Party of Five

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2012-01-19T09:38:00.004-06:00

It's been a long time since I've written one of these, but things haven't changed. My mind constantly wanders. There are so many things that perplex me. Am I alone in this?
Here goes:

It goes without saying that most of us have a secret sock snatcher, right? I mean, we all end up with stray socks. None of us knows what happens to socks when they go in the washer and dryer. Two go in, one comes out. We don't know why and probably never will. At my house, we have that issue, but we also have a larger issue...we have a shoe snatcher. It never fails, my kids need their shoes for school or for a random family outing, and we'll find one (usually in some random room of the house) with no sign of the other. What in the world?! It happens to each of my kids at least once a week. How do two shoes, a pair, get separated so far from their partners?

Secret smokers...is there such a thing? I say there's not. We all know at least one. The random family member or friend who sneaks around and thinks the rest of us have no idea. Oh, we know. Everyone knows. Why hide it? If you do it, you don't have a problem with it, why be so secretive? Secret smokers are never as secret as they think. The rest of us, though, will just continue to pretend that we have no idea.

You seen the Forever Lazy? I know you have. If you haven't, climb out from under that rock and click on the link. I dare say it's the worst "as seen on tv" product there is. Ok, ok...I know I spent a lot of time ragging on the Snuggie and then bought one for every member of my family and Channing's, but the Forever Lazy is worse. Who in their right mind would put on a zip up fleece jumper...as an adult?! Not only is it a huge hassle, but you'd look ridiculous. "Oh, but wait", you say. "What about the front zipper and 'drop seat' for those times of emergency, when duty calls (aka gotta go potty)?". Yes, my friends, a prime selling point in the commercial for this product is that it has a front zipper and "drop seat" for bathroom breaks. Ok...GRRRROOOOOSSSSSS!!! If I ever find out someone I know has worn a F.L. to the bathroom and unzipped the butt of the thing to go to the bathroom, not only will you never hear the end of it, I'll never look at you the same again. That is sick. Who does that?! How is it even possible? Are you in your noodle under it? No underwear? No pants. Someone please explain this to me. It keeps me up at night.

As I was leaving the prayer meeting at church a couple of days ago, I began mentally reciting John 3:30, "He must increase...". Just as I said "increase", I glanced to my right and caught a glimpse of myself in the glass wall surrounding the playground, and immediately, "my butt must decrease" popped in my mind. Word from the Lord, you think?

These are the thoughts that have plagued my brain this week. I know, I know...I'm a true intellectual. I ponder the world's great issues. How about you? Any random thoughts to share?

A Day to Rejoice

2012-01-18T11:24:00.005-06:00

So the last few days have been rough, to say the least. I'm not sure what exactly the root cause has been, whether it's facing my loss, fasting, lack of sleep (going to bed at 11 doesn't make for an easy 5 am wake up), lack of fluids (totally my fault. I forget to drink water!)...not sure of the cause but today has been 110% better! God is so good, people!

My morning started at four. I woke up and said, "Pleeeeease don't let it by 5:00...pleeeeeease!". Looked at my phone, only 4:00. Woo hoo! I had another hour to sleep. At 5:02, I heard some weird and foreign noise coming from beside me. "What is that?!". Ummmmm that would be my alarm!

Reluctantly got up, dressed, made myself presentable, and headed out to prayer. So glad I did! I can't tell you how thankful I am that God has drawn me there every morning. I have really needed it.

I've attended most of the morning prayer meetings, but today was special. Today, it finally hit me...I've been making my needs, my family's needs, my friend's needs my priority and my focus during my prayer and fasting. Today, I spent that hour praising God, praising Him for who He is, for His grace, His mercy, His unfailing love. Wow! I can't tell you how much better and how much more peace I've had.

God is good. He never lets us down or leaves us hanging. How great is our God?!

Ok, sorry to go on and on, but it's just been a freeing, uplifting kind of day...even though Tristan forgot his backpack, and I had to go back and get it. No worries!

Thanks for your prayers, friends. You are such a blessing. And because I love these little rascals, here's one of my favs of my littles: Pete and Repeat.

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go..." ~Genesis 28:15

On A Lighter Note...

2012-01-17T13:04:00.003-06:00

So glad to be back and checking in with my blogger friends! I didn't realize how much I'd missed it and missed you guys! Can't wait to catch up on everyone's pages.

My header picture:
Typical picture of my kids these days. Tristan doing his duty and trying to give me a decent picture; Rhi trying to emulate whatever Asher does or find a reason to hit him; and Asher...oh Asher. That's his "picture face". Trying to break him of it, but it hasn't been easy.

I adore these kids...99.9% of the time! ;) So much chaos and fun at our house!

21 Days of Prayer

2012-01-17T07:49:00.004-06:00

Have I ever mentioned that I love my church? For more reasons than I can count, I LOVE and adore my church. It has been a beacon of light for me in the 7 1/2 years my family and I have been there. This church has opened my eyes to God, the real God, the God that loves me, the God that cares, that knows everything I'm feeling, thinking, experiencing... He's not the God I grew up thinking He was...on a throne, waiting and expecting me to fail, and ready to punish when I did. That's not Him. He disciplines as a parent does a child, but it's in love.
Ok, I'm getting off track. Back to my reason for this post...

Currently, our church is in the middle of 21 days of prayer and fasting. Our pastor started the church this way and has continued the tradition every year since the launch. Fasting is one of those topics that a lot of people, including my former self, have misconceived notions about. If you want to know more, check out the link.

Anyway, Channing, Tristan, and I are smack dab in the middle of the fast, with the rest of our church. Tristan is fasting candy and sweets (and asks every day how many more days are left), and Channing and I are doing the Daniel Fast and also fasting tv. The Daniel Fast hasn't been as difficult this time as it has been in the past. Fasting tv, I'm embarrassed to admit, has been much harder. It's been good for me, though.

So today is day 10 of the fast, and I'm feeling it. Actually, I've been feeling it for a couple of days. I've been getting up each morning to attend the prayer service that starts at 6 (I am not a morning person), and I find myself spent by late afternoon. The prayer and fasting have been great. I can feel my relationship with the Lord getting stronger, but I feel weak, exhausted. I feel more in touch with my emotions, a little too much so. I'm trying to figure out if this is a good thing. I feel sure it is, it's just hard to handle.

I've spent the past four months, since losing Addy, recovering, sweeping my feelings under the rug, putting on a brave face, Christmas shopping, helping at Tristan's school, running, working out, eating, reading, watching tv...lots of things. I've done anything and everything I could possibly do to distract myself from her and our loss. This fast is bringing to surface all of those suppressed feelings. At first, I tried to ignore them, change them. I channeled my feelings into anger, anger about ridiculous things, things I have no control over and have nothing to do with her or the situation, just random world injustices. I've channeled my feelings into feelings of weakness and self-pity, but I never connected my crazy emotions to what I think they're really connected to...Addy.

I am so thankful that the fast is helping me to fully deal with my loss. I miss her, I'm sad, but a huge part of me is so incredibly thankful. I'm thankful that God knows way more than I do about what's best for my family and for me. I'm so thankful that He loves my babies more than I could ever imagine.

Last week, a friend shared this blog with me: "EB"ing a Mommy. WOW. Changed my perspective, a lot. Precious Tripp was born with a rare genetic skin disorder, EB. The blog is written by his young mom, who gave up everything to take care of her son 24 hours a day. I can't do justice to the situation and all that Courtney, Tripp's mom, has faced in the past two years and eight months, but in the days since finding her blog, sweet baby Tripp has gone to be with Jesus. I can't say enough about the need for everyone to see her blog. If anyone is reading this, besides those who will one day flip through my blurb book, please stop by Tripp's page. I can't imagine that anyone could visit her blog and not be changed.

I have learned so much about love and loss through Tripp's page. I admire his mom with every ounce of my being. I cannot imagine bearing her cross.

Please join me in rejoicing that Tripp is fully restored, healed, and in perfect peace. Please also join me in praying for his mom, Courtney, and his grandmother. I know they are relieved that their baby is healed, but I also know that their hearts ache and long to hold him.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." ~Psalm 34:18

"...weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning."~Psalm 30:5

*Bear with me through the next week and a half as I share things that I feel God is placing on my heart. I want to keep a record of them for the future, and this is my outlet. I don't want to bore anyone, so you may not want to stop by for a couple of weeks. ;)

A Pain Like No Other

2012-01-16T09:37:00.005-06:00

September 6, 2011...the birthday of my precious baby girl, Adalyn Grace...my fourth baby born, my youngest, my second little girl. I had such hopes for her, for our family, our future together. I had already planned out her room, the love she'd get from Tristan, the hope of Asher stepping up and being the protective big brother, and Rhi, the fights she'd have with Rhi. I worried. I worried about how we'd find the time, money, attention, patience, and space we'd need for a fourth child. I knew, though, that it would all work out, it always had.

Thing is, none of these things would come to fruition. On Tuesday, August 30, 2011, Channing, the kids and I eagerly anticipated an exciting day. It was ultrasound day! We were finally going to find out if our family would be blessed with a sweet baby girl or a precious baby boy. We spent the night before making our predictions. We spent the morning of preparing our baby reveal game. We were all so excited! We had friends anxiously awaiting the news. It was finally time!

Cut to our appointment. Channing and I walked into the ultrasound room. We excitedly explained our baby reveal game and how we wanted her to hide the special piece of the game. We thanked her for performing our ultrasound at 17 weeks and 5 days (rather than the suggested 20 weeks). I got on the table. Everything was perfect and ready.

The tech, such a sweet and amazing lady, started with the wand over my belly. I quickly figured out something was wrong. I mean, this was baby #4. I knew what was happening wasn't normal. She moved the wand...and moved it again...and again... She was quiet. Channing was so busy looking away (he really wanted to be totally surprised during the gender reveal game) he didn't notice. I finally said it, "You can't find it, can you?". She confirmed my suspicions. There was no heartbeat.

What happened next is somewhat of a blur. I cried, Channing was upset, the tech offered words of comfort. Finally, I gathered myself and said, "It's ok. It's ok. It's going to be ok." Channing and I were ushered to an exam room to wait for our dr. My nurse came in, hugged me, but I was numb. I couldn't believe it. It couldn't be right. We had THREE HEALTHY KIDS. Three healthy pregnancies. One of my babies was born in the car for crying out loud! How could this be happening? I was numb.

My doctor came in. He told us how the baby was measuring where it should be and how whatever took the baby's life must've just happened. He tried to comfort us. He said all the things that doctors say, I guess. I know he felt bad for us. He told us the next steps...basically they consisted of me immediately being checked into the hospital and delivering my baby...my baby that wouldn't breathe at birth. I was in shock. I was heartbroken. I was numb.

Channing and I opted to wait a week before going through with the delivery. Deep down, we just didn't accept the diagnosis. We wanted time to pray for a miracle. We left the office with broken hearts. We called our parents and let them know. I knew a lot of my friends, teachers at my kids' schools, etc knew it was the day we were finding out the gender, so that made things harder. We knew people would ask. Channing went in to get our little kids, while I waited in the car. Teachers asked, heard the news, and cried.

Thankfully, Channing was able to cancel patients for the rest of the day, so we could go home together to explain things to the kids. The hardest part of our afternoon, after finding out we'd lost the baby, was picking up Tristan. He was SO excited! From the time his feet hit the back of our van, he couldn't stop talking about how excited he was to find out about the baby. "Daddy, you took off?! Are we going to do the game right away?! I think it's a boy!". It went on and on.

