Everyone has left and it's just the kids, myself and my parents at the lake now. We had a lot of fun the last two and a half days. Here are some photos to show you what we've been up to:

Aunt Jennifer with Anne Morgan, Drake, Sophie, Christopher and Hunter watching who knows what on tv. We actually didn't do much of this, but it was the best way of getting everyone distracted when fights were getting out of control.



We rode miles and miles on the plasma cars. Oddly enough you don't have to weigh the most to win races. Watch out for next month's issue of Hot Rod magazine. This little cutie just might make the cover.



And look for this little beauty anywhere her mommy and daddy are. She will be one in July and has been doing lots of walking lately. She is second to plasma cars on the list (the kids' list, not adults) of popular things when this family gets together.


The boys had their first crush this weekend. Mom and Dad's neighbors have two children that are so kind and love coming over to visit. Gracen (sp?) will be in the 3rd grade next year and the boys were totally smitten with her. Christopher would tell everyone she was here when she would come over to play. If you asked him where his "girlfriend" went he respond quickly without thinking twice about what you just said. Oh boy.


The boys went on an adventure to meet more neighbors. They love to make new friends and explore in the woods.


Lights that we hung up for the holiday weekend. I have a feeling they will make an appearance in several weeks when we all meet back here again.


Caroline was sweet enough (and smart enough) to help Sophie finish off Christopher's ice cream when he was full. Lots of these were eaten this weekend too!


Christopher, Hunter and Drake had more fun jumping off the dock and swimming this year. I can't wait until Sophie reaches this point, but she's a little afraid right now. There is peace in having your children comfortable around water. This is one of the things we work on at a very young age. Hopefully Sophie will be there by the end of the summer.





The boys playing in the pile of dirt next to the driveway. They love getting dirty. Then clean. Then dirty again. Then swimming. Eventually we just quit bathing them.

The kids and I are going to be around a little bit longer and are looking forward to visiting with some friends while we are here. This is my favorite place on earth and so thankful that my parents decided to live here. (Thank you to Kyle and Caroline for the photos. I never pulled my camera out the whole time.)

i appreciate those of you who appreciate my honesty. those who don't, well, you just don't understand what it's like to be us. and they probably don't read my blog very much. (or they won't after today.)

just wanted to say that we are having a better day. except i keep hearing, "mommy, you have to play with me." and "mommy, will you please play with me?" and no matter where i am i seem to be i have ZERO personal space. and i need that. just ask anyone who knows me.

what is it with little kids wanting to on top of you all the time? i'm losing train of thought. i figured out why the last few days have been so "moody" and that made me feel better. don't you hate that? you feel out of control and yell and stuff and then wake up one morning and think, "oh, THAT'S why!" gotta love it. ok, i better run before i get in trouble for being "too honest" again.

I am ready to get out of town. We are going to the lake this weekend and I can't wait. The kids and I are frustrating each other. I'm not exactly sure what is behind all of it, but I think we are just on each other's nerves. And now they fight with each other. Like punching each other fight. So far it hasn't been hard enough to seriously hurt anyone, but still. They are either being rude, pulling on my clothes, won't stop when I tell them to (after saying it numerous times and getting louder), making dirty messes, WHINING when asked to do anything, rubbing all over my legs (which I find totally annoying by the way) or constantly at my feet. I feel like I have these tiny little yippy dogs at my feet that I'm trying not to step on, but they won't go away either.

Now I want to make clear that I do not find my children as annoying as tiny little yippy dogs, but they are just always at my feet. My poor husband wonders why I don't want to sit next to him, much less cuddle, at night. It's b/c Christopher has rubbed all feeling off of my legs and Sophie has tried to rip my clothes off, literally, or climbed all over me (whether I'm sitting or standing) ALL... D A Y... L O N G.

Did I ever tell you about the time I was ordering lunch at Chick-fil-a and Sophie grabbed hold of my jeans pocket and swung from it? Feet off the ground and moving side to side. Yes, and she's 35 lbs. How this old pair of jeans did not rip I will never know, but I am thankful for me and the poor young man that was taking my order that they didn't.

