Ewww....Ahhhh....

This is my third attempt at a post!  I tried the first two from my IPad.  Needless to say, I am still dependent on my laptop for many reasons.  January was an interesting month.  It started off pretty well, then ended sort of unwell.  A couple of weeks ago we caught the dreadful Norovirus.  I am not a big fan of getting sick, so I avoid it at all cost and am usually pretty successful.  The Norovirus had other plans for me and attacked our house like the plague.  Anyone who came into our home during this period of hell on earth caught it as well. 

It started with Hayden throwing up in my car on Sunday.  I just thought she had a bit of motion-sickness from playing her IPod while I drove.  It was not pretty and I was cleaning vomit out from under my seat and on the floor.  Then on Tuesday,  Spencer started complaining of his stomach cramping and spent the next 24 hours in the bathroom for the opposite reason of Hayden.  Unfortunately, Crystal and her whole crowd came over and played that day.  Wednesday was mostly a painful blur for me.  I remember facing the toilet bowl more than I sat on it, followed by a fever, complete with chills and body aches.  At that same time both boys were battling ear infections and diarrhea.  My sweet mom came over and brought us soup and food.  On Friday, I started feeling somewhat better, as did Spencer.  Poor mom started her own experience with the virus that day as did Crystal.  To end the week, my sitter, Sarah, also came down with the unwelcome guest.  That was two weeks ago and I hope it NEVER returns.

Now that we're all better, I can talk about my wonderful birthday!  I turned 31 on 1-28 and it was amazing.  I feel so full of love and life....

Happy Birthday to me!  I know it's a difficult picture to see.  Spencer took it with my cell phone.  From left to right, Garrett, Hayden, Me and Ethan.  Sarah baby-sat for us that night so we could hang out with some close friends.  It was a great day. 

Last Sunday Spencer and I were baptized and joined our church.  What a wonderful experience!  I love my church family.  We really feel so welcomed and important there.  It's pretty big, with a congregation of over 2000, but you definitely feel at home and that its size does not matter.  I'm looking forward to our family's walk with Jesus.  I pray that he carries us all our lives and that our children will give their life to him like Spencer and I have. 

Hayden and Garrett

Garrett giving Ethan some brotherly love!

Praise God!  More to come....

The Start of a New Year

Happy New Year!  It was a great ending to a hectic year and a great start to a great year ahead! 

We had a wonderful Christmas!  The boys were much more aware of what was going on this year and ripped into every package they could get their little fingers on.  Hayden was a lot of fun also!  She refers every new toy as the "toy that Santa brought her" (no props to the parents, family, or friends)!  She was so cute but still never wanted to actually talk to Santa.  Some of the things they got were play food and kitchenware for the play kitchen, a cash register, a shopping cart, a furry dog that walks and barks, cars, cars, and more cars, 3 racetracks, a couple of dump trucks, Dora, Rapunzel, a princess dress, books, crayons, movies, a light bright, blocks, a bike (for Hayden) and two push toy tractors.  It's so much fun and somewhat inexpensive to buy Christmas presents for my kids at their age.  It really looked like we bought out the toy section at Target on Christmas morning.  We went to the Mosses' on Christmas Eve for dinner and exchanged presents.  We had a wonderful time.  My mom came over Christmas morning and cooked us breakfast while the kids opened their gifts.  Lunch was at Kathy's and Spencer's mom and Woody came and cooked dinner.  It was truly a wonderful time but I'm so glad it's over. 

New Year's Eve was spent in the comfort of our own home..... and at my neighbors', and for a little bit at my neighbor's neighbor.  We got up New Year morning refreshed and ready to go to church.  Spencer and I finished the class we needed to take before turning in our application to join the church we've been visiting for three years.  We are so excited to be joining and getting baptized there, as well as raising our kids in this church.  I'm looking forward to hopefully having an exciting and wonderful 2012!

More to come!!!

Slow Down!!

It's Thursday and I'm pooped!  December has been one event after the other.  Put that on top of work and three kids and you have one exhausted mama!  I HAD planned to do so much this week and through the weekend, but I am stopping here (other than what we have planned at Church).  So I'll skip the other two "adult' parties and relax this weekend.


