Is it nap time yet?

BOWS, BOWS, BOWS!! OH MY!!!

2012-01-22T18:46:00.000-06:00

I love my job! I really do enjoy what I do, making hairbows. And for anyone who hasn't heard...apparently I am not the only one who loves my bows too. The night of the Hernando Christmas Parade I was contacted by a store wanting to buy mass quantities of my hairbows! These past few weeks I have been a busy bee. This past weekend I fell a little behind (not due to my usual proscrastination) but I was waiting all week on ribbon to come in and only have this weekend to fill a 100+ bow order for the store. I worked until 2 AM last night and woke up and 6 AM to start again. Aside from one small break or two and serving the kids a quick lunch (I practically threw it at them), I decided to stop at 1:30. I text Trey and it went something like this....

Me: I have been working ALL stinkin morning and I am taking a break!
Trey: No breaks babe, got to get it, lol
Me: Oh I'm sorry, what I meant to say was a break from bows, and on to my mommy/slave job. Lunch, laundry, dishes, and picking up.
Trey: lol,lol

Hmmm! I wasn't LOL'ing. :)

2012-01-21T19:37:00.000-06:00

Piglet: How do you spell love?
Pooh: You don't spell it, you feel it.

New Shoes!

2012-01-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

I bought Laiken and Jack new shoes today at Hibbett in Hernando. I love the fact that the decision was based off of how fast they could run in the shoe. Not color, style, comfort, or any other logical reason. Just by how fast they could run. And let me be the first to tell you, they are fast. They were fast in Hibbet Sports, fast on the sidewalk leaving the store, fast in AnnOlivia's, fast in the driveway, and finally fast down the hall at home. Is it bedtime yet??

The logic kids have and the way they understand things is unreal sometimes. Most of the times it's funny and sometimes I am just glad they don't understand life. About two weeks ago, Laiken started telling me about her best friend's dad, "is going to work really far away for forever." She said the little girl and her mom are so sad. And she could not come over to play b/c she had to spend time with her dad before he leaves. She also told Laiken that he wants to take her dog with him, but she didn't want him to. I was pretty sure Laiken did not have all of the facts. Today Laiken told me that the girls parents are "versed". I asked her what "versed" means. Laiken said it means your dad has to go work and stay a long time somewhere else for a long time and you have to go, "stay at your dad's" alot. Laiken said, "but I don't even know what that means...go stay at your dad's." I want to explain to her what being "divorced" means, but I am not sure what the little girls knows either. I feel sad for her and her family. I hope it ends differently for them.

Laiken is so sweet and tender hearted. Last night we were watching "Mars Needs Mom's". The martians were stealing Earth's moms and killing them. (It's a kid movie and not bad at all. I loved it!) When they came to the part were the little boy was trying to save his mom, he was seconds away from being too late and it seemed she might not make it. Laiken teared up and sighed. It broke her heart that the little boy may lose his mom. But he saved her and all ended well.

My kids melt my heart daily. Just the other day I was grabbing Jack and holding him really tight saying, "I will NEVER let you go. I want to hold you FOREVER!". Then I would grab Laiken and say the same. They squealed and I tickled them, squeezed them so tight and kept saying I would never let them go. They both kept running off. The last time I let go, Jack jumped back in my arms and said, "squeeze me again mommy, I want you to hold me FOREVER!''

Really??

2011-10-02T16:13:00.000-05:00

Laiken watched the first half of " Gone with the Wind" with me. She was talking about Scarlett later and said, "You know...the lady in the southern belle movie that was mean to all the boys?" I said, "Scarlett?" She said, "Yeah, she was pretty, but she was really mean to all of those boys, right?" LOL Laiken is so observant. She doesn't miss anything!

Jack, oh my sweet, funny Jack. He came in from outside, "Mama!! Look what is in my rain boot! A really big green cricket." He comes closer. "No Jack, that is a grasshopper. He is dead." Jack said, "Oh." So then he fills up a little cup with water and puts the dead grasshopper in it. He comes back inside every few minutes to check on him. After a few times, he picks up the cup and shows it to Laiken. He says, "You know if you put a dead cricket in water he comes back to life." He walks towards the open back door and holds the cup up. "And sunlight helps too. And you can see his green more." We didn't say anything and Jack walked outside. After the door shut, Laiken said, "He sure tells alot of stories that aren't true." Jack comes back in later with his cup and goes to the bathroom. "I am gonna wash him now." I went in the bathroom to check on the "mess in progress". He said, " I am going to name my dead cricket Brooklyn." As I am writing this, He and Brooklyn (in a cup of water, freshly bathed) are still hanging out. Doing stuff together.

My Beauty Queen

2011-10-01T22:18:00.000-05:00

My Laiken. She is growing up so fast. As she grows, I am becoming a spectator in her life. When she gets home from school, she tells me stories about her day. Instead of being a part of her day, I get to hear about it. She tells me who she sat by at lunch, who she played with in the playground, and things she is learning. She is already learning to read. She is always happy when I pick her up.

For the past year or so, Laiken has begged me to be in a beauty pageant. "Toddler and Tiaras" is one of her favorite TV shows. Even though she wanted to do them, I still put it off as long as I could. I love my kids, and I don't really like the idea of them being judged by someone. Hernando High School's TigerFest hosted their first beauty pageant this weekend. Laiken came home from school, and asked to be in it. So I gave in....

During the summer Laiken attended VBS at our church. She had terrible stage fright at the program. Even with 50 other kids on stage with her, she cried the whole time. I was not sure what to expect today. She was amazing. She walked out on stage like a professional. I was so pleased with her performance, and she seemed to be enjoying the whole thing. For crowning, the judges would announce the title, then the girl's name, and then the little girl whose name was called raised her hand. I watched my Laiken's little sweet innocent face, each time a title and little girl's name was called. I could see she was dying to hear her name. It was not called, and yet she kept on smiling. As she walked off stage, I met her in the back. I scooped her up in my arms and she melted, "Mama, I didn't get ANYTHING." My heart broke and she sobbed. I consoled her and gave her a few "you can't always be the winner" speeches. She was ok, and we enjoyed the crafts vendors and games at Tigerfest. We came home and watched a movie. She cried again. I consoled again. This evening I cried. Trey consoled me. It just hurts to know she is hurting. “Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”
Elizabeth Stone

But the good news is that she hasn't given up! Tonight, we played pageants. I announced her winning over and over. I awarded prizes, sashes, and crowns all night to my very own beauty queen! (The trophy is from her first pageant when she was 18 months old.)

JACK

2011-08-25T08:52:00.000-05:00

I told Jack to get in the bath, and he did. When I came to check on him a few minutes later...he looked like this.

My Jack hates vegetables. Really, he hates them. He does not eat any. Not one. So today I made spaghetti for lunch, it's his favorite. While I was making it, I had a great idea to add in a little extras. 1 squash baby food, 1 green pea, and 1 green bean. HOORAY for hidden veggies! Jack gobbled up every bite! (The best part is that you could not taste the extras at all. Really, it may have been my best spaghetti ever.) Quick, I need 10 more Italian "saucy" recipes!

Jack loves Brynley. Sometimes he loves her so much that I have to keep a close eye on him, for Brynley's sake.

His newest obsession: Wearing more than one pair of pants to bed. This was the first night he did it. He is telling me that he has 2 pants on. Not sure where this one came from. We are up to 3 pairs a night now. And yes, all at once, over each other. A phrase from my wise mother comes to mind, "Pick your battles." Yep, this one is not worth waging a war."You dressed yourself, Yay! Goodnight, Sleeptight Son."

Another conversation heard between Laiken and Jack this morning.

L: Mama, there is a mosquito in the truck! Get it out! Mama, don't let it bite Brynley, she will scream!!! Oh no, Where did it go??? Jack! Jack! Is there a mosquito back there???

J:A bosquito??

L:A Mosquito.

J:A big bosquito or a little one?

L:Little.

J:One that bites and sucks out your blood??

L:Do you see one?

J:(looks around) Uhhhh, No.

I haven't blogged in so long. I have so much to catch up on. I am going to try a few times a week to upload pics from all of the events that have happened lately. I am also going to highlight each child in between pictures. Jack cracks me up all the time, so I started with him.

Lessons on Life

2011-06-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

Some of the best conversations can be heard at the dinner table. We talk about everything under the sun. Last week was VBS and we talked alot about Jesus and Heaven. Tonight, while cooking supper, the kids were coloring at the table. They were all making star charts, which they learned from me. I always have rule lists and reward charts. Dylan was making his chart and announcing names when he was writing them. Laiken and Jack start screaming about which color they want their name in. So both little ones are screaming what they want to Dylan, who is doing his best to sort out requests and make them happy. Dylan: Okay, I am writing Jack's name. Jack: I want green! I want green! I want green! Laiken: I want pink! I want pink! I want pink! Laiken and Jack: I want green! I want pink! Dylan: Okay, Okay One at a time! Me: WOW! ISN'T HARD TO HEAR EVERYONE YELLING WHAT THEY WANT ALL AT ONE TIME? Dylan just grinned. Dylan:I am going to make red stars by my name. Jack: I want blue stars. Laiken: I want pink stars. Me:Supper is almost ready. Dylan: I am just going to make yellow stars for everyone. Me:ISN'T IT HARD TO ALWAYS DO WHAT EVERYONE WANTS? Laiken and Jack: Awwww I wanted blue. I wanted pink. Dylan:It's almost time to eat! It's faster this way. They are all going to be yellow! Me: SOMETIMES IT IS JUST FASTER AND EASIER TO TELL EVERYONE WHAT WE ARE HAVING OR DOING RATHER THAN LETTING EVERYONE CHOOSE. Dylan:I don't know how you do it. And for anyone who knows Dylan.... The other day I told him that I cannot wait until he has kids. He asked why. I said because you feel you are so oppressed and never get to do or have anything you want. And you will let your kids do WHATEVER they want and you will let them eat WHATEVER they want. And one day you will come to me crying (in my best crying, whining voice) and say, "Mama, my kids are so bad!! I don' t know what to do!" And I will smile and say, "Give them rules, boundaries, structure, and routine like I gave you. And cut back on the sugar, it makes kids crazy." He laughed! I hope he proves me wrong one day. I hope he understands it all.