Finally, we arrived home, sat on the couch together and prepared to share our heartbreaking news. Tristan, of course, didn't understand why we were sitting down. He was talking a mile a minute about our game. He was pumped! Finally, we broke in and told them what we'd found out; that they didn't find a heartbeat. What was amazing to me was how quickly my seven year old Tristan picked up on what that meant, "It died? The baby died?". "Yes, baby. The baby died. He or she is in Heaven with Jesus." He broke down. He cried and cried. He was so sad.

Asher didn't quite understand. For some reason, beyond our understanding, he thought that our baby lost it's head, went to Heaven to get another from Jesus, and would come back. A wild imagination, that one has. It took a little more explaining for him, but we finally got it explained.

The next couple of days were harder than anything I've ever gone through. I was totally and completely heartbroken. I felt hopeless. I was so blessed, though, with amazing friends who quickly organized meals, prayers, and encouraging words for me. Looking back, I never could have made it through without them. Finally, on day three, I decided to fight. I wanted to fight for our family and the life of our baby. So that's what Channing, our friends, our pastors, and I did. We prayed. We were prayed over. We believed that our baby would be healed. I even felt guilty during that week because I had friends bringing us dinner, and I thought it was completely unnecessary. I would go back the next Tuesday, and we'd find out that our baby was totally fine. I was so sure in my faith.

Let me insert here, briefly, that I have never felt so loved. I had family, friends, neighbors, pastors, etc bringing us food, books, prayer cards, anointing oil, gift cards, flowers, encouraging words. I can never share and put into words how amazing that was, how blessed we were, how loved we felt.

Well, we went back to our doctor's office, Channing, my mom, and me. It was kind of a crazy day. Power was out all over Birmingham. The tech was late because of traffic. Our doctor was late. It was a messy day. Finally, it was time. Our doctor took us to the ultrasound room. Once again, I was on the table. Once again, no heartbeat. Our baby was really gone. No miracle. I would be delivering a stillborn baby that day.

I was devastated. I was shocked. I was broken. We three got up, left the room and headed to the hospital. I had to face what was happening. I just couldn't believe it. As sad, confused, and distressed as I was, God showed me that He had never and would never leave my side, even if I was in the middle of wondering how He could withhold a miracle from us, one that we'd prayed so hard for; one that we'd whole-heartedly believed would happen.

He made His presence known immediately when we met the nurse who would spend the day with us. Her name was Pamela. As we were sitting in the room with her, and she was taking our information, she began to ask about our plans for the baby after birth. It was more than I could handle. I broke down, and she immediately said we could discuss that later. That's when she said something along these lines, "I don't normally share things about my private life, but yesterday at church, as I was praying, I felt God tell me that I needed to step up for _____ patients ( I can't remember what she called patients like me, patients who'd lost their babies), so as soon as they said someone was coming over, I volunteered." That was proof to me that God had known exactly where I'd be that day, at that time. I was humbled that He'd cared enough about me to prepare the perfect nurse for me. It was incredible and exactly what I needed to hear when my faith was on shaky ground.

Nurse Pam was amazing. She walked me through my fears, through the pain, through everything. She wasn't there when Adalyn was born but was back the next morning. She was a bright light in a dark time. Thank you, Lord.

Adalyn Grace was born on September 6, 2011 at 9:00 pm. She was so so tiny. I couldn't believe how tiny she was. She was 5 inches long. As tiny as she was, we immediately recongnized that she had her Daddy's feet and hands...long skinny feet. Ha! Even baby #4 looked like him! I have some seriously recessive genes! But that's beside the point.

A lot happened in between the time I entered the hospital and the time she was born, a lot of odd and incredible things. I won't share them all. I'll keep some things specifically for our family, but it was a unique and humbling time.

It's been exactly four months and 10 days since our precious baby girl was born. It's been a rough four months, though it is getting easier. Times were hardest in the two months after we lost her. Now, I'm finally out of the fog and in a place of gratitude. I'm so grateful that the first face she saw was the face of Jesus. I'm so grateful that I'll never have to worry that she'll be hurt, that someone will break her heart, that she'll be sick...she is healed and with Jesus. Though I'm grateful that God has my precious baby, I still have days where I cry, where I miss her, where I am reminded that on her original due date, February 2, 2012, she won't be born. I won't be holding a perfect baby girl. Tristan won't hold her, guide her, love her like he does Rhi. I won't get to see Asher step up and be the protective big brother. Rhi will never yell at her for stealing her babies or clothes (as teenagers). I will never know if she'd have grown up with curls like our other three.

That being said, what greater glory is there than to be with our Lord and Savior? Our little girl is in perfect peace. Thank you, Lord, that we have hope in You. I don't know how people survive loss without Jesus; without hope of seeing their loved ones again. I know that one day, I will hug Adalyn, and I will be able to pour out my love on her. What a great day that'll be.

In the meantime, I'm so thankful for my husband, such an amazing man, partner, and father, for my kids, my friends, and one amazing church. I am blessed beyond measure!

A great verse that saw me through: "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:2

If you don't know Jesus, DON'T WAIT! Our time here is so short. Don't put off finding Him. Hope and salvation can only be found in Him.

Has It Been That Long?

2012-01-16T09:28:00.003-06:00

I know it's been a long time. I refuse to look at exactly how long it's been. All I know is that I originally started this blog to chronicle the lives of my precious kids, so that one day, they can look back and see all the stuff I failed to put in baby books. Wish I was one of those moms who religiously updated baby books...or even the type of mom who had one for every kid. I am not that mom. I want to be that mom, but so far, I'm not. That's what this blog is for.

For those who may have accidentally stumbled upon my blog, let me warn you up front: There's nothing exciting happening here. I don't blog to show how great I am, how perfect my children are, or because I need the extra attention . In fact, if anyone hopes to find that here, you'll be incredibly disappointed. My kids aren't dressed to the nines 24 hours a day, and I don't take goregous pictures. I can't remember a time when I've made a gourmet meal or gone on and on about being married to the greatest person on the planet. That's not me. I'm just a normal mom trying to navigate through this world, with a great hope of leading my children to love the Lord and to realize their worth in His eyes.

With that being said, let's go...

Contest...I love contests!

2010-07-09T19:28:00.006-05:00

So my sweet friend and amazing photographer, Grethel Van Epps is having a contest. Curious? Want to know more???
Wellll it's the 3rd anniversary of her photography business, and she's celebrating by giving away a FREE session AND $100 print credit. Isn't that awesome?! If you don't know her work, then you are missing out!
You can learn more about Grethel and her work by visiting her blog @ www.gvephotography.com/blog or her website @ www.gvephotography.com.

She has done pictures for our family on some very special occasions, including the newborn pictures of our sweet Rhiannon. I have included a couple in this post, and you can see some of those pictures on my blog header.She is always a joy to work with and has an amazing eye. She puts our kids at ease and allows their personalities to shine through in her pictures. She is incredible. SOOOOOOO, though I REALLY REALLY want to win this contest, I am going to encourage you to enter as well. That way, when I win, I'll feel extra special. ;)

A Slippery Slope

2010-03-25T10:36:00.005-05:00

Ok, so I haven't posted in MONTHS, and here I am. I've wanted to post and have so much I want to share (more for my scrapbook than anything) but just have not found the time. I must catch up because this is how I scrapbook for my kids. UGH! Where is the time to be found?!

Anyway, today my post isn't about my kids, and it isn't to share my random thoughts. Well, not my funny random thoughts anyway. Today I want to share my thoughts on the craziness that is America right now and how our priorities seem so out of whack.

So the big news is the healthcare bill. It passed, narrowly, but it passed. Many Americans are against this bill, and for good reason. These Americans are experiencing all kinds of emotions, but what stands out the most is 'anger'. People are angry that their rights are being taken away and that things are being forced on them. On the flip side, the Americans who wanted this bill passed are experiencing their own wave of emotions. They are full of hope or excitement or whatever. I don't really know.

This is all beside the point I am focusing on. What I have noticed through all this is that it is a HUGE distraction. HUGE, and I think Satan has got to be smiling, laughing, and enjoying every minute of this. Smiling and happy because the healthcare bill passed? Smiling because this bill is so "evil"? No. I think he's happy because Americans' focus has majorly shifted. People are SO obsessed with politics and with getting "their way" (on both sides) that they have forgotten why they're here. So many of us have spent so much time arguing our points and why "we're right" that we've forgotten to even try to understand where someone else might be coming from. Worse than that, people's lives are being threatened, people are being slandered, discriminated against, personally attacked, and are living in fear because of their political views and choices. People are spending so much time hating these politicians that they don't have time to focus on Jesus and His message. Matthew 5:43-44 says, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor^a]"> and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...".

So many of us aren't loving our enemies. We want them to hurt and to be wronged the way that we feel we were hurt and wronged. We are so angry. We are so self-righteous.

This healthcare bill may not be what some of us wanted, but it passed. If we don't like it, we need to go about challenging it with class, with love, and for the right reasons. We need to stop making it an 'us vs them' and try to work together. We live in the greatest country in the world, yet most of us are tearing it down brick by brick. We have lost our fundamentals. We have lost our faith in God. We want to do everything ourselves and, often times, for selfish reasons.

I truly believe that we need to look at the issues through the other person's point of view, whatever the issue may be. Only then can we understand their point. We may still disagree, but maybe we can disagree with the issue and not with the person.

Barack Obama is our president. In 1Timothy, Paul tells us to pray for our leaders:

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

If I'm being totally honest, I have to admit that I often forget to do this. Do you? Will you join me in praying for our President as well as others in authority?

I want America to still be a great place to live. I want to take the smile off of Satan's face. I want to be a good example for my kids. I want to focus on Jesus rather than being right. I mean, if we were to really look at all the issues, do we all know as much as we think we do? I mean, are any of us the supreme authority on every issue? Many of us think we know more than the other person and want to accuse others of being ill-informed, but let's be real. That's not always the case. There are always two sides to every story, and in politics, there are always lies and skewed points.

I believe in America, and I trust in God. I am going to commit to spend more time focusing on Jesus and less on trying to prove others wrong. If I believe strongly in something, I am going to pray and ask God to show me how He would have me handle it.
Well, these are my plans, anyway. "Nothing is impossible with God", right?

Thoughts? Be kind... :)

Jesus is Bigger Than a Pig

2009-11-17T16:10:00.006-06:00

Tristan is in kindergarten this year, and his class has been studying fairy tales. One of the fairy tales they've studied is "The Three Little Pigs". They have done a lot of activities with that story, and one of the activities came home with him today. It was a book authored by the students in his class. The book is titled: "__________ is Bigger Than a Pig".

As I flipped through the pictures, I saw lots of cute and colorful pictures with a myriad of different answers.

My house is bigger than a pig.

A boat is bigger than a pig.

A limo is bigger than a pig.

A shark is bigger than a pig.

Then I saw Tristan's page, and my heart melted:
My photo of his picture isn't great, but it says at the bottom,
"Jesus is bigger than a pig."
That is Jesus in the sky.

I'm so proud of my little boy! He always remembers that Jesus is bigger than us all; that He loves us even more than we love each other, more than we can imagine. I pray that Tristan will continue to share Jesus with those around him, and that his faith in Jesus will grow with each passing year, day, and hour.

My Baby Girl is Five Months Old!