It was busy, but it was fun, fun.  I'm swamped with customers trying to get in before Christmas, so next week will be all work and no fun.  This past week, though, I was able to enjoy my kids and their (mainly Hayden's) activities.  I had to work on Monday, but Tuesday the boys and I accompanied Hayden and the rest of her pre-school as they sang for and made gingerbread houses with some of the residents at Spring Arbor, a local rest home.  It was so heart-warming to see the joy that our children brought to the wonderful residents living there.

My sweet little ones when we first arrived.

Hayden and her best buddy Ashlyn

Hylan and Hayden

Yummy candy canes!!

G (left) E (right)

Then today we gave the pre school a Christmas party, complete with Santa and all (although I have no pictures of Santa).  Hayden still won't go anywhere near Santa.

Making it snow!!

More snowflakes!!

The Christmas Tree decorated by the kids' handmade ornaments!

Sweet children!

Even though most of the week was hectic, it still went by way too fast.  I enjoy being able to be apart of Hayden's "little" events, even if they wear me out and make me too tired to participate in my own events!





Ahhh LIFE....

It's little moments like this, a Sunday afternoon, a great Church service, napping children, reflecting on my week as I update my blog (that one is new), that make this life worth all the hardships.  I think I'll skip folding clothes and mopping the floor to just sit and type.  The week was so full of work, fun, Disney on Ice, and a birthday party, that I fell asleep at 7:30 last night.  With a little help from my husband, we put the boys down and he watched Hayden so I could pass out!

One of my very best friends celebrated her 31st birthday Friday night.  It was so great to see all my long time friends!

Holly, Me, Shannon, and Brandy

Me and Leslie

 Me and Holly

Courtney and I

Shannon has a beautiful home and beautiful Christmas decorations.  Her husband, Richard, had the biggest bonfire I've ever seen!  It was a fabulous time and I wish I could see all of them more often.  I'm so grateful for good times with good friends.

Speaking of great times with good friends....

Here is a quick pic of Hayden and some of her buds last weekend at Dean's Farm.  She and I joined our friends Courtney, Gina and Amanda with their girls and Nathan for a hayride to Santa's workshop!

What a week!  As Christmas gets closer so does the chaos!  Now I need to plan for Hayden's school and dance Christmas parties and a couple more parties for Spencer and I this week.  Lord, I pray for a safe and fun-filled week......

Princesses can ice skate??!!

There's nothing like seeing Repunzel dance, sing and act..... on ice!!  We went to Disney on Ice this morning with the pre-school and it was wonderful.  Just me, daddy, and the little princess herself.  Of course we had to buy a few keepsakes and eat some popcorn (thank you Ms. Marsha).  Then it was off to Crabtree Valley Mall for a little shopping and a visit with Santa (afar).  Hayden and I fell asleep as soon as daddy got on the highway.

It's Thursday so we had to make it to our weekly dance class!

This is an older pic taken of Hayden in front of the dance studio.  Tonight we had a whole lot more clothes on since it was in the forties!  Boy are we all going to sleep well tonight!

Good night and more to come!!!

Umm.. Hello? Are you there?

I'm so busy reading other blogs that I neglect my own, like a year of neglect!!  I don't think I remember how to publish a post anymore!  Oh well, here's worth trying.  After reading the usual blogs I follow, I just happened to stumble upon my own.  While shedding a few tears reading all my old posts, I figured I really needed to stick to this blog because one day I will be glad I did.  So after the "lost" year (undocumented that is) I will once again rededicate myself.  It also helps that I'm bed bound at the moment after the power sculpting class I took yesterday.  Let's catch up on a few things....





My sweet, sweet babies are not so baby anymore.  Hayden is 3 and a half. going on thirty.  She's smart and intelligent and charming and sweet and full of life.  She's also loud and stubborn and sneaky...

This picture was taken at her Preschool Thanksgiving program with her good buddy Hylan.  She absolutely loves going to school.  She has a great group of classmates and wonderful teachers.  I could not be more grateful for such a wonderful establishment.  I tell them, often, that they need to change it to pre-k through grades 12!  She has learned so much!  She recites the Pledge of Allegiance (learned after only 2 weeks), sings "My Country Tis of Thee", writes her name, knows the days of the week, knows the months of the year, counts to 20 and countless other things that I can't remember at the moment but I'm sure I'll add in the future.  She LOVES horses.  We hope to get her riding lessons after she turns 4.  She takes Tap/Ballet on Thursday nights and loves that also.  She took swim lessons over the summer and can hold her breath under water and  swim a few strokes.  This child is an open book willing to learn anything.  I can't wait to see what the future holds for her...