The things that make us laugh and cry.

2011-05-20T20:57:00.000-05:00

Tonight Jack was jumping up and down screaming, "Yes! I did it! Whoo-Hoo! Mama, give me a high five!" He was in complete celebration. So I said, "Jack, what did you do?" Jack pulled on the waist band of his pants and said, "The tag is in the back!"

Dylan has had loose tooth for weeks. Finally, the other day he pulled it out. When he got home from school, he handed me a paper that read, "Is the tooth fairy real? Circle yes or no." I turned around, trying to not laugh, and said, "Yes, of course. What do you think?" He tells me things the kids have been saying at school about it. I talked to Trey about telling him the truth because he is 10 years old. So that night I told him the truth about all of it. As I was telling him and watching his face, I teared up. I felt horrible, almost like I was ripping his childhood away from him. He was sad, but he didn't cry. The more we talked about it, the better he seemed. Ever since that conversation I get random questions. "Who eats the cookies?" "How does he get the tooth without waking me up?" "Who moved the elf?" The magic is gone. I just hope he can keep from spoiling the secret with the other 3.

I love being a Mommy!!!!!!!!!!

Too much fun??

2011-05-11T20:46:00.000-05:00

This...

always... leads to....

this.

I love a quiet afternoon!

Have you ever wondered where your face is located?

2011-04-15T08:23:00.000-05:00

Jack and Laiken sit next to each other in carseats in the third row of the Durango. Most of the time I cannot hear what they are saying, but yesterday on the way to Sam's I caught this conversation. L-Jack get that long hair off of your face. J-(rubs his hair with both hands) L-Not that hair. There is a long hair hanging off of your face. J-What face? L-Your face by your mouth! J-What face? L-Your lower face! J-(rubbing his hair with both hands again) L-Not that hair. ITS ON YOUR... Oh, it fell off. It sounded like a preschool version of "Who's on First"!!!

My Sweet Pea Brynley being the little angel she is....ya know that's only because she doesn't talk yet. I will cherish every moment of this first year!

Brynley's first smile! and a busy weekend

2011-04-11T16:47:00.000-05:00

Brynley is getting so big. She is 5 weeks old and starting to smile. The picture shows the beginnings of a smile. I wish I would have captured the whole thing because it was so big and cute! Between her new cooing and new smiles, (in the words of Blayne) "I could just eat her up with spoon!" Blayne used to always say that about Laiken. I love that expression.

We had a busy, busy weekend for sure! Baseball started this weekend with our first tournament. It was the first tournament of the season, but literally it was our first ever. I was shocked that there was a game Friday, 2 Saturday, and the possibility of 3 Sunday. Wow, that is alot of ball games. We won Friday and both Saturday. Dylan played awesome. He was hitting good and getting runs in. Trey was able to come home this weekend to watch the games. We are so proud of Dylan. He did a great job and had alot of fun. Sunday's game was a tough one and the boys were not able to pull off a win. So instead of 3 games, we had just one. I felt bad for Dylan and the team, but I was glad that gave us the opportunity to spend time with Trey at the park before he left to go back to Oklahoma.

I am very excited about my hair bow business Little Belles and Bows. I have been very busy and making contact with new customers every week. I am hoping to stay busy and get even busier. With the money I have been making, I was able to get a new camera this week. It is a Canon Power Shot. I love it! It takes amazing pictures. I imagine I will wear the kids out with my constant "Say Cheese, Big Smiles!" Once I find a free minute to download this weekends pictures, I will be sure to post some of them here.

We love the beach!

2011-03-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

Our first trip to Mom and Dad's new Beach House in Gulfshores, AL! We had a blast! The kids loved the beach. Especially the sand, which they felt the adults were not enjoying near enough. They were sure to share the sand with us every chance they got, by ways of kicking, throwing, and shoveling sand in our direction (but only when we weren't looking). Trey's mom came to stay a day with us at the beach. The kids love seeing her. Gran Gran stood for over an hour with Jack on the porch counting bullfrogs in the lagoon. She loves playing with the grandkids and watching them play.

Uncle Brian, Landon, and Payton stayed at the beach house too, along with Mom and Leigh. Uncle Brian was a life saver the whole trip. He hauled our two tons of beach stuff on and off the beach, took kids in the water to play, caught fish for the kids, took them crab hunting at night, and even gave me a private session of his "Grocery Shopping Savings 101". (I should have been taking notes on that last one). Mom and Dad's house is amazing! It is so gorgeous, and spacious. The bottom floor is wall to wall french doors with an amazing view of the bay. The community they live in is so beautifully landscaped and seemed to be filled with friendly people. The right side of the porch that faces the lagoon (and it is gorgeous too, filled with bullfrogs and lily pads) has a gated part that was probably for the past owner's dog to stay in. After a few jokes about locking the kids in the gate, we came up with the idea of building a fort for the kids to play in. With the gate already there, all it needs is a canopy like the one you see over swing sets. I know my kids and they would love it!

This is Brynley sleeping in a tent at the beach.

This is Brynley sleeping on MawMaw's bed at the beach house.

This is Brynley sleeping on MawMaw's bed again, at the beach house.

Brynley loved Gulfshores. Mostly she loved sleeping at Gulfshores.

The First Week

2011-03-22T23:05:00.000-05:00

Trey was given two additional days off to spend with Brynley. The guys marked it on the calendar in the office at work for everyone to see. Notice the pink flowers and "Maternity" leave. How cute! Brynley had jaundice the first week. She was put on a Billiblanket to help bring down her levels. She looked like a little gloworm in her bassinet. After a few days her levels should have come down, but for some reason they were staying high. "Some Reason" really means "Jack". At birth he was given the monumental task of creating a daily challenge for me. He keeps me on my toes for sure. On two different occasions I noticed that the dial on the front of her billiblanket machine had been turned all the way down from maximum to minimum. Once I saw this and was able to keep it on high, her jaundice levels came down to a normal level. Thanks Jack, we were out of network for the blanket and you just cost me about $300!!! God love him! I also wanted to thank everyone for doing so much for me. I have had family come over and clean my house, help with the kids, and cook us suppers. It was wonderful to have the support from everyone. I also want to thank my good friend Hillary for bringing us a delicious supper/breakfast. It was so sweet for her to think of us, and not only to bring Tetrazzini, garlic bread, and pie....But she brought cinnamon rolls for the next morning too!!! Thanks so much Hillary, we all enjoyed it very much! Trey was jealous, and I have to say he really did miss out. I was thoroughly impressed! So I have to close with one more story about my sweet angel baby Jack. Mom came over one day to help us out with something. I was nursing the baby in the living room, so I sent Laiken to open the garage. I hear it start to go up and Mom starts yelling, "Stop it, stop it, stop it". I run out to see what is going on. Jack had grabbed the bottom of the garage as it was going up. He was hanging on the garage door all the way up! When it finally stopped, he was hanging in mid air, clutching the garage for dear life (my baby is scared of heights). When Mama saw him go up she ran up the driveway (which has a really steep incline) and saved him. I am not sure what was funnier, Jack riding the garage all the way up or Mama (who has knee trouble) running/hobbling up the steep drive way to save him. I can laugh about it now, but it gave me a heart attack the day it happened. Just another day in Paradise.....

My Sweet Pea!!

2011-03-21T19:33:00.001-05:00

Brynley Ryan Walker

2 days old

2 weeks old

It's amazing how much you can love someone you just met. She is my Sweet Pea and definitely makes my heart smile!

Daddy's Boy

2011-01-17T18:09:00.000-06:00

This is an old picture of Trey and Jack together. They are peas in a pod. Tonight, at the dinner table, Jack and Trey had the most precious conversation I have ever heard them exchange. It was so sweet that I actually teared up.

Trey- "Jack eat your deer meat. It will make you grow up big and strong like a Superhero."

Me-"Or like Daddy."

Jack (stood up in his chair looking upset)-"I don't want to be a Superhero. I want to be BIG and STRONG...like DADDY!"

It was priceless. Parenthood can be so challenging and at times so difficult. But it is moments like this that remind us how rewarding and priceless being a parent can be also. I love being a Mommy! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family!

These are a few of my favorite things....