On the upside Sophie is going potty more often. She went about 3 times yesterday. Maybe this is why I'm so grumpy? I hate potty training. It means extra work on my part, but it's worth it in the long run. I hate diapers even more. Well, maybe not. I'll let you know. I think I'm just worried how long it will take. Everyone swears, "Oh little girls are easy!" or "It only takes a couple days to train little girls!" I have my doubts. Sophie's not very girly.

On the downside, Christopher has been mean to everyone and even got sent to time out at school for calling people names. This trait annoys me to no end and I don't know how to fix it other than putting duct tape over his mouth. He makes up words to call people names, he also uses stupid, poopy, ugly, bad and all sorts of other combinations. He is so mean to his friend William that I don't even want to get together with them sometimes b/c I don't want to deal with the way he acts.

Surely there will be an upside to this weekend. Mostly b/c my family is all going to the lake and it always makes me happier when I'm with family. It will be difficult b/c Brandon is leaving this weekend to go on a 2 week mission trip to the Dominican and I always worry when he travels. I can handle being away from him for a few days, but the kids get grumpier when the "fun" parent is gone. I just have those fears that something will happen and we aren't even in the same country. Thankfully the kids keep me busy enough I don't have time to think about it. Now I feel bad b/c I sent the kids to any room to play b/c I was tired of the crying and constant asking to build something with legos that I have no idea how to build (doesn't care that I just spent 30 minutes building 2 different trucks) and they are back there as happy as they can be reading books to each other.

Talk about guilt.

Love you kids!

Another upside.... when we get back the splash pad on base will finally be up and running again!!! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Why they wait until the last day of May... in FLORIDA... to turn sprinklers on I will never understand.)

This weekend we took our first trip to Crab Island. We rented a boat with the Ramages and loaded up Saturday morning for our adventure. We'd never been before b/c I wasn't ready to deal with two kids on a boat, with one being a baby. But Sophie has proven herself to not scream "like a baby" when wearing a life jacket so I was finally ready. We had a blast and I could have spent the whole day out there. (For those of you who do not know what Crab Island is, it's an area in the bay that is very shallow and boats just gather there, drop anchor and you swim and play until your heart's content.) Here's the photos:

Christopher and William were "chillin' like a villan" (the kids phrase for the day) up at the front. These boys are trouble when you get together, but so cute at the same time. They love and fight just like brothers. I fear for their teachers if they are in the same pre-school class next year.


Matt doing what Matt does best.... being himself. The phrase for the day was, "I'm on a boat!," but it must be said like a rapper in a music video (do they still make those?) surrounded by booty-licious women with tiny bikinis and high heels dancing around. You got a visual? Yeah, Tiff and I did NOT look like that. But thanks for playing!

Little Miss Regan. She is seriously the quietest baby I have ever been around. The only time she piped up was when Matt would speed the boat up. She would squeal and kick her feet with excitement. So cute!

that's how i feel today. woke up with a strange headache, my jaw feels like i'd been punched by a kid on each side of it and any time i bend over to pick something up i feel slight sinus pressure. none of it is severe, but it's just enough that i notice it. making it annoying.

i've folded some laundry, started all new loads again and now i'm listening to sophie read eat your peas, which is so funny i've got to record it one day. she cracks me up!

here's a funny for you about sophie. christopher and i were reading out of his bible the other day and he wanted to hear the story of adam and eve. there was a point in the story that talks about how God loves everyone, but satan doesn't want us to believe that. i asked him if God loved him and he said yes. i asked him if God loved everyone and he said yes. i asked him (i know, even i'm annoyed right now) if he loved mommy, daddy and sophie. he said yes. BUT sophie was sitting on the other side of me, minding her own business and yells out, "NO JESUZZ WUV ME!!!" i turned to her and said, "Jesus loves you." i get a "NO! JESUZZ NOT WUV ME. DADDY WUV ME!" right back. i tried really hard not to laugh, but egged her on instead and then gave up b/c she was getting upset that i wasn't understanding her.

that girl. she's gonna wear me out.

thank goodness i love her so much!
she has no idea.