2009-11-14T16:11:00.005-06:00

Seriously, how did time fly by so quickly? Not only is it almost Thanksgiving and Christmas, but my baby girl, my little princess, is already five months old! Seems like she was just born, and now she's smiling, laughing, rolling over, and sprouting curls! What in the world?!? Does anyone know how I can freeze time? Though I love this stage, as I do every stage, I just wish each stage would last a little longer. Rhiannon is such a good cuddler, and I know that once she can get mobile, she'll be over it. SAD!

Here are this months' pictures of my sweet Rhi Rhi Girl:Speaking of curls, how common is it to have THREE curly headed children? It can't happen often, right? What are the chances??? Not only do we have two boys with curly blonde hair, now Rhiannon has it and may end up with hair that is curlier than the boys. Their hair was not nearly as curly as hers is when they were her age. Amazing! I know you can't tell it from this picture, but if her hair gets the least bit wet, it curls up.

I sure do love this little girl! The boys do too. God has blessed us with such wonderful kids. :)

Happy five months, Rhiannon Marie!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-11-12T22:42:00.004-06:00

If you've stopped by my blog much, you know I'm very inconsistent in my postings. I just can't seem to find the time. Trying to figure out completely different schedules for three kids has been a bit of a challenge for me. I'll get there one day, though! Tonight, I found a quiet minute (when I should be cleaning) and thought I would post my most recent random thoughts. So, here goes:
Road rage. What happened to it? Remember when road rage was all the rage? It seemed like you couldn't watch the news without seeing a story about some driver who went ballistic because he was cut off on the interstate. Daily, we heard crazy stories about drivers who went completely ballistic. What happened to those drivers? Did they disappear? Or did the news stop covering it? Hmmm...

Has anyone seen the commercial for the Temper Pedic bed? It's the one where the bed is on the hillside. Some couple wakes up all refreshed. But seriously, what's up with the hillside? Is it common for people to take their queen size beds out to the hillside to sleep? Just wondering.

If you've ever watched anything with Tyra Banks, whether it be America's Top Model or The Tyra Show (is that what it's called~her talk show?), you will notice TONS of pictures of Miss Tyra Banks. I mean, I know she was a famous super model, but does she really have to be in every single picture? It cracks me up. Maybe she's afraid we'll forget she was a famous super model? Maybe she's afraid she'll lose her "fierceness"?

I remember seeing her pregnant. I've even seen the pictures of her new baby, but I have to ask...did Elisabeth Hasselbeck actually have a baby?!? I mean, the woman, after giving birth two months ago, looks tinier than ever. How is that possible?! I mean, I've had friends get small pretty quickly, but they had almost non-existent pregnant bellies. Elisabeth wasn't huge by any means, but she had a baby belly. How did she lose it so quickly? Man!

Does anyone else have a hard time deleting pictures of their kids? I have the hardest time. Whatever I use to take their pictures, whether it be my phone or camera, I upload them to the computer, and I still don't want to delete them off my camera or phone. It's so hard! I start to, then I see the picture and think, "I may need this. That's my baby. How can I delete him/her?" Even with not-so-flattering pictures. It's something I really have to work on.

Do you Twitter? Tweet? Whatever? Ok, so I've spent lots of time making fun of it on my random thoughts (tongue in cheek, of course). Then, I got this new phone that I love and thought I would give it a shot; not to update everyone about my every move, rather, to find out when stores are having sales and to check in on funny people and people that have interesting things to say...or, so I thought. So I started getting tweets on my phone and HATE it! It's just as bad as I thought it would be. As I'm typing this, I am getting a tweet. AGH! SHUT IT OFF! ;) I know a lot of people out there like it. I'm just not one of them. I thought I cared what people are doing, but I don't. I really don't. It is so time consuming. My phone is constantly beeping (and I'm only following a few people on my phone), and I never know if it's a text that I need to check right away or if it's some tweet announcing that so and so is heading to the gym (yes, I follow some pastors for inspirational thoughts, and that's what I get). I would go ahead and delete people from my phone, but I have to look up how to do that again. I keep forgetting! I plan to leave a couple (like children's stores that I want updates from), other than that, Twitter's gotta go. It's not that I don't love my friends. I just barely have enough time to keep up with my own family, much less everyone's else's dinner schedules. :)

I know my boys have been in school for more than two months, but I am still having a hard time getting their schedules and Rhiannon's schedules down pat every day. There just isn't enough time between trips, it seems. And what I've noticed is that the more I try to prepare the night before, the later I am the next day. I can get all the clothes ironed and ready, lunches and snacks made, get up early, and the next day, something will happen to make us late. On the flip side, I can stay up late, do nothing the night before, get up and rush around to get ready, and we're right on time. What's up with that? It happens ALL THE TIME!

Ok, I'm just going to say it...Lane Kiffin is a big fat crybaby. He is. I understand. He's 34. He's young, but still..come on! Grow up! Lane Kiffin, quit running your mouth about how you're going to beat this team and that team, how this coach is cheating, and that official is unfair. Grow up. Some people say he's just ballsy and/or he's just overly confident. I don't think it's either of those things. I think he's incredibly immature, and one day, I think he'll be embarrassed by how he's behaved over the past few months. Just my thoughts. For now, though, he's got a mess on his hands with his jailbird football players. Good luck with that, Coach Kiffin.

Speaking of the jailbirds, check this out! The three UT players that committed an armed robbery of a couple at a Pilot gas station, were arrested; however, one of the victims of the crime said that he believes the guys should still be able to play football...that they shouldn't be suspended. Ok, are you KIDDING ME?!? I mean, is this guy that big of a UT fan that he is willing to overlook having a gun pointed at him? Really? Does he have a bet on this weekend's game or what?!? Ok, I love me some Alabama Crimson Tide, but if Greg McElroy comes at me with a gun while demanding my purse, no way I'm going to beg Coach Saban to let him play. That's NUTS!

In the past month, at completely separate times, both my mother and husband have mentioned a possible part-time job for me (and they were totally serious). Wanna know what the job is? Driving a school bus. That's right. Me, the girl who failed her first drivers' test at the age of 17, they want to commandeer a large moving vehicle full of screaming kids through a busy and crowded little town. They BOTH brought this idea up to me, not knowing the other had mentioned it to me as well. Can you believe that?!? They must both really want me to have a job! Ok, I would flatten cars if I ever drove a school bus!

I want to close with this question...is it possible to hear "Bohemian Rhapsody" without immediately thinking about Wayne's World? It's not for me, is it for you?

That's it, people. I have more, but I'll spare you. And you're welcome! Now, if you want to make my day, you'll leave me some of your random thoughts. :) So, please make my day!
ROLL TIDE & GO DAWGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Word from the Wise

2009-11-07T07:14:00.002-06:00

I came across this quote from C.S. Lewis this morning as I was reading through a book. It really stood out to me.

There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians ever imagine that they are guilty themselves... The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleebites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil; pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind... As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.

~C.S. Lewis

My Favorite Costume of 2009

2009-11-06T08:30:00.003-06:00

Is this costume super creative or what?! My sweet friend, Carrie Anne, came up with this all on her own. She's one of those...one of those creative types. I can only imagine. :)LOVE this costume! Her costume is so amazing, you almost miss how great her husband's is. Gotta love overweight Elvis! AND...have you ever seen a cuter little fish??? I think not.

Thanks for letting me share, CA!

Who Knew?

2009-11-06T08:21:00.006-06:00

I certainly didn't. I never could have imagined just how much I could love a little girl. Now I know, and I can't get enough of my little princess (which, btw, is something I said I would never call her. Go figure).

Tuesday Morning on a Thursday Afternoon

2009-11-05T16:33:00.004-06:00

Does your town have a Tuesday Morning? Mine does, but I often forget about it. Lately, though, it's been catching my eye. Until today, it had been about two years or so since I had been in. Since I only had one of the kids with me today, I thought it would be the perfect time to stop in and check out the merchandise.
I found some good loot and, well, some strange things. I kept finding so many unique things, I had to take out my cell phone and start taking pictures (have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy my phone? It's GREAT!). I'm pretty sure my fellow shoppers (and the workers in the store) thought I was pretty weird, but I didn't care.
Check out my finds:

First, I'll show you a couple of things I liked. For instance, this dress was super cute! The picture doesn't do it justice. For those Bama fans out there, this houndstooth coat has a super cute a-line button dress beneath it and a hat (I don't really dig the hat, but I know it's in style right now. I've seen it everywhere). I would have gotten it for my Rhi, but the smallest they had was like a 3T or something. Another good find were these acrylic pitchers and cups. They had a few teams represented but none that I cared about it. I was able to lead a friend to a Tennessee pitcher, so that was good....I think. She was pleased, anyway. This is an Ole Miss set. Now on to the strange. Let's start with the dolls. First off, these Juicy Couture dolls. This pack of dolls costs $50! Seriously, $50. I'm sorry, but $50 for a couple of Barbies seems crazy! They are very pretty, though. :)Then I found this Boho Barbie. She and her packaging just looked strange to me.This Barbie really disturbed me. It is Little Red Riding Hood Barbie (an official Barbie). Ok, um, is it just me or is she way too sexy to be a Barbie for LITTLE GIRLS?!? Check her out. Her outfit is incredibly revealing. Her pose is too much, and the wolf....oh my! She should be called Little Red Riding Hooker, not Hood.A recurring theme for the dolls in Tuesday Morning, as I noticed today...hair nets. I saw so many dolls, like this one, with hair nets on. Is it just me, or is this strange? I've never bought (or seen before today) a doll with a hair net. Maybe they all work in restaurants?Here's another one with a hair net. Actually it's a whole head net.Then I found these shoes. The picture says it all, doesn't it? I mean, bright yellow fuzzy croc-ish shoes. Does it get any cooler than that?
Finally, my favorite find. The ENORMOUS remote control. I'm not kidding, people. This thing was H-U-G-E! The picture does not do it justice. I wish I had measured it next to my arm or something. I don't know if you can tell from the couple pictured at the bottom of the box, but there is no way this remote is getting lost. It's almost as big as an actual t.v.! Who wants a remote that big?!? I guess someone elderly who can't see the buttons, but check out the couple on the box. They're not old. What gives?So that's what I found today. It was quite entertaining. I'm so glad I stopped in! :)
Stay tuned for Thursday's Random Thoughts. I have them ready and am hoping to find a minute to type them out. Will I find the time? Only time will tell, I guess!

This Shirt Must Make My Girl Happy

2009-11-02T15:56:00.002-06:00

Look how she beams every time she wears it!
My sweet Rhi Rhi girl. I love this girl beyond measure! What did the boys and I ever do without her???

Lately, she's become a big fan of sucking her toes and blowing bubbles. She also enjoys sucking her bottom lip. She's not really into the paci anymore, but that shouldn't surprise me. My boys never liked pacifiers either. Oh well. That will probably make it easier on me, I guess.
Her hair is already showing signs of future curls in the waves it produces when wet or in humid weather. Shocker, right?! She looks just like her daddy. I just can't get over the fact that I may have three curly headed kids. Who has three kids with curly hair?!? How often does that happen??? I LOVE it!!!
She is showing signs of teething, which hasn't made for a fun week. I give her Hyland's natural teething tablets, but she still wakes up in the middle of the night (she loves the 1:30/2:00 am hour).
She's a momma's girl but always saves big smiles for her daddy and brothers.
Speaking of big smiles, the best way to get this girl to smile at you is to give her a compliment. She can't get enough of those and always returns a compliment with a grin.
She still loves her tummy tub; always happy to take a bath.
She's very ticklish.
She reached for someone for the very first time this past weekend. While in Ozark visiting my family, she reached for Aunt Vicki. It was the first time ever. Later, she reached for me. SO sweet!
Her eyes are turning brown. At two months old, I was sure she would be a blue eyed girl like her brother, Tristan. Her eyes were getting so light. Now, the centers are brown and the outsides are blue. They are definitely changing. She's going to have her daddy's beautiful browns. Yet more proof that my kids are destined to look like their daddy's side of the family.
She loves her bouncy seat and can really get it moving. She moves her left leg up and down super fast and keeps it in constant motion. That is something my boys never did. They were content to sit in the seat while it vibrated.
She hates to have her nails cut, so they're almost always too long.
She's constantly talking and making sweet noise.
Rhiannon hardly ever cries. She usually reserves her crying for times when she's hungry or sleepy.