2010-12-19T20:41:00.001-06:00

These are a few of my favorite things about motherhood.... -naptime...everyday... -Laiken says "mommy I don't just love you one times, I love you alot of times" -Jack takes his finger out of his nose, kisses me goodnight, and then puts his finger in his mouth -we make it through a full day of running boring errands and no one has a melt down -3 AM when Jack comes to snuggle in our bed -running to the bathroom at 8:45 in the morning only to discover your sweet baby boy has locked and shut all of the bathroom doors in the house and the doorknobs have to be removed before you can "go" -the 10th and even the 20th time the babies get back out of the bed for water, "I have to tell you something", or "Laiken is waking me up!" -walking into a room and seeing all 3 kids playing something together, with no arguing or fighting. Or all 3 laying on the loveseat together watching tv. -playing tball with the kids in the backyard when it is 40 degrees outside, even if its only for about 30 minutes b/c we haven't been outside in so many days. -Jack jumping up and saying "thank you for buying this for me" to our neighbor who just brought the kids presents -the way a kiss stops tears and makes them smile -all of the "I love you's", hugs, kisses, snuggles. And that was just a small portion of last week! Happy Monday All!

Catch Up!

2010-12-12T21:18:00.000-06:00

Laiken and Jack on Thanksgiving Day. Poor Max...He is not always sure about Jack, but Jack loves him so much!

Jack is ready for his baby sister/brother to arrive. He has been playing with Laiken's baby dolls even more than usual lately. Tonight his daddy asked him, "Jack are you going to be sweet to the new baby." Jack said, " If Mama's baby bites me, I am going to smack it in the mouth." (sweet, right?) Daddy said, "Jack, you will be in big trouble if you do that to the baby." Jack said, "The baby will be in big trouble if she bites me!"

Baby Walker 25 weeks and 5 days. Braxton Hicks have been frequent and uncomfortable. I can't sleep at night. I am so ready to have this baby and meet the newest member of our family, but at the same time I do not want to meet the baby before at least 38 weeks. I hope everything goes well. I have been through labor 2 times already, so I know what to expect and it scares me to death! :) I am not ready to have contractions, IV's, and epidural.....and definitely am not looking forward to driving to Memphis to deliver. But I love to feel the baby kicking which he/she does alot! This pregnancy has been harder, but the rewards will be priceless!

Happy 30th to me!!

2010-11-11T08:10:00.001-06:00

Highlights from my Big Day!!!

My wonderful husband and adorable kiddos got me a Fossil watch for my birthday present! I love it. It is beautiful, and was a a surprise (which we are usually not capable of pulling off for each other).

My sister came over around 8 AM to bring me a second surprise... 3 balloons and cupcakes! One of the balloons sang "wild thing", which I heard allllllllllll day courtesy of Jack and Laiken. It was from all of my sisters and brothers. Very thoughtful. Lisa said they almost put 30 balloons in the yard. So thanks for going with the singing balloon and cupcakes instead!

Mom came over later to bring me a cookie cake and birthday cards! Then she stayed for a few hours and helped me rearrange my bedroom and closet! Which was an amazing surprise! I have so much more space now. It was a humongous help!

Later when Trey came home we had supper and cake/cupcakes. They sang Happy Birthday to me, and Jack sang it about 15 or 20 more times while we ate cupcakes. It was too cute. He loves a birthday no matter whose it is. I can't wait for his in December.

And for the perfect ending to a perfect day...Trey found some music channels and danced with kids in the living room all evening. Everyone was so happy and laughing so loud. It was definitely priceless!

Friday, Friday, Friday, YAY!!!!

2010-11-05T09:53:00.000-05:00

This weekend was our first time to recycle. I know that sounds crazy that I have never done that before, but with all of the chaos and craziness having 3 kids brings, I have never beeen inclined to take on an extra task like recycling. But thanks to the City of Southaven for making it more convenient for us to do our part to help the environment...we are now part of the recycling bandwagon! I am so happy that it is Friday, Nov 5th, finally. That means we are one day closer to Sat, Nov 6th. I have planned a big Open House at my sister, Lisa's house. I invited a few friends with at home businesses also. We are selling Little Belles and Bows hairbows, Scentsy, Creative Memories, Pampered Chef, Beauticontrol, and Sweet Jeans. I have been EXTREMELY busy with party planning, making bows, preparing to sell bows, not to mention my "everyday busy" with the kids and household duties. And dont forget my constant duty of trying to please everyone in the world all at once! Busy life! But so thankful for it! And at this time I am so thankful for all of the times I don't have heartburn, b/c at this very moment I am experiencing raging, yet random, heartburn. I have not eaten anything since breakfast, but for some reason there is a fire in my chest! Fun, fun, fun! I am so ready for March and for this little bundle of joy to be here! Happy Friday everyone!!!

A Random Conversation With Jack

2010-10-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

J-"Mama, I need more ogurt! (yogurt) Fill up my bowl!" Me-"We don't have anymore yogurt. We need to buy some today." Jack goes to the fridge..."Mama, this is ogurt!" Me-"No Jack, that is sour cream." J-"No its not. Its not sour green." Me-"Yes, Jack it is sour CREAM. You can't eat that." J-" No, MAMA, its not sour green, its sour red. It's red, mama." (the writing on the container was red). J-"Oh, I have to poop!" And he runs off to the bathroom. Love my Jack!

Halloween Fun!

2010-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Carving Jack O' Lanterns with Lisa, Jason, Blayne, Savana, and Leigh.

Jack is loving the pumpkin guts! Heck, he loves anything messy.

Leigh's werewolf pumpkin. This is the one I carved! A big thanks to Leigh for getting the guts out, because I hate that part!

Hard to see all of them, but first is Jack's, pirate skull and crossbones, next is Dylan's scary sculls (he carved all be himself), Leigh's werewolf, Blayne's scary face, Trey's bat, Laiken's kitten in a boot, and Jason's/Savana's spooky letters (with all of the initials of each family member).

Our pumpkins on our front porch. The only picture missing is the one of Savana with pumpkin guts. She hated them. A picture would not have done it justice, a video would have been perfect. When Jason handed them to her, she jumped up and down and screamed and squealed. It was definitely priceless! What an awesome night! I can't wait for trick or treating this weekend with my blue fairy, pirate, and giant hot dog!

TGIF!

2010-10-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

This week I am so thankful for Little Belles and Bows, my hairbow making business. I love what I do. Business has really picked up since I have moved to Southaven. I am expecting it to get better and better as the year closes, and to be exceptionally good in the following year. Some customers have requested AL "roll tide" bows, which prompted a search for the perfect ribbon. Well, I found it, along with almost any other team you could think of. New bows are always exciting to me. And I am thankful for Riverkings Hockey games. I am looking forward to making memories with my kids at some of the games this year. And of course, bonding with my fav sis Leigh!!

I am so thankful for the restaurant "On The Border". On an impulse we went there to eat last night. The food was amazing. The white cheese dip was to die for. The kids started out rocky, maybe they were just really hungry, but they settled down fast when the chips and dip came out. They were completely pleasant the rest of the meal. It was a nice evening, perfect ending for the crazy day I had.

And I have to throw in that Trey is very thankful for new work boots. His boots blew out at work and had holes in the soles. Isn't that a kenny chesney song? Well, he didn't get a vacation like the song says, he got new boots and was sent back to work this morning. Haha. Don't feel bad for him though, he is like a girl when it comes to shoes. He loves new shoes. I am sure he has more pairs of shoes than I do.

Today Direct TV is coming to install our satellite. So next Friday, I am pretty sure I will be thankful for the sprout channel, disney channel, or nick Jr. For all those parents who don't believe in tv, I feel sorry for them. I need an hour or two in my day where the kids actually sit still for a minute. :)

Have a happy Friday!

Neighbors....

2010-10-20T07:20:00.000-05:00

I went to the Riverkings opening game this past Saturday with Leigh. It was like old times when we had season tickets. I loved it! We danced, we laughed, we yelled, and we ate BBQ nachos! And I am pretty sure Baby Walker is a big fan of hockey b/c he/she moved the whole game! :)

Speaking of Baby Walker, I am going to be 20 weeks pregnant this Friday. Halfway, so its all downhill from here, right? HaHa, wouldn't that be nice.

We have been in the new house for a few weeks. I have met most of my neighbors. In the house to my right, lives a couple with a new baby and their brother. She is a nurse and he was recently laid off so he is a stay at home daddy. ( a reflection of today's economy) They are very nice people. In the house to the left, a couple with no kids. The husband has a race car on 22's....so he is instantly a friend to Trey. They even bonded last night over carburetors, cams, and rims! lol His wife is really sweet. They both always speak to us and talk to the kids too. Across the street is a lady with her daughters. She has a girl in the 4th grade at the same school as Dylan and she was very helpful with the bus, trash pick times, and mail times. And finally, across the street and to the left is a sweet older lady who seems to live alone. She watches her grandson on the weekends. And bless her heart, I know every neighborhood has one, but she is "busy". If you need to know about anything or anyone in the neighbor hood, she is your go to gal. At our first meeting the other night, she walked over to introduce herself and basically everyone else. I was informed about who fusses over property lines, why the neighbor's brother lives with him, and who keeps their yard up and who doesn't. But she really is a sweet lady, last night she brought the kids Disney Halloween pumpkins and bags for trick or treating, and gave us pumpkin lights to hang up outside. Its a nice neighborhood, maybe we will get to stay awhile and enjoy it!

TGIF!