Today I'm going to tackle the laundry and try to "clean" the house. Two jobs that are never officially done or even look like they've been done once you are finished. I'm also going to work on Christopher's attitude and Sophie's potty training. I have a LOT on my plate today. Here's what the kiddos are doing.

Christopher has already been in time out a couple times and had a few meetings with my hand. He has become very rude and disrespectful to me mostly, but also to other adults and well, everyone. So today we are dedicating ourselves to begin fixing that problem. I've had it up to as high as my hand can reach in the air of him yelling "NO!" at me and yelling orders at Sophie and saying, "I'm tiiiiiiired" when he doesn't want to do something. After about an hour of on and off fighting we are doing better and now he is playing Mater on the Wii while sitting on top of a pile of sheets that haven't been folded for a couple days.


Sophie has gone potty at least once each of the last three days without me asking her if she needed to go first. She just told me that she needed to go potty so we ran back there and had success. We cheered and clapped together and then got down. Put a sticker on our potty chart that came in the mail (along with coupons for the pulls ups I'd bought the day before - without a coupon) and then she said she needed to go poo poo. We grabbed some books and went and sat down. A little while later she yelled saying she needed more books. I got 3 more. Next thing I know she is in Christopher's room grabbing as many off the shelf as she can and needs help taking them back to the bathroom. Since I started writing this, she has given up and just wanted to bring the books in the den with the rest of us. But she sure was cute sitting there in "the library." (I love when she fixes her own hair! It always looks like this, but a different headband.)

Here's to hoping it's a good day and to knowing I don't have to fix dinner tonight b/c we have leftovers.

We've had some great company over for dinner the last two nights and it makes me very excited about the upcoming year and the new families moving here. I was very upset about our friends moving, but forgot for a little while how God always provides for us when in need. My friend Tiff that you hear about so much still has no clue where, when or if they are leaving. But if they end up having to leave us too, I'm glad that I will have friends here on base to spend time with. I thank God that He gave me the opportunity to live around the people we did and form the friendships we have. Next year it will be us moving, but I'm not going to think about that right now. I am however going to join the yard sale the ones who are moving will be having so I can go ahead and get rid of a lot of stuff. Brandon, just turn your head b/c I'm going to haul as much out there as I can! If we haven't used it in 6 years it's outta here!

I told you I would put photos of the crafts that we made at MOPS this year and here they are. The only one I didn't have a photo of was the ornaments that we made at Christmas. They were really cute, but mine is put away with the other ornaments. I'll tell you how we made them at the end of this post.

Along with the following crafts we try to do some service projects and this year we did Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes, we filled Easter bags (easier than baskets) for families in a neighborhood that a group from the church (SOS) provides supper for on Saturdays and we also made card kits for Kidslink Downrange, an organization that provides cards for children who have a parent deployed so they can stay in touch with each other.

I can't take credit for all of these crafts b/c I searched all summer for ideas and unfortunately I can't remember where I found them.

1) Magnetic note pad: use a 4x6 magnetic photo frame, slide a piece of scrapbook paper inside, add a ribbon for detail, glue a post-it pad on there and add a clip to the top to set your pen on. I forgot to put a pen on it for the photo and just didn't feel like going back to add it.



2) Fridge magnets: I found large glass gems (1.5" in diameter) online and ordered those along with magnets to make these. I tried regular scrapbook paper, but the magnet showed through once you glued them on, so I bought scrapbook card stock that was printed on both sides. I used E6000 glue to stick it all together.



3) Personalized soap bottle: use scrapbook paper, scrapbook scissors and modge podge to make this cute little addition to your kitchen sink. I got some stickers to put on there to make them more personal. I suggest using the glossy modge podge and make sure you paint a layer or two over the whole thing when you are done to make sure it is sealed nicely.