These are just a few of the things going on with my sweet Rhi Rhi girl these days. She is such an incredibly blessing and proof that God sure does love us!

What to Do to Fill the Time...

2009-11-02T15:42:00.006-06:00

...on a three hour car ride:

Take crazy pictures with your cell phone, of course! Your family does this, right???Asher's "scary face". LOVE it!Crazy couple shot (and yes, he was driving):Tristan doing his best to tune us out:Our often un-talked about son, Felipe (aka: Flipper, Bubsy, Bubbits, Bibbs, Fleepster...the list goes on):My absolute favorite picture on this post!!! It's my favorite because of the name Asher gave it. This is his "honkin' shhhh" face. Can anyone guess what honkin' shhhh means???? Tune in for another post about this to see if you got it right. CRACKS ME UP!One of Channing's favorite crazy faces to make:As it was getting darker, we managed to fit in one more shot:Three hours can sometimes be a long ride, but my kiddos are riding champs. We hardly ever have any trouble out of them in the car. What a blessing, right?!? Rhiannon was in the car with us, but she was turned around backwards, so it was impossible for me to get any shots of her. That's ok, though, because she just slept the whole time. She chipped in to make sure the ride was an ease. :)

Thursday's Random Thoughts...On Friday

2009-10-30T08:08:00.004-05:00

Sort of...
I have so much going on this week, I really don't have time to put down my random thoughts. I have them all stored in my phone and will be ready to share them next week. Hopefully things will be back to normal by then!
I'll leave you with two, though.
So I saw a commercial for Bud Light advertising wheat beer. Seriously, Bud Light? Wheat beer? What have things come to when we're grasping at straws when trying to make beer healthy? I mean, ok if you want your beer to be a little healthier, but to me, this is just going to give men an excuse to drink more beer. "Honey, I haven't had my wheat today. I better swing by and pick up some Bud Light." "Honey, you know I only drink so much because I'm trying to catch up on my wheat intake!" I can hear it all now. Not from my husband, but just in general. Wheat beer...too funny. THERE'S PROBABLY SOME OTHER REASON FOR WHEAT BEER, BUT THIS IS ALL I COULD THINK OF WHEN I SAW THE COMMERCIAL.

Life is so fast. Make sure you love those around you. You never know if this may be the last time you ever see them. Not always easy to remember, but it's true.

Ok, stay tuned for next week. I'll probably have an overload of thoughts to share! Have a great weekend, and BE SAFE!

Good Mannered Super Hero

2009-10-30T08:00:00.003-05:00

Do you know what that is? I must say, when I got a note from the school saying that October 30 would be "Good Mannered Super Hero Day", I was quite confused. What is a good mannered super hero? An existing super hero with good manners? A "Thank You Man"? A super hero named after good manners? What?! I have to figure this out and make sure my five year old is cool enough to show up at school that day without being made fun of? One wrong move, and we're in trouble!

I stressed out about this and talked to several people. Finally, we all decided that this was just our elementary school's way of letting the kids dress up while trying to ensure that no one would show up in any crazy evil scary thing. Got it. That being said, I threw any ounce of creativity I had out the window and dressed him up as Super Man. I mean, he had good manners, right?

Here's my Super Man:
One thing Channing thought of that never crossed my mind...the bathroom. What is he supposed to do when he has to go to the bathroom??? YIKES! Had NOT thought of that! I mean, Channing helped him get into this thing. Who would help him get out? What a nightmare for the kindergarten teachers today. I don't envy them!
I'll be at the school helping this afternoon. I'm sure I'll be unvelcroing and re-velcroing super heroes for two hours. :)

Trunk or Treats & Fall Festivals

2009-10-30T07:46:00.005-05:00

During this time of year, my boys love hitting up fall festivals and trunk or treats. Each year, we try to make it to our neighbor's church and Asher's school (which also happens to be at a church and was previously Tristan's school). The boys look forward to it for weeks and are always have lots of fun. Here are some of my cell phone pictures (because I'm too lazy to hook up my camera to the computer) from the two we went to this year.

I love this picture because it shows Asher's cool hat he had made. The church had a clown table, and two super cool clowns twisted balloons for the kids. Tristan wanted a sword, but Asher wanted this hat that he saw someone else wearing. Channing and I were shocked that he actually wore it. And he did! He wore it most of the night!Here's a shot of Tristan playing 'pick up frogs'. He must have played it 50 times!On to the Trunk or Treat...
The boys both had other costumes, but once Asher decided to be a Georgia football player, Tristan was racing to keep up. He wasn't going to let Asher be one without him! Here are my two little bulldogs. LOVE these kids!
Watch out, Hershel! My boys are coming up!!!Rhiannon also had another costume, but with both her brothers being football players, she couldn't be left out. She's not one to go rogue. So, here is the boys' cheerleader:My Tristan...and one of his silly poses:And my sweet Asher. Can you tell what he's saying?The Trunk or Treat just provided too much excitement for Rhi. She passed out!Asher's favorite part of the night. Forget the candy, the slide, the costumes, he was all about riding the motorcycles!!!
I would LOVE to share a picture of my favorite costume of the night. A friend of ours dressed up as a Facebook update. It was AWESOME!!! Just a little disclaimer: My friend is one of those "super creative types". I don't have an ounce of her creativity. Anyway, it was super cool. If I had photoshop, I could blur out last names and post it. Alas, I don't, and I don't want to post anyone's picture without permission. Just know...REALLY cool!

My boys (and girl) had lots of fun at their fall festivals, which always makes me happy. :)

We're Not Fans of Orange

2009-10-24T18:33:00.005-05:00

That's right. Our family doesn't like Auburn orange, and we certainly don't like Tennessee orange. Most of all, I'm no fan of Lane Kiffin (but we'll save that rant for another day).

Today was a big day...Alabama vs. Tennessee. Our family (minus Channing) got ready early. We had to sport our Tide-wear all day. Check out my little Tiders!Isn't Rhiannon's onesie adorable?!? It was designed by one of my very best friends, Leisha. She's so creative! Thanks, Leisha!!!Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE my baby girl??? If not, let me mention it now. I sure do love this baby girl! I think she is the sweetest, funniest, most beautiful and perfect little girl in the world. Of course, I'm not at all biased. :)

Here's my sweet Asher. He doesn't like to look at the camera. Clearly, by looking at this picture, you can see Asher thinks today is Georgia Bulldogs day. He's doing his best Uga impersonation. :)And here's my sweet Tristan. I don't know if it's the age, but he is totally into making faces every time I ask him to smile. He always has some new and crazy pose for me. This was his post at breakfast (Hardees...a special treat. You know...we just wanted to be super healthy this morning).I hope you watched the game. If you did, did your heart stop like mine did?!? COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! I'm still trying to recover. ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd Forgotten

2009-10-19T10:11:00.002-05:00

...just how much I loved these little outfits! Tristan wore these a lot when he was little. They're just so cute and easy. I wish he wasn't too old for them now. Alas, he is and has been for some time. So, now I get to see Asher wear them, and it totally makes my day!

Looks Pretty Comfy to Me

2009-10-16T19:53:00.003-05:00

I don't care what anyone says, this baby GIRL loves her sling! Does she look uncomfortable to you? Needless to say, I got some comments today at Chuck E Cheese's (where the pic was taken) and got lots of looks and whispers.
And to A, a double sling would totally rock! No way you'd get any concerned glances your way; definitely no snide comments! :) Ha!

Speaking of comments at CEC's, a woman told me Rhiannon looks just like me. Ha! I think I surprised her because I said, "Really?!", then started laughing. She said, "Um, well, uh, the eyes. I think she has your eyes." I told her I would take it because most people say she looks just like her daddy.
I didn't mean to laugh at her, and really, I wasn't laughing at her. I was laughing because I know she doesn't look like me. I hear, at least five times a day, that she looks just like her daddy or like her brothers (who look like their daddy). So when I hear, from time to time, that she looks something like me, I just laugh. I also heard that with Asher when he was a baby (hardly ever with Tristan), and Asher looks the least like me. No one ever thinks Asher looks like me now. Oh well! :) I don't care who my kids look like . I think they're beautiful and wouldn't change a thing about them!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-10-15T16:19:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it's already Thursday?!? Where has this week gone?
Well, since it's Thursday, that means it's time for me to unleash my random crazy thoughts. I really wish some of you would share your random thoughts. That way, I wouldn't feel like the only person who has complete craziness going on in her head! ;)
Anyway, here goes...
The Heisman Trophy. Now that we're mid season, we're hearing about it all the time. I mean, that's fine and all, but the Heisman Trophy stuff kind of gets under my skin. Thing is, there are a lot of super talented and hard-working players that never get Heisman attention, simply because they are not all star quarterbacks, receivers, or running backs. How about giving an outstanding defensive guy a chance? How about Rolando McClain? How about some other defensive guys from some other teams. I know the Bama defense wouldn't be 1/2 as good as they are without McClain. I say it's time to stop focusing on the showy positions in college football. Let's take a look at the other hard-working guys too.
Why is it that if you dress a baby girl in anything with blue on it, no matter how much pink accompanies it, people assume she is a boy? I get it all the time. Rhiannon will be wearing a blue dress with pink elephants and pink trim, holding a pink blanket..."What a cute little boy!" Come on, people! It's in the details! If you see poofy sleeves, even if they're blue, chances are, the baby is a girl!

Speaking of babies, why do complete strangers feel the need to offer advice (aka: criticize) people (ok, me) about their parenting? Today at the pumpkin patch, I was carrying Rhiannon in her sling. You wouldn't believe all the comments I heard in passing and had said to my face. One woman, as she passed me, was telling her friend, "Look at that baby! It's going to fall out!" She went on and on. Ok, Rhi was totally in her sling and in absolutely no danger of falling out. CRAZY! Then on the hay ride, a couple of women were going on and on about how uncomfortable the sling looked for the baby because "he" (yes, she was wearing blue...polka dots with poofy sleeves!) was all squished up. I politely smiled and told them how much the baby loves the sling (because I don't want to embarrass them for thinking she's a boy). I mean, Rhiannon was SLEEPING! Do you think she would have been sleeping had she been in pain or uncomfortable?!? Then when I got off the hay ride, a woman told me, "Why don't you take her out and put her in the stroller? Then, you can take the boys in to the bathroom, and I'll watch her for you?" Thanks for the offer, lady, but #1. I don't know you and am NOT leaving my baby with you, and #2. She's FINE! She's NOT uncomfortable! UGH! What did I do, though? I took her out (she cried), put her in her carseat, and waited for Jennifer (my friend) to watch her so I could go in. I gave in, I know.