2010-10-15T08:32:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know that I do not have an actual job, so it may be unfair when I say Thank Goodness Its Friday! But it is common knowledge that the weekends are more fun, whether you are a stay at home mom or a 9-5'er. So hello weekend it is so nice to see you. And the best part...no alarm clocks (other than the kids getting up first). I am going to start a new regular Friday post on my blog dedicated to the things I am thankful for. Life can get so busy and routine that we often don't take time to appreciate the things we are lucky to have in our lives. Since this is the first "things I am Thankful for" post, I will start with the obvious. I am so thankful for my family. I have a very loving, wonderful husband. Trey works hard for us every day to give us everything we want and need. I appreciate all of the sacrifices he makes to provide for our family. He never complains about the long hours, hard work, heat, or travel that comes with his job. (Well, he did complain a little about the snow and -40 degree temperature in Wyoming, but who wouldn't.) He is a great husband and a wonderful daddy! He is my best friend and I look forward to a lifetime of making memories with him.

Among all of the craziness and chaos, I am very thankful for my children. They are the reason for everything I do in my life. I try hard to be a good example, and I know that I am not perfect all the time. And Lord knows my little angels are not perfect all of the time either, but they are mine. And they are close enough to perfect for me!!!!

And this Little One here...although completely unexpected and with the absolute fear brought on by the thought of his/her arrival into my already chaotic life.... I am very thankful for this baby too! So many women right now in this world are wishing and hoping for the opportunity to have a child and are unable to. This baby was conceived in love and will be raised with the love of our family. A baby is a true gift from God.

And a few smaller things to be thankful for:

1. The garbage man, who picks up across the street before getting to my side of the street. In case I forget to put it out Friday morning, I have about 2 minutes warning that he is coming to rush my garbage can to the side of the road.

2. The firemen, who came by Tuesday to test the fire hydrant in front of our house. The kids were completely amazed to watch two firemen open the hydrant and let gallons of water explode onto the road like a rushing river. And for the driver, who noticed his excited spectators and flashed the firetruck lights and blasted the sirens just for them. He was the hero of the day.

3.And finally, for the month of October/Halloween. It gave me an excuse to buy a $10.00 bag of chocolate from Sam's!

Happy Friday to All!!!

We have moved....AGAIN!

2010-10-08T05:29:00.000-05:00

We have moved again. Instead of moving somewhere unfamiliar, we were fortunate to have the opportunity to move back home. We are in Southaven, MS. Everyone is adjusting wonderfully to this move because we are so excited to be able to spend more time with my family. I have to say that I completely enjoy seeing my Mom and my sisters everyday. I am excited about the opportunity to reconnect with people I should have stayed in contact with over the years. The kids love having their cousins close by. Poor Trey is the only one who is not entirely happy. He is working at Valero in Memphis. The job is very unorganized and poorly supervised. He is hoping it will get better, but is not very confident it will. He will probably be transferred to Texas soon. He wanted us to move here so I could have help from family when baby #4 arrives in March. I understand and agree, but I hate for him to leave. We have signed a year lease, so at least I have stability for one year. After that, who knows where we will move next. I didn't have any pictures to post about our move, although Trey did take a cute pic of our Uhaul with a trailer and his truck and my durango with a dolly and the Acura. We had a convoy getting here with all of our stuff plus our vehicles. :) I will try to post that picture later. So the "kids in Daddy's work boots" picture was just a bonus.

A visit to preschool

2010-09-16T19:52:00.000-05:00

Laiken was the line leader on Wednesday. I was invited to come to her class and read a book to the children. Jack and I came to her classroom at 11:00. We read a book, passed out stickers, and joined Laiken for lunch in the cafeteria. I read a book about a garbage truck. It was a really silly book about a stinky garbage truck. The kids loved it! They were so loud and so animated for every page. When it was time for stickers, I was completely swarmed by 4 and 5 yr olds like I was passing out hundred dollar bills to grown ups. It was chaotic to say the least. Next we were lined up to go to lunch in the cafeteria. Jack was beaming with excitement when he carried his lunch tray from the lunchline to the table. Laiken was so sweet. She was so proud to have us eat lunch with her. The kids had a blast playing with Jack at lunch. It was really loud. There was alot of shouting and it was quite difficult to keep Jack in his seat (which led to wandering preschoolers too). After lunch the kids went outside to play for about 10 minutes. The teacher invited me and Jack to join them. He took off for the playground with the kids just like he was part of the class. When playtime was over he lined up in line with the kids. He was a pro at preschool. Laiken was very sweet. At first she asked me not to leave, but then when they lined up she waved and screamed bye to me. I was glad she did not get upset when we left. It is easier to leave her there when I know she is happy. And she is very happy at her school. Later at home, me and Jack were getting ready for a nap and he was still talking about his day at preschool. The last thing he said before falling asleep,, "The kids at Nanny's school are soooo big." It was definitely a fun day. Preschool was certainly interesting and not for the weak. Whatever they pay preschool teachers and assistants...it is not enough!!!!

Aren't they the cutest kids?

2010-09-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

I have learned to make puppy bows. Yes, Max is a boy, but he just looks so darn cute with a bow. This picture expresses his enthusiasm about bows.

Laiken went to a two day cheer camp with the Pauls Valley Varsity Cheerleaders and performed at half time at the first football game. It was adorable and she has been cheering non stop since then.

Jack, oh my precious Jack. He has learned a new word. It has four letters and starts with "s" and ends with a "t". Needless to say, we are working really hard on erasing that word from Jack's vocabulary (and mine too)!!! On a softer note, whenever I talk to Jack about the new baby coming, he raises my shirt over my stomach and kisses my belly.

I emailed about 10 pictures to my mom this past week, and she brought it to my attention that none of the pics were of Dylan. He is not involved in any sports or extra activities. He does not do anything crazy/silly/adorable like Jack. The older kids really do get forgotten when it comes to pictures. I vow to take more pics of Dylan, and also more random pics of the kids (not just when something important is happening). Dylan is doing really well in school. He is finishing more of his work on time and staying in his seat more. He has adjusted to the move better than we could have expected. He does not communicate much with his mom, despite the fact he has his own cell phone, but he surprisingly seems ok with that too. Everything seems to be going well with him.

Everything is fine with me and the baby. I will be 15 weeks this Friday. Time sure does fly by. Trey is working 7 days a week for the next few weeks and this job should be wrapping up by the first of October. We are still not sure what is in store for us next or where we will be moving, but I believe everything happens for a reason. We will be happy wherever we go, as long as we are together.

How Sweet It Is....

2010-08-25T15:53:00.000-05:00

I had a meeting with Dylan's teacher this afternoon. He is having trouble completing assignments and getting out of his seat a little too much. I wanted to talk with his teacher to see if there were any other issues with him and to let her know we would be working with him at home to help with these issues as well. I expected to only hear negative comments and little tolerance for "trouble making" kids. I was soooo surprised and sooooo pleased to hear her only say positive things about Dylan. He really is an amazing kid. He is a helpful, sweet, and loving child. But like any kid, he does have his trouble areas. School in general seems to be one for him. We have been talking with him each night about what is expected and what we know he is capable of. Yesterday was the worst day so far since school has started. By some miracle, Trey and I were both able to handle the situation in a positive way. We spoke with him calmly and placed the responsibility of his actions on himself. He determines whether or not he will have a good day. AND IT WORKED!! His teacher told me today how he tried hard to keep up and finish his assignments, he stayed in his seat, and did not talk excessively today. She said it was the best day he has had so far. She went on to say how sweet and helpful he is. She agreed with me in saying that she thinks he can handle his own behavior and she will do whatever it takes to help him have a great school year. Teachers are really special people. I was really proud of Dylan today. It was a great feeling to hear her say so many wonderful things about him and to know, as parents, that we are having a positive impact on his life. My favorite part was when she told me how hard he tried today to improve in the areas we talked about with him the night before. I wanted him to know how proud I was so I did something that I rarely ever do...I stopped by the local bakery "How Sweet It Is" and bought the kids each a cupcake. (I was sure to let him know that I will not be buying cupcakes for every single good day at school) But that it really means alot to me that he was able to work really hard and have a good day at school. Even without the cupcake, I think he understood how rewarding it is to make good decisions for himself. We will continue to work on this daily I am sure, but at least it seems we are moving in the right direction.

The babies aren't babies anymore...

2010-08-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Laiken started preschool last week. I thought I would have a really hard time with this milestone because she has spent everyday since birth with me. She was so excited about going that I decided I could not be upset about this exciting new adventure for her. She is my Little Miss Independent. Laiken loves preschool. She is happy when I drop her off and happy when I pick her up. She tells me about her day in detail. She talks about everything she did and all of the children she interacted with. She is proud to have so many friends. I am proud that she is able to remember the names of books the teacher reads, games she played, and every other small detail of her day. When she is describing her friends, she always names them by name first. Next, she will describe their hair, what they wore that day, and always adds whether or not they wore glasses. I love hearing about her day.

Today she walked in the living room, playing "teacher", and we had this conversation...

L-Who can read? Raise your hand.

Me-(raised my hand)

L-Do we talk when the teacher is talking?

Me-No.

L-Good answer. Do we talk when the teacher is reading?

Me-No.

L-Good answer. Do we mess with the lights while the teacher is reading?

Me-No (with a giggle)

L-Good answer. Do we talk when we are in line?

Me-No.