4) Photo albums: use those 4x6 flip books you can find at pretty much any store. Use scrapbook paper and some stickers to personalize it. I made a much cuter one, but couldn't find it so I made this one super quick to just show you an example. I thought Brandon might not appreciate all the flowers and stuff the other one had on it when he goes out of town.


For the Christmas ornaments here's what you need:

- 4" clear glass ornament
- scrapbook paper (suggest the kind that is printed on both sides)
- glitter
- those little table confetti things you sprinkle at parties - in a Christmas theme
- ribbon (about 18 " strips)
- Christmas raffia grass

Cut the scrapbook paper into 1/2" strips and wrap them around a pencil to curl them. Stick it in the ornament and then add the other stuff, except the ribbon. Place the ribbon through the little metal loop in the cap and tie it in a bow with a larger enough loop to hang it with. Here's the site where I got the idea, but they have different examples up now.

If you are interested and have a small MOPS group I have a ton of photos albums leftover and some ornaments as well. Actually, I got a good bit of everything left over and I'd be happy to sell it to anyone. We won't be making any of these next year. Just let me know! I hope I didn't bore all of you, but I remember last summer searching blog, after blog, after blog for ideas and thought that maybe I could help another craft leader out there somewhere. Or just a mom at home looking for something cheap, easy and quick to do!

Here are the photos from our little trip to the beach in AL with Mimi and Papa John. We were so thankful that they let us come crash their vacation and hang out with them. I've already told you that we had fun, so I'm just going to get a move on.

Wednesday we left and met them at the Bass Pro Shop and had lunch. It was yummy!! If you ever make it to the that one (Ft. Morgan/Daphne/etc. area) you must go. Then we drove over to see the battle ship in Mobile Bay. The kids had a great time running all over the ship and insisted on climbing the stairs alone. Yeah, I'm not sure if it was threats or promises of ice cream that got them to slow down and hold our hands, but one of them finally worked.

Papa John, the kids and I forcing a photo at the front of the ship. Brandon and his mom were taking photos and that's the only reason adults made it in any of these photos.


Sophie trying to climb over the chain attached to the anchor.





Hey Mimi and Papa John!! We'd split from them when climbing up and couldn't find them when we came back down. Thankfully they had walkie talkies and we turned around and found them.


We spent the next day at the beach and playing in the pool. Christopher had sores on his underarms from swimming so much. I haven't seen him have that much fun for that long in while. It was great! I was even more impressed with how Brandon and Papa John were able to keep up with him.


Our new little swimmer. Don't those eyes just make you melt? She had so much fun learning how to kick her feet and eventually would only hold onto one of your hands while in the water. I was a little worried b/c the first time we got in the water this year she wasn't liking it at all. Thankfully we got over that quickly.


The kids playing with Brandon. I was so glad they had a pool right outside the condo and that the water wasn't too cold b/c he had hurt his back before we left on our trip and was in a lot of pain. (Why he's not in any photos from the battle ship.) The pool really helped him feel better and made holding the kids no problem. Oh, and yes, I got in, but I don't show photos of me in a bathing suit on here.


These kids (yes 3 of them) played and played and played in the sand from the second we got on the beach to the minute we mentioned going to the pool. They even got me in there and I hate sand. Sophie was so funny b/c she eventually let me take her coverup off, but then realized it was the best thing to wipe her hands on and wanted it back. She was so prissy while digging! And she's not a prissy girl, which is what made it so funny.


Later that afternoon we went and ate at Lulu's, which is Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant and if you are ever in the area, it's also a must. But you have to go early, it's always busy (except when we went) but worth it. They have a massive sand pit for kids to play in and a volleyball court and a live band and no walls and it's right on the water so you can watch boats drive by. So yummy!!!


Me chasing the kids after dinner. They laughed and ran and played and slept like rocks that night. It was awesome!!

Thanks again to Mimi and PJ for letting us hang out. We had so much fun! Thanks for coming to hang out with us at our house too. We love you and can't wait to see you again!

