ARE YOU?"
Brodie: "Pooping".

Me: "Brodie go brush your teeth and get ready for bed."
Brodie: "I am pooping".

Now, a lot of you a probably thinking that he doesn't need to go at all and is just playing in the bathroom. Well, if he is then he is hiding stink bombs in his pockets.

Look Ma...

The big deal about this is that he pulled it himself. That is of course after many tears when I told him that if he didn't we would. Still.

Stop being me...

Why is that the most annoying aspects of our children's personalities are the traits that are the most like ourselves? It must be karma for what we did to our parents.

Mom and Dad,

I am sorry for dawdling when it was 100 degrees outside. I am sorry for rolling my eyes when I *thought* you weren't looking. I am sorry for thinking that I knew more than you. I am sorry for talking loudly ALL THE TIME. I am sorry for guilt tripping you for needing time away from me. Most of all, I am sorry I don't have the three hours it would take to complete this list.


Oh and they aren't even in the teenage years yet.

Labor Day...

It is only fitting that we put the boys to work on Labor Day. Jason and the older two are busy painting the toy room and the boys rooms. Me? I am staying out of the way and doing laundry.

Happy Labor Day All!

He's a Cowboy Baby...

Yesterday we went to Bowie to watch my sister in law ride. As you can see the boys had a lot of fun....and Jason too. Thanks for the fried pickles Mandy :-)

*blush*...

I had to jump online quickly before taking the boys to school and tell you all thank you. I often check my email in the mornings while the boys eat breakfast and I was overwhelmed by the amount of email I had this morning. Yes, it is my birthday today. Though it feels as though it has been going on for a few days. When cards started arriving in the mail on Wednesday, Brodie and Austin figured it out and immediately started drawing my cards and pictures and sneaking around the house "wrapping" trinkets for me. IT was beyond sweet. The loverly Aunt Kree took me out to lunch yesterday and then treated me to a MUCH needed pedicure (can you say caveman feet?). Jason gave me my present early and since he knew how badly I wanted it (a Chi flat iron....heaven on Earth). I also got a beautiful new necklace and earrings from my in laws. I am all pregnant and emotional so each of the well wishes has made me tear up. So thank you....

I will now be taking my place as Diva for the day.

How is that different from any other day? I don't know.

*no time to proof read or spellcheck...pardon*

Say It Ain't So...

Austin came home from school today and in a very shy voice (yes, Austin, shy voice) told me that he has a girlfriend. It took every bit of my Mommy training to keep me from screaming, "LIKE HELL YOU DO!!!!" I just sat there and said, "Oh really? What is her name?"

The lowdown: Her name is Toby. They share a locker. He told her he liked her and they decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend.

I, of course, did what any seasoned Mom would do...I called my mom. During my freak out she said these words that brought me back down from the edge...

"At least he didn't announce he has a boyfriend."

Holy Crap...

I did the math today (Yes, Jason in my head)...

There will come a time in the future that I will have children in high school, middle school AND elementary school all at once. That freaks me out almost as much as thinking about how big our grocery bill will be.

Two Down...

Today was the first day of school. I wrote last year about how sending Austin to first grade was harder than Kindergarten for me. Well, Brodie starting school was HARD! Not for him, he practically ran in. It was hard for me. I was proud of myself though...I didn't cry until I walked back home.

Generic Update...

*28 weeks preggo*

We have gone to the doctor a lot this week for checkups so I thought I would give a generic update now. I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat.

I had an OB appointment on Wednesday. Everything is still looking fine. She again confirmed that my weight is fine and on target despite my imagining my ass exploding at any moment. OK, not really. I know I haven't gained THAT much, but I am gaining it in an unattractive manner. Oh well. Not much I can do about it. Just more work for after baby. Speaking of baby, we still don't have a name. This child may just be known as "D". I go back to the doctor in 3 weeks then I start going every 2 weeks. I can't believe I am already 28 weeks.

Brodie had his 5 year checkup on Thursday. Everything looked great and he was even happier about the fact he didn't need shots. I have suspected for a while that Brodie might turn out to be bigger than Austin when they get older, well looks like I might be right. Austin, by the time he was5, was pretty much right in the middle of the pack height and weight wise. Brodie is in the 75th percentile for both. I guess my threats to Austin that one day when Brodie is bigger than him he is going to thump the crap out of him for picking on him might not be threats after all.

Chase also went in on Thursday. Can you believe he is 15 months old? He was not so lucky in the shot department, he had to have two. He is also looking great and getting tall. He is in the 80th percentile for height, but he hasn't gained any weight in quite sometime so he is only 50th for weight. Our doctor isn't too concerned about it yet since he is such an active kid. Seriously, he never sits still. Even in his sleep. Ask Jason...he got poked in the nose at 3 am the other morning and bled all over the bed.

Well, that is all for my generic update. You may all go back to your lives now.