L-Good answer.

And honestly, this went on and on for about 30 min. Her voice was very stern and serious. And I was seriously cracking up.

Laiken also started ballet classes 3 weeks ago. We have had 3 classes and are on our 3rd pair of tights. My little princess absolutely adores dancing. She is the only little girl in class who cannot take her eyes off of the mirror. She makes my heart smile.

Jack is having a hard time with preschool. He wants to go with Laiken so bad. I think he is sad without her. I bought him a Thomas train and tracks on Laiken's first day of school to ease his separation anxiety. It worked for a few days. Today Trey came home from work around lunch time due to rain, and the three of us went to a catfish house for lunch. It was really special to spend time with just the three of us. With 3 kids it is rare to have one on one time with any of them, so when ever the opportunity arrives, it is definitely special.

It's the little things in life that matter most.

2010-08-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

Bananas are one of those things that if I buy a few, the kids eat them all in two days. If I buy more than just a few, nobody wants to eat them. This week no one wanted bananas and I had at least 16 in the fruit basket. So I decided to try my mom's recipe for homemade banana pudding. It was around 4 o'clock and I was standing at the stove stirring pudding. The kids were playing with a loud, annoying dirtbike toy and Trey was listening to country music videos on the tv, very loudly as well. I called to him to please turn it down and please move the kids to the back bedroom. I was tired and a little grumpy. With a little less noise and chaos, I finished the banana pudding and placed it in the fridge. Travis Tritt's "Drift Off To Dream" came on tv. I asked Trey to turn it up. I love that song and haven't heard it in awhile. At that moment, there was silence from the kids in the room, or maybe I tuned them out. :) Trey took my hand, put his arm around my waist, and we danced in the kitchen. He sang the song to me and it reminded me of our first dance on our wedding day. Laiken was watching and screamed to Jack and Dylan, "Come quick, mommy and daddy are dancing like they are married!" And we danced while the kids laughed at us. It's times like this that matter the most in my life.

Motherhood....and the unexpected.

2010-07-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

Potty training Jack has been a challenge. What part of raising Jack has not been???) He is definitely the one who keeps me on my toes and entertained. Potty training him has been no exception. Let me start by saying that the reason I started training him so early is because since the day he became aware of the business going on down below....he would inform me that he had a dirty diaper by reaching back into it and actually showing me a handful. He would say, "OH GOSH!!! I POOP!" And then try to hand me proof. After a few months of this potty training began. Pull ups were first. When he would have a dirty pull up, he would attempt to take it off and clean up himself. But he would always become overwhelmed by the mess and stop half way and scream for me. I can distinguish between Jack's "I am hurt" cry, his "sleepy" cry, "she took my toy" cry, and his "Oh My Gosh, I am covered in poop" cry. So pull ups did not work, they were overpriced diapers that he was happy to go potty in. I moved to big boy race car undies. He still tried to clean up his own messes and usually ended up with a bigger mess, but at least contained in the bathroom now. A few days ago I heard a distressed scream from the bathroom and Jack had some how moved the lid off of the tank of the toilet. It had fallen in the toilet and wedged itself in perfectly to flood the bathroom. It took me and Laiken 30 min and every towel in the entire apartment to absorb the water. Jack loved it. Potty training Jack has led to frequent nudity in public, including at a public pool. At the pool, he walked to the end of the diving board, pulled his trunks to his ankles and peed off the diving board into the pool. It looked like a rainbow! He was so proud, and I was too embarrassed for words. Luckily we weren't kicked out. Yesterday Laiken and Jack had a tea party in the living room with all of their dishes. When the party was over and dishes were scattered across the floor, Jack walked up to a tiny metal pan, pulled down his pants, and peed into it. Of course we were not alone, my neighbor and her 7 year old daughter were over here too. Potty training has been an interesting journey so far and I am sure it is not over yet, but maybe we are through the worst of it?? Something is telling me we are not.

2010-07-21T18:27:00.000-05:00

2010 Stratford Peach Festival

These are some of the bows I made to sell at the Peach Festival.

The 2010 Stratford Peach Festival was my first festival selling my hair bows. It was a great success. I sold about half of what I made, and met a lot of new people. I was told by several people that my bows were amazing and my prices reasonable. Trey was off work that day and spent the whole day with me. It was very encouraging for him to invest his time too and to be so supportive. (that or he was hanging aroung to find the Peach Habinero BBQ Sandwiches he kept hearing people talk about) Either way it was nice to spend the day with him. The kids found a small patch of dirt next to my tables and played in the dirt ALL day long. I went through an entire pack of baby wipes (I hate dirt!) But I know they had a blast. It was a great day for all of us.

Laiken's 4th Birthday

2010-07-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

Wow, I seriously cannot believe my baby girl is 4 yrs old. I guess time really does fly by as you get older. It seems like just yesterday when we brought her home from the hospital. Now she is about to start preschool. I truly feel blessed to have such a remarkable little girl for my daughter. She lights up my life. She is truly blessed as well, to have the best grandparents and aunt in the world. Maw Maw, Paw Paw, and Aunt Leigh drove all the way out to Oklahoma to spend her birthday with her. She was so happy to see them. The party was wonderful. We decorated cupcakes, had face painting, broke open a pinata, and had delicious purple Tinkerbell cake. It was a treat to watch Laiken open presents. She was so excited and so thankful for each one. She is an amazing kid.

We had a great visit with Mom, Dad, and Leigh. Unfortunately the 4th of July fireworks rained out across the state and we were all disappointed with that. Sunday we drove to the Arbuckle Mountains. We saw Turner Falls and a few national state parks. Mom got her magnet from OK and Dad got his shot glass (they collect them from every state they visit). Well, now they can check Oklahoma off that list because I am not sure they will be back to visit. On the way home, Daddy told Mom, "Besides Trey, Lacy, and the kids...Oklahoma just does not have much to offer me." Dont worry Daddy, I feel the exact same way. I am glad this is a short job, I am ready for the next one.

She is older than she looks...

2010-06-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

Laiken will be turning 4 years old on July 6th. She is old enough to begin attending a preschool. I have started talking to her about school to see if she is ready to start. She has always been with me since she was born. Aside from the two nights she stayed with Aunt Lisa when Jack was born, the one night she spent with MawMaw, a few times hanging out with Gran Gran, and the two times she stayed at Delainey's house all day to play, she has spent all of her time with me and Jack. I love my kids and I spend all of my time with them. I rarely go anywhere my kids cannot go, so why not take them with me. Jack is happy this way. He gets upset when I leave and is so excited when I return. My little man still needs me. Laiken, on the other hand, loves when I am not there. It makes her feel grown up and independent. She is in love with the idea of going to school. She has been talking about it nonstop since I mentioned it to her. She talks about the friends she will make, the things they will do at school, and mostly she talks about me and Jack not being there at school with her. I just smile and nod my head. I am glad she is ready because I am not. Yesterday she told me that she will ride the bus to school. That is where I drew the line. No. She is too young to ride a school bus. She was mad and told me that she will run out to the bus fast and it will take her to school. Ha! We'll see. Now that we have talked so much about her going to school, I am getting a little excited. I can't wait to take her school shopping for supplies, new clothes, and a monogrammed backpack. I just cannot imagine what me and Jack will do all day without our Laiken.

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

I bought Trey a grill cover with the Ole Miss logo on it. To sum up our Father's Day Weekend... Sat: Trey's present did not come in the mail on time, maybe today it will? He bought a 2008 Dodge Durango for me. We took the kids to pizza hut and to a water park. Trey went to the dirt track races with friends from work. Sun: The kids made Father's day cards for Trey. We all went to the carwash and watched Trey wash the new truck. Trey polished the wheels and grill with chrome cleaner. Trey grilled ribs and sausage, and he made pasta salad. The kids played outside with the neighbor's little girl most of the day. It was the best Father's Day I have ever had! (I mean the best one Trey has ever had!)

Welcome to Oklahoma!

2010-06-17T05:40:00.000-05:00

It has been a big change moving from just outside of Baton Rouge, LA to Pauls Valley, OK. But it may prove to be a good change. We are adjusting to the differences of the big city back to a small town.

Updates on everyone...

Dylan is staying the summer with his mom (mostly his grandmothers), and seems to be having a great summer. We bought him the cell phone he has been begging to have for the past two years. He is 9 years old, and we definitely thought he was too young to have one. But having your child 10 hours away, in an environment you are not 100% comfortable with...can change your perspective on things. The only problem now is he seems to busy with his new "girlfriend" to text us very much anymore. Who knew that type of issue would start this early?? :)

Jack is officially potty trained (aside from the occasional accident). We no longer buy pull ups and he is even dry when he gets up from naps and bedtime. When we first moved here, every once in a while Jack would say, "I want to go home." It was so sad and broke my heart. I would just tell him, "We are home. We are here at home with Daddy." When running errands or going somewhere, on the way home Laiken would always ask, "Are we going home now?" Laiken is referring to our home here in OK, she just always needs to be informed where we are going and what we are doing, for her approval I guess. (She thinks she is in charge!) When she would ask me, "Are we going home now?" Jack would reply, "No, Nanny, No go home. Home is gone, gone!" Oh that was so sad to me. He did not understand the move. But he has adjusted and doesn't say either now. He seems to be fine. Maybe we should tell him we are moving again in 3 to 4 months.