I too exhausted to add photos from our week of adventure, but obviously not too tired to just go to bed. We spent the week hanging out at home and then heading over to meet my in-laws at the beach in Gulf Shores (or was is called Ft. Morgan? or Orange Beach? who knows, but it was that area.) and it was absolutely lovely! That's not a word I usually use to describe things, but it really was. It was so quiet and peaceful since nobody was around and we didn't have to drive to get there. It was great! But I'll talk more about it later.

I thought I'd give my opinion on the book I (was supposed to read) just read and tell you about the one I'm reading now. SO, the little book club book I got and was so excited to read was kind of a flop for me. I was really disappointed b/c I was really looking forward to it, but it was really hard to get into and if it takes me a week or more to read 50-75 pages then I'm probably not going to finish it.

And I didn't.

Eat, Pray, Love is divided into three sections: Italy, India and Indonesia and I just barely made it through Italy and had to quit not long after entering India. I think what made it so hard to read was I'd just read over 15 Christian fiction books and then dove right into a very non-Christian, non-fiction book. Not the best transition. I don't have any problem reading books that are not about Christianity, remember I'd only recently found a Christian author that I actually liked so it's never really been an issue, but this just wasn't the book I needed to read after reading so many of the other. It wasn't just that, I had a hard time following her story. It's like reading someone's diary, only without the sneaking part. We all know women can bounce around in their conversations and that's how this felt to me. I hate to start a book and not finish it, but I just had to call it quits on this one.

But, on a different note, I can't wait to see the movie! And I definitely want to see this one on the big screen. I've never been to any of the places she visits and I want to see them larger than life. Please don't choose to never read this book b/c of me (not that anyone really listens to me, just ask my kids) I just thought I'd give you my opinion. It's obviously good enough that they made a movie out of it and I still want to see that! (I also love Juila Roberts.)

Instead, I decided to pick up a book that my friend Tiffany is letting me borrow, it's called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I'm really enjoying it. It's just letters written between a woman that is an author and a group of people who formed a pretend literary society during the war. It was the only way they could get together without getting in trouble with the Nazis. It sounds boring, but I promise it's not. It's actually pretty funny! The woman is spunky and single and says what she thinks. I love people like that. (Unless I'm on their bad side, which I usually try to avoid.) Want to hear something funny? There is a quote on the back of this book about how great it is. Guess who wrote it? The woman who wrote Eat, Pray, Love. HA!!!

Now my eyes are about to fall out of my head and the fly in our house is even too tired to circle my head anymore so I'm going to bed. Oh, and on a totally random note, today Brandon and I celebrated 6 years of marriage. Go us! Not much in the grand scheme of things, but if we were a hot Hollywood couple that would almost be a silver anniversary. So, yeah us! I love you honey buns and thanks for putting up with me for this long and for wanting to keep doing so for the rest of our lives. : )

Today was the last meeting of the year for the MOPS group I've been going to. It was my second year being a part of this and my first year being on the steering committee. To say that I loved it is an understatement. If there is a MOPS group in your area I strongly recommend joining. My friend Tiffany is the one who told me about it and got me going. She was one of the craft leaders last year and this year I took the job on. It was stressful at times, but oh so rewarding.

I had planned to put photos of each of our crafts on here, but yeah well, I didn't. I was only going to do it b/c I got each of the ideas from other blogs I researched last summer and wanted to pass the ideas along to anyone else looking. Today we made fridge magnets and they are "super cute" (does anyone remember who says that b/c I can't and it made me laugh every time I heard it?). I'm going to make new ones and I'll show you those, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. The first round I made didn't turn out and the second was ok. I wanted to make sure we had leftovers before I made any more.