Does every town have their own cheesy local commercials? I just don't get it. I mean, I know it's low budget and everything, but come on. They have got to have better ideas (and actors) than some of what I see around here. They make me cringe (kind of like small town local news).

I was watching something the other day and heard the phrase, "Go to hell." I started thinking about the phrase and how awful it is. I mean, it really is awful. I wonder how many people that say it actually think about the words they're saying. Hell is the worst possible place anyone could go. Torture for eternity. Would you wish anyone there...really? Do you think the people that use the phrase actually take in what they're saying, or do you think it's just something that rolls off the tongue?

Is it just me, or is it so annoying to watch coaches covering their mouths on the sidelines when they're talking on their little headsets? DRIVES ME CRAZY! I was totally making fun of Lane Kiffin (my current least favorite coach in college football) for doing it in the Georgia/Tennessee game last weekend. I know other coaches do it, but for that one game, I pretended like he was the only one. It gave me some good laughs. I mean, it gets pure silly sometimes. They go through such extremes to try to hide what they're saying. Ha!!! I mean, sure, I guess the other team could have their hired lip readers on the sidelines, but come on.

Speaking of football games, I find it funny that some girls wear pink in the stands. If your team colors are orange and blue, chances are, most of the people in the stands are going to be wearing orange and blue. You, even though you have your team logo on your pink shirt, are going to look silly sitting in the sea of team colors while wearing your crazy pink. PINK IS NOT A FOOTBALL COLOR! There, I said it. I've gotten it off my chest. ;)

Are my BIL and I the only ones to notice Houston Nutt's crazy play signals? You know, most coaches have random arm signals, but Houston Nutt takes it much further. His are vulgar. Last season, my bil noticed one that involved him grabbing his crotch. This year during the Alabama/Ole Miss game, one of his signals involved him pretending to pull his pants down (for a full moon). What in the world??? Really, Coach Nutt? Do you think your players wouldn't understand the more subdued signals? Baffles me.

Poor spelling really gets to me. You can imagine how tough it is for me to read some Facebook updates. UGH! I cringe when I see all the misspellings scattered about. I'm not talking about accidental letters and stuff like that, I'm talking about really really poor spelling. I try not to notice, but I do.

Speaking of misspellings, I have a hard time with texting because I don't like to spell things incorrectly just to shorten it. I'm that dork texter that texts out the whole word (also because I am SO not an lol person). So, if you get a text from me, it's like a novel. Sorry!

What is the bejeweled game on Facebook? What are the Mafia Wars? Farmville? What is up with all the quizzes? I don't care how many bejeweled points you got, who you shot in your mafia wars, what kind of cow wandered up on your farm, or what kind of mouthwash your personality is most like. I really don't. I really wish I didn't have to see all that every time I pull up my FB account. I wish there was a "hide" button just for games and quizzes. I want to know what my friends are up to from time to time, but I don't want to see all the rest of the junk mail. I think FB should come up with something for that.

Speaking of FB updates, after reading so many meaningless updates, I started thinking about Rick and Bubba and their rules for call ins. One thing they say (not verbatim) is, before making your comment, ask yourself if people will be entertained by what you have to say. I think that could apply to FB too. If you're going to the bathroom, going to cook some toast, or taking a shower, we don't need to know about it. I doubt anyone's sitting on the edge of their seats to find out if it's your lunchtime. Maybe I'm wrong? ;)

Every town should have a Sno Biz. It should be some sort of requirement. If there's a chamber of commerce, there should be a Sno Biz. I'm just sayin'...

I love my kids so much. They have my heart! However, three is tough, much tougher than two. I had no idea what I was in for. Having three children is a tremendous blessing, but it is a lot of work. I have three different needs, three different schedules, car lines, crying spells, etc. It does get easier, right? :)

I was laying by Asher at bedtime a few nights ago and was telling him a story. At some point during the story, he turned to me and said, "Mommy, you spit. You spit on me." Of course, I busted out laughing. My little two year old is basically telling me to 'say it, don't spray it.' My kids always manage to humble me.

Speaking of being humbled, at church last Sunday, one of the ushers (who appears to be about my age) saw me walking in with my carseat. He immediately walked up to me and said, "Mrs. King, Channing is right over there." MRS. KING?!? Do I look that old?!? We're like the same age, right?!? It hurt. It really hurt. It feels just as bad when a kid in their 20s says 'yes ma'am' to me. OUCH!

That's all I've got for this week, folks! How about you??? This struggling mother of three would love to hear some random thoughts from someone else. It would make me feel oh so sane! :)

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-15T15:57:00.004-05:00

I love this time of year! College football, changing leaves, cool air, pumpkin patches...it's all fabulous! Tristan and Asher are on fall break from school, so today, I decided to take them to a pumpkin patch. Tristan and I went to a pumpkin patch last week with his school, and it was fun, but this one was so much better! It was more open, clean, and had lots more to do, not to mention better pumpkins. :)

We met up with two of my favorite people, Jennifer and her beautiful little girl, Audrey. Jennifer is one of my very best friends and one of the most beautiful people (inside and out) that you'll ever meet. We met in college and have been best friends ever since. Though we live a couple of hours apart and don't get to see each other much, when we are able to get together, we always pick up right where we left off. I thank God for such a wonderful friend!

Anyway, on to my pumpkin patch pictures. Today is just a sneak peek. These are the pictures taken with my phone. I have some even cuter ones on my camera. Too bad my home computer is from the ice age and won't let me upload them. Hopefully I can get them up soon. I know you're DYING to see them! :)

This first picture is beautiful Audrey and the pumpkin she picked. I could just eat her up! She is so adorable and cute to watch. She instantly clicked with Tristan and followed him everywhere. She told Jennifer that Tristan is her best friend. I LOVE it! Maybe I can get them to save her for Tristan for marriage one day. That's not too much to ask, right??? :)
Here is Asher and his pumpkin. He was so proud! He wanted to carry it everywhere and did. Sadly, I didn't get a picture of Tristan with his pumpkin. :( He picked a really big one and had a hard time picking it up. Plus, I was trying to manage Rhiannon in her sling (while other women offered their "advice" and opinions about me carrying "him" in a sling) and keep Asher from wandering off (which he often did).

Stay tuned for more exciting updates about our Thursday at the pumpkin patch!

It Started Out Innocently Enough...

2009-10-15T07:59:00.005-05:00

I had my phone and was going to send a quick picture message to show MiMi that Tristan likes his new jammies.
Next thing I know, Asher was joining in the fun.And before I knew it, I had two monsters sitting on my steps!!! SCARY!WHOA! Is this frightening, or what?!?
I'm not one that likes to call my kids monsters, no matter how they may act in a particular moment. However, when they do this, they want, they NEED to be called monsters. It's their fuel. So, my little monsters they are. They sure are cute monsters! These are the kind I'd like to run into on Halloween night. You can keep the Freddie Kreugers, the Jasons, the mummies, and men with their chainsaws. These are the only monsters I want to see!

Game Day~ Our Weekend in Athens Part 2

2009-10-12T14:27:00.010-05:00

THE CELL PHONE PICTURE EDITION
We had a great time in Athens, well, until the game anyway. The outcome wasn't quite what we'd hoped. LSU ended up winning (UGH!), so that was kind of a dark spot on our trip. Other than that, everything was perfect! Here are some more tailgating shots:

Here is my little football player. One of our tailgating traditions...football in the parking lot. Tristan was ready!
Tristan played lots of football, and Asher did what Asher loves to do...he ATE!!! Can you tell what he's saying? Yep...CHEESE!Rhi getting very sleeeeeeeeepy...She decided to catch a little shut eye:Tristan taking a break:Later that day...
This is what became of Rhiannon's game day outfit:Crazy boy!After all our tailgate fun, it was time to go watch the Dawgs play! Here are some shots from the game:Uncle Ryan and Mary Ryan. I can't tell you how much my boys love MRK! Not only is she a beautiful little girl,but she's lots of fun too. She and Tristan have a lot of fun together. It's such a blessing to have a cousin your same age, just ask Tristan. Not only do they have fun together, she's always super sweet to Asher and Rhiannon. I sure love this little girl! Her daddy's lots of fun too! We think we'll keep him... most of the time. ;)Channing and Asher watching the game. Asher was most excited about seeing the drums. With Georgia's season, that may have been the most exciting part. :( The Dawgs will make a comeback....just maybe not this season?Eating, of course! This time, it was cotton candy. During halftime, the kids enjoyed some STICKY cotton candy. What a mess it turned out to be! It didn't bother them, though. They enjoyed every single bite!
Sweet cousins...clearly enjoying their cotton candy!Asher finally had enough excitement (and sugar) and crashed.
That was our game day. Georgia lost, I had to take the kids to the bathroom about 100 times (which really made us popular with the fans sitting around us), they loaded up on sugar, and Tristan complained a bit, but still, it was a blast! We got to hang out with family, eat great food, watch one of our favorite teams (of course, it's Channing's favorite team), and wear red (always a great color~much better than the opposing team's purple...ugh!). All in all, GREAT trip!!!

Our Weekend in Athens~Part 1

2009-10-12T10:46:00.012-05:00

Last weekend was our first weekend of the year to head to Athens, Georgia for a football game. This year, Channing was pumped about watching the Dawgs take on the LSU Tigers. We had the weekend planned for months in advance, and we were all excited, as you can see in the above picture. I took that picture with my phone on the drive over. Tristan was eagerly anticipating playing football on the practice field, one of his absolute favorite things to do in Athens.
Here he is on the practice field, gear on, football and tee ready. He had a great time! Though this year was a little different than years past. Instead of playing non-stop football with his daddy and PaPa, he was a little more focused on following a couple of girls that were out there. And so it begins...
Here is Asher, suiting up. His favorite thing to do on the practice field was to run all over the "G" on the field. He thought it was really cool.A family shot. I am so blessed!
The boys with MiMi and PaPa.
The boys and their daddy, or Daddy and his little clones! I love these three guys!!! Seriously, God has truly blessed me.A shot of Rhi pre-practice field. Isn't her onesie precious??? My sweet friend, Leisha, found the pattern and helped design a UGA one for her. Thanks, Leisha!!! Rhi loved her special onesies!After we left the practice field, we had to go out for some classic cuisine...the Varsity, of course! What'll ya have, what'll ya have??? Rhi fit in perfectly!
The next day was, of course, GAME DAY! We spent a fun-filled day of tailgating. This included eating, playing football, watching games, and getting ready for the UGA/LSU game. What a great Saturday! Here are some shots from our tailgate:

This first picture is actually of Rhiannon in her gameday outfit. She was ready! There was no mistaking our little Georgia cheerleader for an LSU fan (or a boy , for that matter). Needless to say, she got LOTS of attention on the walk to our tailgate. :)I know it's a terrible picture (due to all the shadows), but here is a shot of Channing, Rhi, and me on our way to our tent. Sadly, we didn't get to see Hairy Dawg, Uga, or the cheerleaders this time. BUMMER!At the tent:
Look at my mini A.J. Greens!This is like one of about eight or so fruit snacks Asher ate that day. That boy is an eater!!! At home, we don't let him fill up on junk like that! But look at that happy face. :) A shot of MRK, our niece and the kids' cousin, with Rhi and Tristan.
My sweet momma's boy!
Tristan took this one of Channing and me:
My sweet Tristan. I think he's so handsome! I just can't believe how big he's gotten! He's not a baby anymore. He's a big kid. When did that happen?!?
Stay tuned for part 2 of our trip to Athens. I know you're on the edge of your seats! :)

My Little Flower

2009-10-12T10:29:00.008-05:00

Having three kids has definitely slowed down my blogging. Problem is, this is how I scrapbook, so I've got to get some of these pictures uploaded! If it weren't for blurb, my kids wouldn't have scrapbooks.