Laiken is going to be 4 in July. She acts like she is going on 10. She is so smart. She figures it all out and has an opinion on everything. She was playing with the neighbor's little girl and kept telling her that she could play with her, but she could not be her friend. She has friends already. After playing with Penelope a few more times, she now tells her she can be her friend. Saturday I am taking Laiken to sign up for Ballet lessons. She is so excited. Any thing girly is ok with Laiken. I made the mistake of letting her watch "Toddlers and Tiaras" with me one afternoon. Her new obsession is "beauty patches" (beauty pageants). We are now on the hunt for a beauty pageant close to pauls valley. She will only be allowed to do the kind that appreciate natural beauty, nothing like the high glitz ones we saw on tv.

Trey was made a foreman on this job. He has been given 14 or so men to supervise. Trey is competitive and a perfectionist. Every day he writes a few guys up. He is even trying to run a few off the job, so he won't have to deal with him. Yesterday, he had a guy random drug tested because he suspected drug use on the job. Needless to say, the company loves him. Trey is definitely a "company man", but it really comes down to his expectations. He expects the best out of people. He is a perfectionist because it has to be done right every time and he expects that much from everyone around him.

Before moving to Pauls Valley, my hairbow business, Little Belles and Bows, was really starting to take off. I was finding new customers all the time, and keeping a small profit in my account. It was going great. I expected to have the same results here. The only problem is they hardly even wear bows here. I have only seen a few since moving here and none of the stores sell them. But after investigating and talking to a few store owners...I found that there is a market for them here. People do want them, there are just no real retail for them, yet. By the end of July, I hope to have my bows in two stores and to have my own store on http://www.littlebellesandbows.etsy.com/. This move could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Wish me luck!

Love/Hate Relationship

2010-05-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

I love Laiken and Jack's love/hate relationship. They fight as much as they play. One minute I am complimenting them on how sweet they are to each other, and the next they are both screaming and clutching the same toy. On this past Wednesday I took Laiken over to play with Trey's cousin's daughter Delainey. I had to bribe Jack with a trip to Chik Fil A because he LOVES to play at her house too. There was a small struggle to get him to leave without a meltdown, but I reminded him where we were going and he was ok. The entire way to Chik Fil A he talked about "Nanny". (That is what he calls Laiken. I have no idea why. He has always called her that, and now that he is old enough to pronounce her name, he still says it. I will ask him to say "Laiken". He looks me square in the eyes and perfectly pronounces "Nanny". Ok, so I quit trying, and I call her that too sometimes.) He says "Where is Nanny?" I tell him she is at Delainey's house. He says "Go get her mommy. Go get Nanny." And he says, "Nanny wants to play." (meaning with us at Chick Fil A). He said the same things all the way there. He asked me a few times while we ate our chicken minis. Finally, it was time to play. As luck would have it, there were no other kids in the play area playing. He kept running in and out, in and out, until finally a few other kids came in and he was fine. When we got in the car to leave he said, "Mommy, go get Nanny." They are in constant competition with each other. They race to the door and to pick up or get something I asked the other one to get for me. They always have to be first and get the last bite or drink. Why can't they fight over useful things like who can eat the neatest, pick up toys the fastest, or even use the potty the most! (Jack is still potty training, but making tremendous progress!) But they still have moments, when I am not prying them apart, that melt my heart. They snuggle when they sleep by each other. Jack pulled two bananas out of the bag at the pool today and ran over to Laiken to share one with her. "Look Nanny, It's your banana! Want one?" Today at the pool they would count and jump in together. And at naptime, we all three slept in my bed. Laiken and Jack kissed each other before falling asleep. It drives me nuts when they are fighting, but it is priceless when they are sweet. I hope they grow up as best friends.

Baton Rouge Zoo Continued....

2010-04-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Jack holding a leaf to feed the giraffe. And a picture of Jack running full speed back to the giraffe to try to feed him!

Jack fed a giraffe at the zoo this past Saturday! He grabbed a leaf and ran up to where the giraffe was by the fence. After several failed attempts to feed the giraffe, I coaxed him away to play at the playground. After getting halfway to the playground, he noticed a twig with leaves on it laying on the ground. He picked it up and ran back to the giraffe full speed. A man picked him up and brought him face to face with the giraffe and Jack fed him the branch! And with my "sloth- like reflexes" I managed to snap a pic of the giraffe's mouth just seconds after my 2 year old fed him! What luck! Despite not getting a picture, it was an amazing moment! Jack is fearless!

Baton Rouge Zoo

2010-04-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

The playground were both kids had a blast, but were forced to retreat after Laiken was bit by another child. I was outraged, but so was his mom. She scolded him and removed him from the playground, made me feel better (but not Laiken).

Jack fell asleep waiting for the train ride.

Laiken was ready to ride the train and did not feel like posing for any more pictures.

More about Laiken....

2010-04-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

I love my little Laiken so so very much. We take a nap together everyday. She has to sleep with me or she will not go to sleep. She knows how to play and keep herself busy so she never falls asleep. When she sleeps with me, I tell her to "be still" and "shhhh" about 50 times, and she eventually falls asleep. She is so smart and has a very vivid imagination. She remembers everything that ever happens to her, everything that is said to her, and even everything she hears. It is wild. Today at naptime I was so so extremely tired. She asked me to tell her a story. That is the first time she has ever requested a story. I asked her to tell me one. She actually started her story with once upon a time. It was about princesses, pink dresses, wicked witches, red apples, princes, breaking spells....and the list goes on. After a very dramatic, long epic princess adventure, she ends with Happily Ever After! I love Laiken so much. She makes my heart smile! I love Jack that much too, but his stories aren't sugar and spice and everything nice. His are more of the snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails variety. I chased him for 2 hours tonight at the baseball game (which our team won mostly with forced runs, lol). He was even chased off of the field in the middle of the game. He spent a total of prob 20 min (in 2 min increments) in time out. Threw rocks, threw a water bottle, blew raspberries, and kicked over the time out chair (not all at the same time, throughout the evening). Towards the end of the game, I asked the lady next to me what inning it was. She laughed and said, "It's almost over honey, It will get better as he gets older." She must not know my husband. They say your kids will be 3 times worse than you were as a child. So why am I being punished?? But like I said I love my Jack just as much as my angel Laiken. Jack just uses up more of the unconditional part than Laiken.

Laiken

2010-04-15T07:51:00.000-05:00

My little princess is really growing up. This morning she insisted on wearing her Easter dress. She explained to me in length that she would have to wear the short sleeve sweater that goes with it because it is cold outside. (80 degrees today is the high) She said she will need the little sweater to cover her shoulders so she can stay warm. The entire conversation was so animated and serious. After she put the sweater on, she asked me to button it. She can handle the snap buttons on her pants, but not the type of button you push through the hole. I showed her how to do the first one. She did the next three. She did it by herself, just like that, after only watching me do one. She is so amazing to me! There are so many other things she does that show me she is a little girl and not a toddler anymore. She sat in the chair at the movies Tuesday. Which may not sound like much, but it was the first time she has ever done that. On top of sitting by herself, it was a 3-D movie, and she wore the glasses for the whole movie. When we use a public restroom, she goes in a stall by herself. At our favorite restaurant, Chik-fil-A, the toy in the kids meal can be turned in for an ice-cream. After we finish eating, Laiken always takes the toys to the counter and exchanges them for ice-cream. They will ask her cup or cone, and she decides. She speaks loudly and clearly with confidence so they can hear her. She carries her and Jack's ice-cream back to the table. I have recently started making hair bows for Laiken. She told me the other day that she will make bows with me when she grows up. She is such a sweetheart. I recently got a new tattoo. It is a pink awareness ribbon for Breast Cancer. It has special meaning for me. A close friend of Trey's family here is battling breast cancer. Laiken made this comment after seeing it..."I will get a tattoo when I am older. Not now because I am still little. I know it will hurt, but not too much. When I am older, I will get a mermaid or a princess on my arm, maybe, because I like those things. But just when I get older not now. I am small now." Her exact words! (For those alarmed by her wanting a tattoo...I had 4 before I had Laiken, so they are a part of our everyday lives.) I am sure my kids will get them. I am sure I am not finished getting them. I love tattoos. And I don't mind if my kids do too. One time Laiken found a highlighter and colored her entire body. I mean literally, toes to shoulders, with the pink highlighter. She came to show me and said they were her tattoos! Too funny. I hope she doesn't take it that far, but I will still love her no matter what! (Mom, I know you are dying as you read this!!!! I love you so much! Forgive me for corrupting your grandkids!) P.S. MOM- Do you remember the first time you saw my very first tattoo?? "Please tell me that is not real!" Makes me laugh every time I think about it! Love ya!

Daddy's Boots!

2010-04-14T18:05:00.000-05:00

Yea for Humpday! Come on Friday!