I have to go make more "lelolade" (please say it while throwing your tongue out on each "L") for little miss priss, but I wanted to end with these little pups again. I wore them for the first time today and got more compliments than I ever have before on anything I've ever worn. Even some of the fashionistas of the group were asking me about them. (I was so flattered I almost peed my pants!) I'm SOOOOO not a fashion person, so to be complimented on something I found myself and actually wore is huge in my teeny, tiny little world. SO, in case you are wondering about them you would never believe but they are CROCS. Yup, I said it. And the wedge part is rubber and they are super duper comfy! You can find them here and I think that these are pretty cute too! I'm off to hang with my gang for a little while before heading out to dinner with the MOPS steering I worked with this year and will work with next year. Yeah for girls night out!!!

Christopher jumping off the dock at Turkey Creek... always a show off!



Whatcha' doin C-dawg? -- "nothing much, just chillin'"



Christopher practicing his "matrix" style jump.... actually, he's levitating right there.


Who loves water..... me?


who needs a hug? I got one right here, come and get it!

We have had a really good weekend here at our house. I think it's mostly due to knowing that Brandon is going to be home all next week and so he can relax (mentally that is) and the kids and I are just happy to have so much time with him.

Yesterday I got to sleep in until 8:30 (I know!) but still felt tired all day long. I think it's this dizzy thing I have going on. and I'm starting to think I'm allergic to my house b/c if I'm here for long I feel worse, but when I leave I feel better. How do you fix that? Anyway, we went to the BX and then to the commissary to get some groceries and came home to have lunch and put Sophie down for a nap. Brandon and Christopher went to go see How to Train your Dragon (is that right?) and seemed to have a good time. When they got home, they cleaned the pool in the backyard that has been hanging over the fence (very redneck, I know) and then we all got cleaned up and went to a birthday party for a sweet little boy that turned 2. He lives across the street from us and melts the heart of anyone and everyone he meets. We had a great time and are going to miss that family so much when they move next month. We came home and everyone (including Brandon and I) were in bed before 8:45. It was awesome!

This morning I was able to sleep in again (Brandon's been waking up at like 5 a.m. lately for work, so sleeping in for him is 6 a.m. or whenever the kids wake up-- just want to clarify I'm not that spoiled OR that selfish), but don't worry, it wasn't nearly as late as the day before. I was also told to not come out of my room yet when I did wake up, so I went back to bed (and played the coveted "hi-pod" as Sophie calls it) until they came and joined me with cards in hand. Even Brick brought me his own card. It was so cute! The kids were so proud of the pics they had made and I couldn't wait to get my hugs on! Brandon made me french toast (my fav!) and we all had a yummy breakfast while trying to figure out what we were going to do that day. Our S.S. class doesn't meet on Mother's Day b/c nobody comes due to other plans, so we just skipped church. Bad, I know. We went to Lowes and got wood to build an awesome step stool for the kids to use with the trampoline. It was WAY more than we thought we'd be spending, but the ground is soft and we needed something really sturdy.

The Ramages were more than happy to let us borrow their drill b/c both of Brandon's died before the first screw even made a dent. They hung out for a couple hours and the guys worked together. We love them b/c they make the most stressful project fun and manageable. The kids eventually started to melt and the stairs were done so we parted ways. Sophie napped, the boys tried and I worked on my next craft for MOPS. After Sophie woke up we loaded up and headed to Turkey Creek. The water was freezing, but it didn't stop the kids from playing in the water anyway. After that we drove through Dairy Queen and got blizzards. Note: the new Buster Bar Blizzard is delicious! We pulled over to a place on base so the kids could eat without us having to climb around every bite. Came home and played t-ball with the "new" t-ball stand we found on the side of the road on the way home. In think we will have two little players next year! Missed the sign up for this year.

It has been a great weekend and I'd add photos, but they just downloaded and there are about 400. No lie. I'll add them later. Hope you had a great weekend as well!!!

i know this is going to sound a little crazy, but my wish is to have a blog makeover. but it's not exactly "cheap" and so it's not in our funds right now. maybe for my birthday? but that's in february so maybe Christmas would be better. i'm just tired of the header thing and want something a little better. i don't want a crazy one with scrapbook looking stuff all over it. it's not me. i just wish that i knew how to do all of this myself.

maybe i should have paid better attention in that web design class i had to take one summer for my major.

who am i kidding. that was 10 years ago and that stuff wouldn't work now anyway!

some things are just easier to pay someone else to do.