I titled this post "My Little Flower" because I am sharing Rhiannon's three and four month pictures. She is growing like crazy. Some might say 'she's growing like a weed'. Thing is, when I think of a weed, I think of an ugly invasion into an otherwise healthy lawn or garden. My Rhiannon is not a weed. She is a beautiful flower that complements our family. That little girl has my heart wrapped around her tiny finger. What did our family ever do without her??? Ok, please excuse my cheese-fest. I just love this little girl!

Anyway, here are Rhiannon's three and four month pictures. I'm not sure why they're so blurry. :( I am hoping to get a shot of her every month in the same spot over the next year. I succeeded with Tristan and got several months done with Asher but did miss a couple (bad mommy!).

Here she is at three months:These are her four month pictures, taken today (a day late...oops!). Notice her beautiful dress. It was made by one of my favorite people in the world, one of my best friends, Becky. Thanks, Beck Beck for Rhi's special dress!!! I miss you so and wish we lived closer to one another! Love you. :)

Asher's First Day of School

2009-10-12T10:06:00.004-05:00

I know, I know. I'm WAY behind. I wanted to post pictures of Asher's first day of school anyway. They've gotta make it into his blurb book. Better late than never, right?

Here he is, my precious little school boy on his very first day. He is going to the same school Tristan went to for years. He was SO excited about getting started. Having to wait a month after his big brother started just didn't seem fair to him.He was super excited about getting started until it came time to go into the classroom. Then, the apprehension set in. He did well, though.
Here he is walking to his classroom:And with his new teachers (who I LOVE, btw! They do so much with the little two year olds and really seem to love them. What a blessing they are!!!): What made my heart melt was when I picked him up. He came running to me, voice loud, exclaiming, "Mommy, I had fun! I like my school!" That made my day.

I wish kids didn't have to grow up so quickly. If only I could freeze time... Since I can't, I'm just going to try to enjoy every milestone and every minute. I'll never get any of them back.

A New Position

2009-10-11T17:20:00.002-05:00

This is Tristan's first season playing baseball. He's played two seasons of t-ball, but this fall, he began the big journey of baseball. Bye bye, tee. Hello, coach pitch. Channing and I thought Tristan would excel because he's always done so well when we've pitched him the ball. What we did not foresee was his summer golf lessons interfering with his baseball skills. You see, he used to have a beautiful baseball swing. Now, he has a beautiful golf swing (the golf pro said that Tristan played beyond his years~my proud mom brag) ;). He's gotten his swings confused, and we're having a hard time correcting this problem. Hopefully, if we keep working, we'll get there. Now that leaves us with the dilemma as to whether or not we should continue golf lessons. Not to mention tennis. We had planned on doing those lessons as well. Three different sports with three different swings. A little too much confusion for a five year old. *sigh*

Anyway, since it's fall ball, and the coaches are merely preparing the boys for the spring (when it gets really serious...aka: crazy parents), the boys all get to try out all the different field positions. So far, Tristan has been first base, second base (his better position), and this afternoon, catcher. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous when I looked up and saw Tristan walking out in the catcher's gear. Prior to today, he's had no experience with that position. He usually plays second. I kind of had his first base experience flooding through my brain (it wasn't a good showing).I shouldn't have been nervous. He did great! He was a little slow about it a couple of times and had to be encouraged to hustle, but all in all, he did well. I was very proud of my little man, and I thought he was the cutest little catcher I had ever seen! Of course, I'm not at all biased. :)
Way to go, Tristan! Mommy is so proud of you!!!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-10-08T09:32:00.011-05:00

Happy Thursday! I don't know about you, but I LOVE Thursdays! Thursday, for our family, is like Friday because it's the last day of our work week. Though I haven't made it to work this week, it's a relief to know that Channing will be off tomorrow. Yea!
Since it's Thursday, and I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, today is the day I share my random thoughts. These are just random crazy things that have popped into my head this week, sometimes once, sometimes more times than I care to admit. Anyway, here they are:Is there an itchy nose condition or disease? I'm just wondering because my nose constantly itches. Seriously, all the time. It drives me crazy! I feel like I spend half my day fighting off the itch. What's up with that? I'm sure there's a drug for that.

When I was at the Alabama game a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a guy in front of us was wearing a pair of jeans. I think they were Levis. The thing is, they had his measurements on the tag on the back of his waist (you know, the brown tag at the top). Ok, #1. Do they still put jean measurements on the outside of jeans (I wouldn't know because I haven't been shopping in FOREVER, and the last time I bought a pair of jeans, I didn't see any like that)? #2. Why would anyone want their measurements on their backside for the world to see? Hmmm....42 inch waist and 30 length? That's a little off.... No way, man! There's NO way I want the world to know my waist measurement, especially while I'm still in the process of losing baby weight. I mean, who thought to put measurements back there anyway? Had to be a man. But still? Why would a man want his measurements there? Baffles me.

Speaking of jeans, when I was leaving the Georgia game last week (yes, another jeans story at another game), I noticed a guy wearing a pair of True Religion jeans. That wasn't what caught my eye. What caught my eye was the HUGE (seriously, people. I don't know if you've ever seen a pair in the store, but it's HUGE) True Religion price tag hanging off the side. Ok, that tag was so big, there's no way he missed it. No way. This guy left the tag on his jeans so that we would all know he paid (or the true value...he may not have actually paid) $180.00 for his pants. Seriously??? Was that really necessary? The tag was so big, it looked plain silly. I mean, if you really need the rest of us to know that your jeans cost $180, you can't afford them. I'm just sayin'...

Do you like Runts candy? I don't. Well, I don't like anything except the bananas. Why don't they just sell packs of Runts bananas? I think they would sell like hotcakes. UPDATE!!! THEY DO! Why have I never seen them?!? Where can I find them?

You know how some people are cheek kissers? You know? They see someone they know or are saying goodbye and they kiss cheeks? Or worse, they expect you to kiss their cheeks? Yeah, so that's not me. I am not a cheek kisser. You're doing good to get a hug out of me. I'm just not a touchy feely (sp?) person. Kissing some guy's cheeks just kind of freaks me out. Don't know why, that's just how I am.

As for hugging, I think I give off a "I'm not a big hugger" kind of vibe. I don't mean to, but I notice that some people that are big huggers often don't hug me. It must be written across my forehead or something. I mean, I don't mind hugging people, I'm just not the type to run across the room to give someone a bear hug. There's nothing wrong with that, I'm just not wired that way. I love that some people are, though.

Only in Alabama would someone tie their child to the top of their mini van in a cardboard box. When asked why she tied her 13 year old daughter to the roof of her van (inside the box, of course), the mom answered that the box wouldn't fit inside her van. When asked why her daughter was in the box, she answered that her daughter could weigh the box down. But don't worry, folks! She tied the box down with a wire hanger. Can you believe this?! That must have been one important box! Of course, whenever I heard her comment about the wire hanger, all I could think about was Mommie Dearest. "NO WIRE HANGERS!!!"

Ok, so yesterday I was half watching some lame celebrity news show (not even sure which one), and before they went to commercial break, they said, "...back with shocking news about a backstreet boy with the swine flu!". This was followed by a quick snippet of video of the backstreet boy apologizing to his fans (maybe they had to cancel a show or something?). Anyway...what in the world?!? SHOCKING news? Really? I mean, has he been admitted to the hospital or something? Is it a severe case? No, the kid (oh, wait? Does being in your mid 30's still make you a kid?) just has a case of the swine flu, nothing severe. Are you kidding me?!? I've got my own "shocking" news. SHOCKING NEWS! Sick mom with three kids still has to take her kids to school, make their meals, and go about her day! Oh wait! One of her other kids just got sick. She now has to tend to that sick child while taking care of herself and her other two. WOW! Now that's a little more shocking than some pampered backstreet boy. Give me a break. That's news???

Ok, so before last week's random thoughts, I had 30 followers. After Thursday, I went down to 29. Hmmm...what happened? Were they so terrible that someone had to let me go, or were they offensive (they always are, right?). I've been in mourning all week over the random follower drop. *sniff*

Actually, let me be honest about the whole "followers" thing. I don't get it. I think I follow maybe one or two blogs. I just don't understand it. #1. Why follow a blog? I don't mean that in an ugly way, I just really don't understand the benefits. You see, I have my list of blogs on my page, and those are the people I care about reading. I am notified when they update their blogs, and I read them. How is "following" different? #2. Again, I have the list on my page of those I love. If I were to follow blogs, they would be that list of people, and that just seems like a lot. Why have two things doing the same thing? Honestly, I just don't get it. I don't understand being followers of blogs. With the two that I follow, I've never noticed anything special about. I haven't gotten any special announcements or updates for those, except on my dashboard (which I hardly ever visit). Am I doing something wrong? I don't know. I'm happy with my little blog list on my page. It's time consuming enough.

It's Thursday, and that means we've got two more days until we get to spend a day watching college football!!! Woo hoo! I'm hoping Bama can take down Ole Miss. I'm hoping the Florida/LSU game is a good one. I'm hoping Georgia can beat Tennessee (they've both had rough seasons). I'm hoping Arkansas can beat Auburn (sorry Tigers), though part of me hopes Auburn continues to win and then Alabama beats them in November. That would SO rock!!! Ok, those are my big hopes for college football this weekend, not predictions, just hopes.
How did I live without DVR?

So those are my random thoughts for the week. How about you? I know you've got some thoughts you're dying to get off your chest. DISH! We all (and by "all" I mean, myself and my three readers) would love to know what goes on in your head!

I Guess Lovey Was Busy

2009-10-06T14:02:00.003-05:00

Usually, Asher snuggles his lovey. Today, I guess he settled for his good friend, Dora.
This was the scene when I walked into the living room after putting Rhiannon down for her nap. Poor boy must have been exhausted! He was asleep, sitting straight up in his chair...snuggling Dora.

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-10-01T17:18:00.006-05:00

After a long hiatus, I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack and ready to share the random things that go on in my head. Ok, so over the past few weeks, I've had some out there thoughts, most of which I've forgotten (if I don't write them down, they disappear). So today, I decided to start getting my crazy thoughts back out there for my two big readers. I mean, it wasn't enough for people I come in contact with daily to think I'm strange, I have to share my thoughts with complete strangers so that my quirks can span the world. :)
Since it's college football season (BEST time of year!), I am going to dedicate this week's random thoughts to that great sport:Channing and I are both big fans of college football. Unfortunately, we pull for different teams, he for Georgia and I for Alabama (ROLL TIDE, BABY!). This is fine because we only play each other like every four years or so. Problem is, one of us usually has a great season and the other, well...let's just say, less than stellar (in the past, it's been Alabama with the "less than stellar seasons"). This year, Georgia isn't looking so good, and that can make things kind of tough when it comes to Saturdays. You see, Channing tells me he wants Alabama to do well, but I see him secretly getting excited when the team opposite Alabama does something well. If I'm going to be totally honest, on our not-so-good seasons, I've done the same thing with Georgia. If only we could both love each other's teams as much as we love our own. We both desperately want that but neither of us has accomplished it yet.