2010-04-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

Trey left for Columbus, MS this morning. It is a two week shutdown. Which means short job...LONG hours....GOOD money. Hopefully while he is gone, he will receive a call about Wyoming or Mobile. I would love to know where we will be living this summer. I am not against WY but Alabama is much more my style. It would be a little scary to move across the country. I moved across the entire state of Mississippi and was shocked by the differences. When we moved to Louisiana, I was shocked again by all of the differences. I cannot even imagine what it would be like in Wyoming. I think the population of Baton Rouge and New Orleans may equal that of the whole state of WY! So everyone keep your fingers crossed for the job in Mobile, AL. Thank you. Baseball season has started. Dylan is very excited to be playing. Laiken and Jack love being outside, so it works for them. I like to see everyone happy, so I am excited for them too. This is the first year he has played where the kids are pitching. None of the children, on any of the teams has ever pitched before. I think Dylan ducked more than he swung the bat. That has got to be scary for the kids. It looks like they are being attacked by the baseball every time they come to bat. Jack's previous potty training did not go well. He began to not want to sit on the potty at all. I did not want to force him because I am not completely sure he is 100% ready. I gave up and bought diapers, and now I just let him use the potty when he asks. Until yesterday....he was calling my name with that sound of urgency that let me know he is either stuck in something and cannot free him self....or there is poop involved! It was the latter. I went into his room and he was sitting on the floor in a mess with a messy diaper hanging off one leg. He had attempted to take off a dirty diaper by him self but he quit when he realized it was not happening the way it does when mommy takes them off. I had to clean the floor and give Jack a bath. If you know about Jack's history, you would know that we have finally progressed from him bringing me a handful of poop everytime he dirtied a diaper. "LOOK! Mama, POOP!!!!" (hand outstretched with a stinky surprise) I thought that was a phase but it lasted for months and months. Now he just takes the diaper off to bring to me.....So potty training is back on! I picked up pullups at walmart along with a massive size bag of M&M's. I will give a report next week on his progress...Wish us luck!!

A Big Surprise!

2010-04-10T08:11:00.000-05:00

I have had a crazy, wonderful two weeks. Trey came home early from Wyoming and surprised us! We were expecting him on Sunday, April 3rd, and he showed up at the door Wednesday afternoon! Jack shouted daddy when the door opened. I was wondering why he was calling Dylan "daddy"! (Dylan was outside playing and I was sure it was him coming in the door.) But then Laiken shouted Daddy and ran to the door. By then I was sure it was Trey, so I ran to the door too! It was wonderful. We all hugged each other for about 10 minutes. The kids were so excited to see him! Since he came home early, we were able to enjoy Easter together. We went to Bass Pro Shop and saw the easter bunny together and lunch afterwards at the restaurant in Bass Pro. We spent Easter Sunday together with Trey's family here in Denham. The kids had an Easter egg hunt. And thanks to their heated pool, we swam all afternoon. It was a great weekend. Since then, I feel like my life has been complete chaos! The laundry and and dishes pile up faster and the food is disappearing much faster than before! Our schedules are completely out of whack! We are all learning to live together again. But I have to say it is completely worth it! I am so happy for him to be home. We have enjoyed a great vacation together. Trey is waiting on job offers from a few different companies. We could possibly be staying here longer, moving to Mobile AL, moving to Wyoming, or Trey going back to Wyoming alone (pray for us it will not be the last!). I am crossing my fingers for Mobile, AL!!! We will have to wait and see. Until then, we will enjoy our time together!

An "A" for effort right??

2010-03-27T21:42:00.000-05:00

Confessions of a Stay At Home Mom!

2010-03-24T07:52:00.000-05:00

Trey was supposed to come home this Sunday, and we were all SO SO SO excited. Well, the date was changed again yesterday at noon. I told him to not tell me the next date because I cannot take the stress of getting excited and being let down repeatedly. I asked him to just call me when he has loaded up all of his stuff and is actually driving home to us! We are pretty disappointed. I am the most, I believe. The little ones have no concept of time, and Dylan's understanding of it is not fully formed yet. He mostly understands time, but just this morning he asked me if it was Thursdsay yet. Which is funny for so many reasons...a calendar hangs in his room, one in the kitchen, and the trash was by the door (which he takes downstairs on M, W, and F.) And he is always asking me if he is supposed to go to his mom's this weekend (which is also marked on his calendar!). Since Trey was supposed to be here for Spring Break with us and now he won't be, Dylan has asked to go to his mom's for the week. She works during the week, and has trouble getting a sitter for him on days when he is out of school. So he will probably spend the week with us, which is fine. It will be a long week with all of the anticipation and build up from waiting on Trey to come home to us! Since Daylight Savings Time, the little ones have been sleeping in!!!! So I enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and about 45 min of news every morning! I love it. I am so completely embarrased to say (and probably shouldn't) but have not always followed or cared for current events. I know most people say how can you stand to be so ignorant about what is going on in the world. Really, it is easier than you think. I didn't realize how deep my ignorant bliss was until I had this conversation... Lacy: "Dylan brought home an extra credit question for homework. Who is Joe Biden?" Trey: "LACY!" Lacy: "What does he play football for LSU or something??" Trey: "Lacy, I am calling your mother! I cannot believe you seriously just asked me that!?" Lacy: "Well, who is he?" Trey: "The vice-president of the United States!!!" Lacy: "Damn." I knew then it had gone too far! That was earlier in the school year. I would like everyone to know that I am doing much better now. I have even followed the Health Care Bill all the way up to the signing. I watch the news briefly every morning, and sometimes I even click on the news portion of my MSN home page. I almost can't believe I just shared that story, but seriously what would life be like if we couldn't laugh at ourselves. Your cannot improve yourself if you never see what is wrong. It is our flaws, not our perfections that make us better people! This morning while watching the Today show, Jack walked up to the TV and pointed, saying "MOUSE!" And for anyone with kids...that is an easy one. He wanted to watch the "Mickey Mouse Club" instead of the news. So we did.

Ready for Spring!

2010-03-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

Monday morning Laiken and Dylan went to the dentist for their 6 month cleaning. Laiken was such a big girl. She went back with the hygenist all by herself. She did not ask me to come and was not at all worried that I wasn't. I would love to say I was entirely pleased at how grown up she was. And how wonderful that she felt like she didn't need me. (Tear...) But I was sad. I am sad that my little baby is growing up so quickly! The sadness lasted a few minutes, and I realized that it was a good thing that she is so independent and secure with herself that she is able to start having moments where she does not need me. I am so proud of her and her self confidence and maturity. (Tear...) She may not always need me, but I will always be there (waiting) just in case she does. Plus No Cavities for both kids!!!!

Last Monday was also supposed to be our first baseball practice, but the rain started early that day to rain it out. Dylan was disappointed, but we made the most of the rainout by going to the batting cages again. This time there were fewer kids there and Dylan was able to practice a little more. I was allowed to take Laiken and Jack into a seperate fenced in area and throw a softer, rubber ball to them. It was great for keeping them occupied and they loved feeling like the big kids. It turned out to be a great night.

Sometime while running errands last week, Laiken said to me, "When my Daddy comes back home like that, I don't want him to leave like that ever again! I love him so much!" It was really sweet. She know her Daddy is working out of town. She may not know exactly what that means, but I believe she understands that he loves her and is coming home soon. We have 14 days left from today. It seems so short, but so long at the same time. Jack has been potty training this week. He is 100% with no accidents....when he is naked. Yes, you read that right. When he is left naked, stark naked, running around the apartment, enjoying his nakedness.....he is flawlessly potty trained. When he is in a pull up, he wets it. Hmmmm....It does not make me uncomfortable for him to be naked, but its just not right! :) I need to find a middle ground. I think we will try strictly big boy underwear this week, mixed with some time spent naked. This should be an interesting week. Saturday we painted clay flower pots and bought flowers at Home Depot to plant in them. It will be interesting to see how long it will be before I kill them. I love flowers and potted plants, but I have not had much luck before in caring for them. The kids had a great time planting their flowers. We also played at the park for little bit and we played wii some too. Laiken has finally learned to bowl. She is so excited to be able to play with us now. Sunday was Dylan's 9th birthday. We celebrated some for him today, but his party will be on the 28th when Trey comes home. We went to the park and played. We went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream cones and so Dylan could pick out his ice cream cake for his party. He picked Chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate icing. WOW! And I am telling you, it looked delicious! I can't wait to eat it! Last, we went to the library. We checked out some books, played computer games, and Jack took a nap. It was a great weekend. I love hanging out with my kids!

LIFE.....

2010-03-07T20:38:00.000-06:00

Wow! It has been a long time since my last post! I am sure everyone is wondering what my excuse is for the lapse in time. The only excuse I have is, LIFE! Trey is still working in Wyoming. I am so blessed and thankful that he has a job in a time when so many are losing theirs. But in the same breath I am SO ready for him to come home. I miss him so much. I know the kids do too. Laiken told me tonight at bedtime that she is really ready for her daddy to come home. All I could say is, "me too, baby, me too". Then I told her he will be here in a few weeks, but she does not know when that will be. A few days ago, I told Jack that his daddy loved him. Jack said, "No Daddy. Daddy, where are you?" When he said "no daddy", he meant that he did not see him. Moments like those are hard. Baseball season is starting tomorrow. Dylan is really excited. I took him and the babies to the batting cages last Thursday. He has not played in two years, but did not seem out of practice at all. He hit much better than most of the other boys there practicing. They made several comments to him about how well he was doing. And the coaches made many comments to me about his natural abilities. Laiken and Jack love to be outside, so they are anxious for the season to start too. Today we went to the Ponchatoula, LA Crafts Fair. First of all let me say....what language do they speak in Ponchatoula?? Just kidding, I believe the majority of locals there were true Cajuns. And a true Cajun is somewhat difficult to understand. But very friendly, I might add. It was a cute little festival. We enjoyed ice-cream twice, pony rides, a train ride, and face painting. I bought a wall plaque that reads "Home is where your Mom is". I hope my children always feel that way about me. I hope they look up to me and love me the way I look up to and love my mother. Next month, Ponchatoula is having a Strawberry Festival. It will be much bigger. I believe it is a state wide fair. Strawberries are the state fruit in Louisiana. We are looking forward to our first Strawberry Festival. I may even enter the kids in a strawberry eating contest! One final word about Jack. He was in time out Saturday for throwing a spoon into the living room, from his booster seat in the dining room. After sitting in time out for 2 min. I asked him if he was ready to get up. (I always ask him if he is ready, then I ask him to apologize to me or to Laiken, whichever one he happened to offend at the time.) So when I said, "Are you ready to be nice and get up?" Jack responds, "yeah, sorry spoon!" Priceless! My sweet little man!!!!! I promise to blog more stories about my little angels at more regular intervals, or at the very least....every Sunday evening.