The week has definitely gotten better. Thank you Lord! He knew that I needed a little break from the insanity that had been going on and I thank Him for His loving kindness. The other day we went somewhere, can't remember, but when we got home I opened the door to let the kids inside and I went to check the mail. Came back to find little miss sitting up here:

Yup, climbed up on top of a couple boxes and sat on them. Not sure why or how they didn't fall over, but thankful they didn't b/c it could have been some serious injury going on if she did. She has a little fan (you know the cheap $5 round ones?) on top of her kitchen in her bedroom and I went in to tuck her in one night and it was on. I didn't do it and she happily informed me that she had turned it on. Now, she has a sturdy kitchen, but it was not meant for 35 lbs. to be climbing, or standing, on it. We will be buying her a new tall fan to put on the floor today. She definitely takes after my brother in the scaling things that shouldn't be scaled. Christopher just never bothered to climb much of anything until he was about 2. He likes to climb now, but not like his sister.

After I took her photo and got her down we decided to have lunch. They looked so cute sitting there I just had to snap a photo. She hates when I fix her hair, but I LOVE it when she fixes it!

Brandon's been working a crappy rotation (not at our hospital, a different one and they treat our docs crappy) and today is the last day there. Tonight starts his vaca and I'm so pumped! We are starting it off right by returning a favor to the Ramages and watching their kids so they can go out. Tomorrow we have a b'day party at a park and wait, Mother's Day is Sunday! Who knew? Huh. Last year Brandon worked that day and was so busy he had to send a friend out to buy me a card! How sad is that? (In a sweet way, not a pity way.) I'm counting my new shoes as my present. (I'm sure you were too, honey and that's why I love you!)On Monday the kids have school so we will have several hours of freedom and I think we just might go to the beach during that time. Then a week of hanging out and his parents are going to come visit. Can't wait! Hope you have a great weekend!

I wanted to thank all of you who left me positive comments yesterday. And Christine, I specifically remember having a day exactly like that once! About near killed me. But the not staying in bed got better and I can finally take a shower during the day, alone, and pray the whole time that the mess I find when I get out will be one that is easy to clean up.

I know that other people have bad days, but you forget they can be just as bad as yours are. And yes, I have yelled at my child so loud it made them cry too. (I'm actually ashamed to admit it.) But I apologized immediately and hugged and kissed that child for like 30 minutes afterward. And I told an old neighbor (she has 6 kids) that I feel like the other neighbors all know us b/c I'm the one yelling at my kids all the time. But she told me you can't be a good parent and never yell at them at some point so she made me feel better. I figured if she had 6 kids she had to be doing something right!

So, thank you all for making me feel better about being so honest. I'm an open book, so just beware. You never know what you'll read on here! : )

The last 2 hours have been nice. I thought after such an awful post I should let you know the day is ending nicely. After fighting with Sophie, and getting yelled at by her, I decided she needed a nap.

She slept for over 2 hours.

Christopher was ignoring me all afternoon and spent a majority of it in timeout b/c he thought he was either too smart or too old to listen to me. Even William, who had come over to play with him, had enough and ran home crying. (I'm so embarrassed!!)

He played alone with the water hose and was happy after having that time.

I got all the bushes trimmed during the craziness and replanted my flowers into a pot that didn't have a huge crack in it and felt much better after doing all of that. Well, better in the sense that it was done. It was hot and humid and I thought I was going to either pass out or puke when I was done. Don't you hate that feeling?

I had 2 chocolate popsicles and got a shower.

Christopher and I cuddled on the couch and watched the rest of Bedtime Stories and had popcorn and cheez-its. Sophie woke up right before Brandon came home. He had just as bad a day as we did and he did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Why do people in the working world feel the need to dump everything onto someone who should not be doing their work? (Yes, I'm even talking about nurses and PAs that don't do their work and dump it on a doctor!! Where's the respect? Don't get me started b/c I can write a whole other post on that topic!)