Another thing that's sad and makes me upset every time he says it, Channing doesn't like to watch Georgia games with me. He says he doesn't like to watch them with anyone, but by "anyone", he means ME. He says he doesn't like "people" asking him questions. Can you guess who "people" is? Yep, it's me. Last night he said it again, and I got so mad and told him, " I have no questions to ask about Georgia because they stink." Yep, I went there. Though I don't totally agree with that statement, I made it. Then I told him that if he didn't like watching games with "people" then he probably should refrain from going to the game this weekend because there will be lots of "people" there, and he might miss a second of the game. Why does it hurt my feelings so bad that he doesn't want to watch with me? I guess because I like football so much and feel like it's something we can enjoy together. Problem goes back to us liking different teams. BUMMER!

College football has the unique ability to draw the redneck out of people unlike anything I've ever seen (though I bet Nascar can come pretty close. I've never been to a race to know for sure). I mean, at last week's Alabama game, I saw the most disgusting representation of "team spirit" I've ever seen. Alabama was playing Arkansas, whose mascot is the razorback, aka pig, and there was a tent (the Scottsboro tailgating team or something like that...Shane, some of your friends?) that had a large ice bucket with a very large boar's head cut off and floating in icy water. There was blood in the water (seriously, people, this was FRESH) and a sign that said something about a pig suicide. It was DISGUSTING! So what did I do? I took a picture with my phone, of course! I then proceeded to forward it to offended family members. I was just in such shock that someone would do such a thing. Don't worry. I'll spare you on here. Just know that it was incredibly disgusting! It, by far, was more gross than the pig skewer a couple of blocks down.

Speaking of redneck college football fans, I'm going to share my thoughts on attire. I said it last season, and I'll say it again this season....what is it about college football that makes grown men want to dress like circus clowns? Red pants, pants with the team mascot alll over them, pants that have different colored legs, cut off jeans shorts, painted chests, overalls???? The list goes on. I mean, I thought it was crazy that two guys at the Bama game last weekend had their shirts off....their shirts were off for no apparent reason. They had no paint on them. They were just wearing jeans and no shirts. What in the world? I couldn't stop talking about it, though I think Channing was tired of me talking about it. "Hey, yeah, I work out. Can you tell? I'm at a football game, so I'm going to take my shirt off so everyone can see my muscles." I mean, where did these guys find each other, and what in the world motivated them to sit through 3 1/2 hours without their shirts on. If you're gonna have your shirt off, there'd better be some paint involved! And no, it was not hot out.

The guys at the Bama game had nothing on the Georgia fan I saw on t.v. during last week's game. He wore nothing but a speedo. Yes, that's right. He stood right on the front row wearing nothing but a speedo. Ok, GROSS! #1. No paint was involved. #2. A speedo is NEVER cool, especially at a football game. #3. Did I mention gross??? Who is this guy and what in the world was going through his mind when he got dressed. Surely he's single because no woman would let her man go out in public like that. Right? And Channing's giving me a hard time about Rhiannon's game day outfit. Whatev! She'll fit right in!

Another thing about gameday clothes, I'm not really a fan of grown men in jerseys. I know, I know. This will probably offend someone out there, but I'm just not. I personally feel like the only people who should be wearing jerseys are the players, kids ages 12 and under, family members of the players, and women (and not every woman can pull it off. If you've got the super tight fitted jersey and 80's style teased sprayed hair, it's not working for you). Don't know why I feel that way, but I do. Sometimes NFL jersey look ok on men, but never college. Maybe I say that because I really don't care too much about the NFL. Don't know.

Have you seen the Peyton Manning commercials??? Yes, I know he's not a college football player, but he was, so I can bring him up. Just ask any UT fan, and they'll start foaming at the mouth. They love some Peyton Manning. Ok, back to his commercials...hysterical! I love his sense of humor and that he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously. He never fails to crack me up. If you haven't seen him (back in the day) on SNL, you totally missed out. By far, one of the funniest episodes ever. Love some Peyton Manning!

How about coach shows? You know what I'm talking about, right? Those shows the coaches have to do after their games. What a bummer, especially if you lost. You have to go spend 30 minutes answering questions about why you stink so bad. Who wants to do that?

Last week, Georgia played Arizona State. Arizona State's mascot is the Sun Devil. Wouldn't that be awful?!? Your team mascot is the sun devil. How do you explain that one to your kids???

What is up with Tennessee and Auburn? Both were supposed to STINK this year, and both are appearing to be much better than previously thought. I don't know if I like that... I know if we beat them, that makes us look better, but still. I was kind of looking forward to seeing the Tigers and Vols suffer a bit.

Speaking of Tennessee, have you seen their quarterback's mustache? I definitely think that someone should tell him that if he were to shave that mustache, his game would be greatly improved. I'm just sayin'...

Do you know how much a bottled water costs at a college football game??? Give up? FOUR DOLLARS!!! Yes, FOUR DOLLARS! This is for a BOTTLED WATER! What in the world?!? I heard one of the vendors complaining after last week's game that they didn't earn many tips. Who can afford to tip after spending $4 on a water?!? Mind you, had I bought a $4 water, I would have tipped; however, I didn't. I didn't see any gold flakes in it.

For years, Channing and I have gone with text on our phones. We just recently got new service (via Verizon...LOVE it!) and now have text. Most days, I absolutely love it and have no idea how I ever lived without it. I'm not a big phone talker, so I love being able to send a text when I need some quick information. Channing, on the other hand, is a big phone talker and uses text much less. Our phone bill shows those differences big time! He has a million used phone minutes and very little text, and I have vice versa. Anyway, texting isn't so much fun during football season. You see, I really try to pay attention to the game, but I start getting messages about the last play or who's going in the game, who's going out, etc. I always feel like I have to answer, and I end up missing the game. NOT GOOD. I'm going to have to figure out a remedy to this terrible problem.

Last week, I was in Tuscaloosa, with my hubby, cheering on the Tide. This weekend, I'll be in Athens, Ga, with my hubby, cheering on the dawgs. GO DAWGS and ROLL TIDE!!! I can't wait to see the Dawgs take on the LSU Tigers. THAT should be a good game!

I'm going to end with a big shout out to Donta' Hightower and Tim Tebow. Both were hurt during last weekend's games, and I pray for swift healing and rapid recoveries. God bless, guys (because I know that both totally read my blog!).

BTW, the pictures of my boys up there in their Bama gear were taken at last week's game. Channing's first ever Bama logo. We started out small with a pin. Who knows, maybe after 10 more years together, we'll graduate to a t-shirt??? As for Tristan, he loves the Tide but has gotten into some weird posing lately.

That's all I've got, folks. How about you? Any random thoughts to share??? You know they make my day, so please leave me some. They don't have to be football related. :)

It Takes a Community

2009-09-28T15:45:00.004-05:00

YEAAAA!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jennifer and Carrie! You two have helped me take my blog from being an eye-sore to being creative and cute. Thank you, both!!! I am clueless when it comes to all things html, but you two helped me navigate the treacherous waters and come out victorious. :) YEA!

I still have some tweaking to do on my header, but now that I know how to do it, I'm not so stressed over it. :) YEA!

Now that I have a bright new background, I'm going to have to get back on the ball. I've already got my random thoughts for Thursday brewing, so stayed tuned...all three of you readers!

Getting Closer But Still Need Help

2009-09-28T12:20:00.004-05:00

Thanks, again, to Jennifer (you're a lifesaver!), I have been able to create a new header for my blog. I used scrapblog.com but can't figure out how to make it my header. I can't post the html code, and I can't right clickit to save it and upload it as a picture, so what do I do? Any help would be appreciated!

Also, the header isn't exactly as it will stay. I just grabbed some pictures I had on hand. Right now, though, the focus is on getting a new header. I'll work out the details later. THANKS!!!

Here Come the Scissors!

2009-09-28T08:38:00.003-05:00

Long past due, my boys finally got their hair cut this past Friday. Both of them (well, all three if you count their daddy) have been so busy that we haven't been able to get them in to see their hairdresser. By this past week, though, I couldn't handle the long hair anymore. It was more and more difficult to fix and control each day.
Check out our before and afters:

Tristan went first. Asher's first haircut didn't go so well (in his defense, we interrupted his nap after 15 minutes to get his haircut), so we wanted him to be able to watch Tristan first.

Here is Tristan before:
Is that a sweet smile or what?! I LOVE this kid!

And after:
He looks about two years older! It's really not the greatest picture. His hair looks much better in person. It's pretty short but grows really fast. By next week, it will be the perfect length!

Next up, Asher. He was pretty nervous, so he never said a word. He kept super quiet, even when Miss Missy and I talked to him. He didn't cry, though, so we counted it a success!

Asher before:
Please know that this picture was taken post-car nap and after the hairdresser had puffed it up. It doesn't always look like this. Though, admittedly, it sometimes does.

During:
He was so shy!

And after:
A little disclaimer on his "after" shot. He hair was unfixed, so it looks a little puffy. Once I got him home, I got his curls going again. :)

Friday was a success! Haircuts for all my favorite men, just in time for the Bama game.

Taking Baby Steps

2009-09-25T08:09:00.002-05:00

You may have noticed that the hideous mess of red x's and clovers has finally disappeared from my background. Yes, and you're welcome. Thanks to Jennifer, I have a super cute new background from shabbyblogs.com (LOVE it!). Thanks, Jennifer! Problem now is, I can't do my header. AGH! I picked out a cute header on the site, but apparently I have to have photoshop or picasa to do it. UGH! Ok, people, I am working with a prehistoric computer here. And when I say prehistoric, I mean first dinosaur to touch the earth. I need help! PLEASE???
Not only do I not have Picasa or Photoshop to add my own picture, I have no idea how to install their headers. ANY and all help would be appreciated! Thanks, loyal bloggers!
In the meantime, I'll try to enjoy my new background and pretend my old header doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. :)

So She's a Little Flashy...

2009-09-24T10:01:00.002-05:00

Ok, so Rhiannon is heading to her first Georgia game in Athens next weekend. Since everyone says she looks like her brothers, I want to make sure she looks like a girl next weekend. This is the result of that:Again, GO BIG OR GO HOME! Ha!

Go Big or Go Home

2009-09-24T09:17:00.003-05:00

That's Rhiannon's motto about her new bow for next week's Georgia/LSU game. We'll be in Athens rooting for the dawgs, and of course, Rhi had to have some very special Georgia gear...this bow being part of that. I mean, could it get any bigger?!? The more I see it, though, the more I love it! Never mind the fact that her daddy says we need to call an oncologist because it looks like a tumor coming out of her head. We don't hear that at all. Rhi and I just say, "Go BIG or go HOME!"

Please Help

2009-09-17T10:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, this if for all you computer buffs out there. When it comes to html stuff, I'm CLUELESS. I really want to completely change my blog background so I can include my sweet little girl, get rid of the craziness going on, and just to see something new. Thing is, I want to know how to do it without erasing my blog lists (it takes WAY too long to save them in word and to re-upload them. I did that last time. ugh).
What do I do?!? I need MAJOR help! Please????

It Gets On My Nerves Too

2009-09-16T22:06:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. My page is repulsive. It looks like a Christmas stocking got sick and threw up all over it. SORRY! It bothers me so much, I can't even pull it up. One day when I can carve out some extra time to change it, I will. I need to change it anyway. My poor little girl has been left out of the title and page. Something must be done. Be on the lookout for some changes really soon. :)

It's Like Christmas!