On to my little ball of energy, Ethan Spencer.  He is an absolute doll.  He was baby B in the womb and always smaller than his twin..... until now.  This child is unstoppable and has surpassed his brother in development (not by much) and height (also not by much).  He is a thinker and can figure out just about anything I don't want him to or didn't think he could.  E is definitely a leader in a world of followers.  This kid will be president of something when he grows up.  Although no one can really understand him, he has a lot to say.  It doesn't really matter that you can't understand his words because he gets his point across.

This is my wild man after a nap, soooooooooooooooo cute!  My how they grow!

This is Ethan at around 4 weeks old.  He was so small!

And last, but certainly not least, sweet Garrett.  This little boy has melted my heart like I never thought a child could.  He is so sensitive and kind, yet funny and silly.  All my kids are silly and funny, but G can steal the show.  He has THE BEST belly laugh, like one you would see on You Tube.  He's the kid that sees you lying comfortably on the floor or bed and comes and jumps on you.

Ummm....  Excuse me, Garrett?  Could you turn around please?

 

There... that's better.

He was not happy (obviously) about wearing this adorable pumpkin costume for Halloween this year.  But he's still so darn cute!!

This is G at 5 weeks old *tear*.  I miss those sweet preemie cheeks, but absolutely love the toddler that he's grown into.  I still could gnaw on those cheeks, if I could only catch him that is.

 

I couldn't ask for sweeter, smarter, more loving children than I have.  God has blessed me with all I could ever have imagined.

Even if I have to put my Christmas tree on top of my kitchen table!  ;)

More to come..................................

The best Christmas yet...

This blog entry is WAY late, but since things have calmed down (somewhat), I figured I'd catch up.  Christmas just came and went, like it always does, but so much faster this year than in years past.  I was into decorating early (only one tree this year but will have more than that next) but dreaded cleaning up all the mess, which I finished today.  BUT, it was such a great holiday, as it always is, with some very special new additions. 

Hayden has finally turned into a diva rock star.  I knew she would, but tried to hold it off for as long as I could.  She was totally tuned in to all the holiday cheer this year, even crying when I packed up the tree this morning.  I told her that it and more would be coming back next year.  Of course that (and a sucker) made it all better.  Even though she didn't get very close, she was obsessed with Santa Claus.  She asked to see him e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y......  Not a huge production Christmas Eve.  Just fun with friends and family.  On Christmas morning, the boys woke up at their usual, 6:30, and we went in to wake a crabby Hayden, surprisingly.  After convincing her it was Christmas morning and Santa had come, she jumped out of bed and shredded open every present she could find.  It was PRECIOUS!

All three got a red Radio Flyer wagon and she got a pink Radio Flyer scooter.  She's been riding that scooter over every inch of my hardwood floors since that morning.  We couldn't test it outside because there was a foot of snow that fell Christmas night to the next morning.  What a way to end the holiday!  Only I'm really ready for it to melt.  Somehow I don't think that's the last of the snow we'll see this winter.  

Hayden just ended the first semester of preschool at Lakeside Baptist Church, by the way she loves school.  We're on a two week break and it's almost about to kill her (and me).  She asks to go every day.  Ms. Cannon and Ms. Marsha are her teachers.

Oh!  and the boys, my precious, sweet, always smiling, boys.  I couldn't have asked for better babies that come in pairs.  Even though they slept through most of the season,  I enjoyed them enjoying it.  They received mostly clothes, but got a few really cute and useful toys.  They will be EIGHT monthes old on New Year's Day.  They are trying to sit up on their own (for a few seconds anyway) and really ready to take off running.  It's hard to even get them to sit because of their stiff standing legs!  They eat around four 7oz bottles and baby food a day, each.  Neither has really caught the hang of taking long naps yet (their sister was a glorious napper), but we're working on that.  At least they sleep around 13 hours through the night.

Garrett went to his last eye appointment today.  The doctor ok'd his vision and he's on the right track developing.  We are so thankful for that.  I have been enjoying staying at home with them.  My aunt should be back at the end of January to help me.  She is such a blessing along with the rest of my family.  I have had a very interesting and thankful year.  I could not ask for anything more and my cup is truly full.  I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!