He came home early and cuddled with us.

The three kiddos just left with the dog to go down to the water to play for a little while. The sun is shining, everyone and everything outside is clean and my house is quiet. Dinner is in the oven and so I think I might just start my new James Bond movie, that I haven't seen yet, while folding all the t-shirts that have been lying on the chair for 2 days. Life is good. : )

Bet you didn't think I'd say that did ya?

I'm not sure who is frustrating who more this week, me or the kids. Yesterday the kids had mothers' day out and we got home at 2:30. It was pouring outside so we were confined to the indoors. I put a movie on and it seemed to work for a while, but I was trying to finish something I'd started before I picked them up and Sophie just had to sit in my lap. She always has to sit in my lap. And I'm just short enough and she's just tall enough that I can't see anything I'm doing when she's in my lap. So I get annoyed. Why can't she snuggle up next to me? I would LOVE that! But nooooooo, she has to be right on top of me so all I can do is just be a chair. Have I ever mentioned that I have a very difficult time sitting down and not doing something else at the same time? It is extremely difficult for me.

So our afternoon just seemed to go downhill very quickly. The kids started picking at each other (while still picking at me) and before we knew it everyone in our house was either crying or yelling and I had a headache. Have your children ever made your ears ring? Mine do. Motrin wasn't helping either. I finally got a call from Brandon and could barely hear him, asked him when he'd be home and I got in the shower and stood there until it sounded like he was here. He wasn't. They were getting out the Wii Fit board b/c they wanted to play Wii.

They fought some more.

I yelled some more.

Nobody was winning.

We had dinner and then it was time to put them to bed. Actually Sophie only continued to get louder (I know, it's actually possible) and so I told her she was done for the day and Brandon took over with more love than I could have found at the time. (I adore my husband!)

I went to bed and said a prayer for a friend who is having with twins today and also for myself. I prayed that we'd both have a good day today b/c I knew we would both need it. Even if it was for different reasons. Her's was joyful and mine was out of desperation. (Can't wait to see photos Anna!!!)

Today, I was determined to have a better day, but was also a little realistic. We went to Kohl's b/c we had $20 credit to spend by tomorrow and Sophie needed new pj's. The kids were awful. I think at least twice I couldn't find Christopher and he wouldn't answer when I yelled for him. Yes, yelled. Loud. The first time was as soon as we walked in the store. If I didn't have the credit and she didn't need pj's I would have just left. We were only in there maybe 30 minutes and I hated it. I was the mom who was afraid she would end up on the news for jerking her child around and threatening to wear them out if they didn't behave.

Next we had to go to Sam's. I gave them a good talking to before going inside. They agreed to the terms. They run away or misbehave and they will be forced to sit in the cart. They were good for 5 minutes then sent to the cart. They were actually pretty good until Sophie decided to try to pull everything down that she could reach, I'd told her numerous times to stop and finally had to pop her on the arm. She was so mad at me that she screamed at the top of her lungs in anger. It was not in pain, but sheer passionate anger. We checked out and went home.

No Chick-fil-a for anyone today.

I'd left my coupon at home anyway.

I wish that I could freeze my margarita bucket I just bought and have some for lunch. But I'm not that mom. Even if sometimes I wish I was. (Really, my freezer is too full, but I would wait until Brandon was home to crack it open.) Instead, I was the mom that everyone stared at and I hated it. I can't stand to be that mom. I'd rather not be a mom then have to be that mom. Can I say that? It doesn't help that I feel dizzy today. Like I could just bump into the wall walking down the hall dizzy. Can barely see straight, want to knock myself out and lie down in bed until the earth stops moving kind of dizzy. Started yesterday and worse today. Soooooooooo not fun!!!

My kids have been fighting and picking at each other since we got home. I have things to do outside this afternoon so hopefully we can give each other a little space while I do them. Maybe trimming the bushes while dizzy isn't the best idea. I think that will have to wait until another day.