2009-09-05T07:50:00.004-05:00

Ok, so don't get all legalistic on me. Obviously what is going on today can, in no way, hold a candle to the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Obviously. However, I felt the need to throw that out there because I am aware that there are those who believe that if you are an avid football fan, you must not get excited about the Lord. Ok, if you're one of those people, please don't be one of those people. It is possible to love Jesus and to get excited about football. Ok, that was my soapbox. Now for some fun!

Today, my good friends, Chris, Lee, and Kirk, make a comeback (so, in my head, we're good friends). Oh how I've missed them! I even miss Lee picking our team and forcing the Tide to climb a mountain to fight that bad karma. ;) I've missed the crazy fans, the even crazier outfits (I mean, seriously, what is it about football that makes grown men dress like some kind of crazy fanatics in clothes that they wouldn't dream of wearing otherwise?), the coin toss, seeing crimson running onto the field, the tackles, the passes, the fakes, the kicks, the yells, the cheers, the food. I've missed it all!Finally, today is the day. It's gameday, people! Today, the Tide takes on the Hoakies in the Georgia Dome. I was at the Georgia Dome last year when Alabama completed shocked the masses and deflated Clemson's dreams of a year at the top. I was there for the excitement and the free Chick-fil-A chicken strip coupons. This year, though, I'll be watching it from home. That's ok. I am just pumped to watch!!! I am proud of my Tide, no matter what happens. I'm proud of the Hoakies too. I'm proud that these two teams, two top 10 ranked teams, agreed to play each other in their opening game. I mean, it takes guts, right? No cupcakes in Atlanta today!

Speaking of brave, I have to hand it to Georgia and Oklahoma State too. They're throwing out the cushy first game to play each other so that we, football fans, can see some real excitement on opening Saturday. GO DAWGS!!! It just so happens that, at our house, we are UA fans and UGA fans.

Here's to hoping the Tide and the Dawgs pull it out today. Both teams have had to deal with the flu. UGH! Alabama has also had other obstacles including a player who was shot and some NCAA investigations. CRAZY! Hoping we'll overcome it, anyway. Too, we're hoping we'll overcome Lee, and he'll go with the Hoakies and Oklahoma State!

Happy Gameday, everyone!!!

Two Months Old...Already???

2009-08-12T11:57:00.005-05:00

I can't believe it, but the calendar says it's true. My little girl is officially two months old. *Sniff* How in the world could it be that she has already been here for two whole months?!?
I can't tell you how much I love this little girl. Until I had her, I was unable to imagine myself with a little girl. I dare say, I was even worried about it. Now I realize I was crazy to worry. She is so incredibly wonderful! I thank God every day for my precious gift!

On to pictures! I did this with both the boys, so of course, I had to continue the tradition with Rhi Rhi Girl. Every month, until she turns one, I will take pictures of her sitting in the same spot so that I can watch her growth. It's amazing to look back and see how quickly they grow!

Here are her two month shots:
(I used the same two locations for all three kiddos).
The corner of the crib:
And the glider:Happy Two Months, sweet Rhiannon!!! I love you very much!!!

Rhi Rhi Girl

2009-08-12T11:44:00.005-05:00

Pronounced Ree Ree Girl

Finally, I am posting new pictures of my precious little girl. She is known in our household as Rhi Rhi Girl, and the boys and I are all smitten with her! She is such a blessing!!!

Here she is enjoying her ultra modern bath, the Tummy Tub. Seriously, she loves this thing!
Look at that happy face!Here she is modeling some of the outfits she's been sent:
That smile melts my heart!
LOVE that face!I am SO in love! Who knew little girls were so wonderful?!? I sure didn't!

Thank you, God, for my special girl!!!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

2009-07-16T15:12:00.003-05:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately. I have hardly even talked about my precious babies and have posted zero pictures. :( Must...get...on...the...ball. That's the whole point of my blog, to keep up with what's going on with my kiddos.
Anyway, it's time again for my random thoughts, so here goes:
My sweet baby girl is already a month old. I just can't believe it. It seems like I just had her in my tummy, and now she's a month old?! Where has the time gone??? I am SO in love with her. She makes the most wonderful faces. Her little sad face can melt your heart. Her little lips turn down and stay that way for a good few seconds before she even makes a sound. It's pitiful! Also, I have never really been a fan of the color purple, but she received some purple outfits as gifts, and she looks fabulous in purple. Now I'm a fan. :) I love my baby girl!

My boys are great big brothers. When I can keep Asher from loving too hard, everything is great! Tristan is so incredibly helpful. I don't know how I would manage without him.

Chickies. Have you seen these things? I saw them advertised last night, and what a great idea! I want some! What are Chickies? They are cleavage covers, aka "fake tanks". I don't always like to have a full tank under my shirts; however, I don't particularly like to show cleavage either. These are the perfect thing for me! How come they didn't come out with this sooner? And no, ladies, they are not dickies.

Do you watch America's Got Talent? Every year, I get so excited about this show. I love hearing the personal stories of people out there, and I love to see them succeed. The show never fails to make me cry. I LOVE it! America has got some serious talent, people! And how about Nick Cannon?! I think he's an awesome host. He's so funnny. GREAT SHOW!

Another funny product I've seen on t.v...bottle tops. This invention cracks me up. Well, actually, the invention kind of puzzles me. It's the infomercial that actually cracks me up. My favorite line from the commercial: "Bugs in your drink? GROSS!" Then it goes on to show super happy picnicers (sp?) with their bottle tops on their cans. HILARIOUS! Oh, and in case you don't take the time to visit the link, bottle tops are bottle tops that snap onto your can drinks and enable you to drink them like bottles. Also, they seal like bottles to keep your cans form spilling.

Speaking of inventions, I've got one for you, Sara Blakely, oh wise creater of Spanx. I think you could make a TON of money (because you clearly haven't made enough off of Spanx) by developing a Spanx swimsuit. You see, Sara, I had a baby a month ago, and my belly needs a miracle in time for my beach trip in a few days. I'm sure you won't be able to develop one in time for me; however, help all those other mothers out there. Develop a miracle Spanx suit. I tell you, it would bring in the bucks! I won't even charge you for my idea. It's FREE. Just make it!

Speaking of swimsuits, I was thinking last week about the women who wear the long jean skirts when they swim or swim dresses. I was thinking about how they often have many kids and it occurred to me that I don't believe the trend started because of modesty and not wanting men to lust after their bodies. I think the trend started because one of those moms who had birthed 15 kids didn't want anyone to see her body in a swimsuit. So she started wearing a swim dress, was embarrassed about the appearance of it, and started making her daughters wear it and blaming it on modesty. I mean, seriously, would you want to wear a regular swimsuit after having 10-15 kids? I mean, I've had three, and I feel like I should never be seen in one again...for the sake of the public.

Guess what, folks?! I near about choked the other day when I was leaving Wal-Mart. As I was walking to the car, I saw a woman with "The Kate". You know...the hairstyle sported famously by Kate Gosselin. It looked EXACTLY like it, long in the front, spiky in the back, blonde in the front, and dark brown in the back. I have never seen anyone else with that do. My hairdresser (and all the other hairdressers in her salon) said she's never been asked to do that cut. Hmmm...I had to share. I just found it quite interesting.

Ok, so my brother just sent me P90X because he knows how badly I want to lose this baby weight. Part of me thinks that's cool; however, another part of me wants nothing to do with it. Reason being, in part, it looks incredibly difficult (one friend said she thinks it's "of the devil" ha!), but I don't want to do it because the extreme trendiness of it. I get so tired of pulling up my facebook home page to see 50 of my friends commenting on getting started on P90X. Why do I care if everyone is doing it? I don't know. I just don't like being one that follows silly trends. I have a friend, though, an anonymous friend who does P90X but tells no one about it because she feels the same way. She has assured me that it's an awesome workout, that she's not one to succumb to trends, and that it gets results. So, I may have to give it a shot. I may not. Either way, you may never know! I have a lot to get over before I even give it a shot.

Speaking of my baby weight, I feel like it has seriously set up permanent residence. It is going NOWHERE, people, and FAST! What is up with that?! It got me to thinking about the people who get gastric bypass. I used to talk about how lazy and unhealthy those people were; however, now I realize they may be lazy, but then again, they may just feel hopeless. I feel sad for those people because I have 25 pounds to lose (that's right, 25. Sad, right?), and I feel kind of hopeless right now. No, I'm not scheduling a gastric bypass, but I can certainly empathize.

Does anyone else get annoyed by mascara commercials? I do because as a little girl (probably even in HS), I didn't realize that those models in the commercials had (have) on fake lashes and that no matter how much of that mascara I put on my thin lashes, they were never going to look like that models. Now, I'm a little wiser (I mean, how pathetic that I didn't realize it back then???), and just get annoyed when I see those "plumped up lashes". Whatev, Covergirl!

Ok, so Lauren Conrad is NY Times Bestseller for her book, "LA Candy". Seriously? Seriously? That's just funny to me. Can't people get the story by watching the blank stares on "The Hills"?

What is it about the Boppy that can instill perfect calm (even if just for a few seconds) in babies? All three of my kids would totally shush crying as soon as their tiny heads (ok, so two of my three had 95% heads...tiny might not be the best word) hit the pillow. Of course, if food didn't/doesn't quickly follow, I get screams. BUT for those few brief seconds, I've had super happy babies. Thank you, Boppy creator!

How about all these eco-trendy celebrities? I get it. It's good to care about the environment, but these celebrities just crack me up. It's like some kind of contest to see who can be the most eco-friendly. For instance, Justin Timberlake is currently building an eco-friendly golf course. It was on the news. SO funny to me. Yet, I bet at home, these celebrities have their ac's pumping, lots of lights on, hot tubs running, and are swimming laps in their olympic size swimming pools. Ha!

Funny quote of the week this week came from Asher. This past weekend, we were at the lake, and I was laying beside Asher as the family was saying prayers together. We were all gathered in the boys' room, and Asher put his hand on my chest and said, "Those Weeannon's (aka Rhiannon's)." I said, "What?" He, again, touched my chest and said, "Those Weeannon's and Mommy's." SO funny! He is so curious about me feeding her. On more than one occasion, I've had to put the breast pump horns (or so I call them) up to his chest.

Ok, folks. That's all I've got for this week. How about you? Why don't you share yours? Hillary totally cracked me up with hers last week. Come on, Hil, share some more!!!

Facebook Fridays

2009-07-10T09:17:00.002-05:00

It's baaaaaaaaaaack! After a little hiatus (mostly because I totally forgot), Facebook Fridays are back in full force. Since I took such a break, today I am going to highlight more facebook updates than I usually do...you know, make up for lost time.
For those who are new to Facebook Fridays, this is a time where I highlight some of my Facebook Friends' status updates. Sometimes I read some and wonder why in the world they take the time to post what they post (for instance, "I'm sleepy." or "I'm going to the bathroom." "I'm eating a piece of toast." etc. You know, the stuff that everyone has going on but doesn't feel the need to bore the world with). Other times I read people airing their dirty laundry (aka Facebook fights. I mean, what is that about?!). Then, there are times that people completely crack me up. Today, I am going to highlight some of the funnier ones from the week. Here goes:

_________realizes I have major issues, but seriously!?! Tonight in Yoga the instructor took things to a new level...she actually had us practice partner yoga. This happened to involve touching raw feet to raw feet!!! I am officially grossed out and don't know how to politely decline feet fondling with a complete stranger!! UGH!

Hillary Clinton is currently sporting a mullet.

Rhiannon