Zuri

2009-12-06T07:34:00.000-06:00

The Baton Rouge Zoo has a new baby black rhinoceros. They had a contest to let the public pick the names. I took the advice of a zookeeper and researched the origin and languages of the area black rhinoceros is from. Dylan and I picked out a few Swahili names with meanings to fit a baby rhinoceros. He chose the name "Lela" meaning Black Beauty. It was perfect. The zoo thought so too because Dylan was chosen as a top 3 finalist. Over 500 names were submitted and my child was a finalist!!!! It was very exciting. I even think that he understood how important it was. We went to the Santa Safari yesterday for the announcement. It was an outdoor event and about 40 something degrees. It was really cold. They had decorated so nice. The breakfast was delicious, but cold. :) Santa was there to greet the children and take pictures. Not with my two babies. They did not want anything to do with him. They had an animal show with baby alligators, a small owl, and what looked like a chinchilla? There was also an arts and crafts table to make a candy cane reindeer ornament. It was nice. At 9:30 they announced the winner. Dylan was a runner up. The winning name was "Zuri" meaning "beauty". It was a beautiful name and did sound more "African" than ours, maybe that is why the public voted for it. But I though Dylan's name had the perfect meaning for the black rhino. The best part of the day was when we were walking away. Dylan said "Oh well, it was cool anyway". For anyone who knows my son it was a big deal for him to feel that way and to make that statement. It was so grown up and mature. I was so so proud of him for that. I probably told him 5 times how proud I was for that one statement. Part of his prize was a stuffed rhino, so naturally I went to the gift shop to buy one for Jack and Laiken also to commemorate the day for all of us. Leaving the gift shop with our 3 baby rhino's in hand, Laiken said she will name hers Baby Jeano. Dylan said, " I will name mine Lela." (with a big grin on his face.) I said, "I think that is a beautiful name!" It was a great day!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2009-12-06T07:21:00.000-06:00

It seems like so much is happening the last few weeks that I haven't had time to blog. Trey came home Nov. 24th for the Thanksgiving holiday. The kids were so excited to see him at the airport. Laiken was talking to him as she ran and jumped in her arms. I am sure I heard her voice crack. She seemed pretty emotional, but that is my drama queen and daddy's little girl. It was sweet. That week we took Trey and his Mom to IHOP for their birthday's. For some reason (probably happy face pancakes) the kids chose there as the official birthday spot. Debbie and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner. She might have done a little more than me....but I helped alot. It was wonderful and the kids ate well and everyone napped well afterwards. That is always a blessing. Thursday night we joined Trey's cousins for midnight madness at an outlet mall and Black Friday at Wal-Mart. I had never been before and it was wild! I would definitely do it again b/c the deals were outrageous. We saved so much money and finished our shopping list in one night. The rest of the weekend we pretty much just layed around and spent time together. We decorated the tree Saturday, and it only took until Tuesday for Jack to pull it down! Luckily since having 2 small children, our tree is decorated very simple with cheap ornaments. Cleanup was quick. Trey left Sunday morning. It was hard to see him go, but we have been through the longest stretch of time away from him. Now he will be home in 18 days for a Christmas holiday from the 22nd-4th. That will be so nice. The next time he goes back it will be for less than 30 days and he will be home for good. Then we will probably be moving again. Fun! I am ready, but also not.

Stars for good behavior!!!!

2009-11-07T20:39:00.001-06:00

I began a star chart as rewards for good behaviors to encourage more positive behaviors from my children. I also made a list of rules to emphasize the important ones. Laiken receives stars for helping pick up toys, sharing, and handling stressful situations without going bananas. Dylan gets stars for good days at school, not lying, and being helpful. Jack mostly just get sympathy stars. But so far our household seems more positive and less chaotic. Laiken has really responded the most to the star chart. She tries throughout the day to earn stars and often asks what will earn her another star.

This morning I was in the bathroom blow drying my hair. We were getting ready to go to the zoo. Laiken rushed in my room screaming hysterically about Jack, her belly hurting, "everywhere", "too much". And many other random thoughts squished into one. After several minutes she calmed down enough to say, "Jack feed the fish!! Too much is everywhere! It will hurt their bellies!!!!" Word for word. Sure enough, Jack had fed the fish half of the container of goldfish flakes and it was everywhere. Although, sadly, he did manage to get the largest portion in the aquarium. The poor fish were swimming in yellow, murky, food-filled water. It was a terrible sight. Jack just pointed while I cleaned..."bish, bish (fish)!!!!!!!!" I managed to clean the tank this afternoon, but some cloudiness still remains. Laiken's little goldfish died and the big goldfish is swimming sort of lop-sided. I do not expect him to make it through the night. So I guess we will be back at walmart tomorrow. Oh fun!

While I was cleaning the fish tank, Laiken kept complaining she was hungry. I told her it will be supper time very soon, but for right now I had to finish cleaning the tank and put the fish back in. She said, "so you can get a red star?" Yes, exactly. Sometimes Mommy's need a star too.

2009-11-04T20:29:00.000-06:00

Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T14:41:00.001-05:00

WalMart

2009-10-31T14:33:00.000-05:00

This is an additional post for the previous one titled "The most wonderful, terrible weekend". If you read that one...you would know about Jack's involvement in flushing my keys down the toilet at Wal-Mart. I recently went in the Wal-Mart in Slidell, LA. We visited the restroom. We always do. On the way in the door Laiken tells me "Take your keys out of your pocket, Don't lose them." Unbelievable. She really said that word for word. Don't worry, my keys were definitely in my purse this time. We walked into the stall and there it was!!! A little tiny "keep Jack out of trouble" chair. Where was that when we needed it last weekend!!!!!!!!!!

Jack

2009-10-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

Jack is stealing noodles from Laiken's plate. (He knows she isn't going to eat them, she never does.) Jack eating broccoli??? Nope, he was just moving it to Laiken's plate.

2009-10-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

They are so sweet!

The most terrible, wonderful weekend!

2009-10-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

Sit back and get comfortable, this one is going to be long. But every word will be true. No part of this outrageous weekend was embellished for your enjoyment or mine. This past weekend was the Baton Rouge State Fair. Trey's mom, the kids call her Gran Gran, was coming to stay the weekend and go to the fair with us. I got out Friday night for a quick trip to Walmart, before she got there. I had all three kids with me, but the list was not too long, so we should have been in and out. But as I learned this weekend from several people, I am accident prone. Wild, unusual things happen to us. My life is full of "you had to be there" and "you will never believe what just happened to me" stories. I am in a hurry, and down to the end of the list. I am so ready to get home. Laiken has to use the bathroom. She probably doesn't, but has just become used to it because we would visit the bathrooms on the way in every time we came when she was potty training. So I went in with Laiken and Jack. Jack came with us b/c since Trey has been gone, Jack will most often cry when I walk away from him. So we usually use the big stall, for extra room, and this time a little girl ran in front of us. With her in the bigger stall, we chose a smaller one next to it. Jack took his usual position as flusher and Laiken pottied. I went next. Jack is pulling nonstop on the flushing handle and Laiken is trying to open the door and get out. I stood up to keep the door from opening and whipped around to Jack who is about to reach in the toilet with his free hand and one sharp move too many and my keys fell out of my back pocket and swooooooshed!!!!! Down the toilet they went like a flash of lightening! My apartment key, car key, keyless entry, and a large decorative 6 in. key chain ribbon. All disappeared (along with my dignity) in about 1 second flat. I was literally shaking when I called Trey, "Please, please, please, oh god, tell me you didn't take my spare keys with you to Wyoming!!!" He did. One minor/major detail forgotten in the hustle and bustle of him leaving. Trey also said that they are industrial strength commercial toilets designed to be able to flush a whole roll of toilet paper at once. Oh yeah, it went down with no hesitation at all. So I asked for assistance from the customer service counter and was only slightly relieved to learn that the assistant manager had done the same thing recently and his keys were not recovered. They had to rekey all of the locks in WalMart. Ok, well at least I had a two and three year old to help me. I was not alone. I also learned that I was in the only stall in all of Walmart that does not flush automatically when you stand up. You have to pull the handle. So Jack's assistance in nonstop handle pulling played a key role in the flushing of the keys. I called pop a lock to have the doors opened and a key made. They quoted an "estimate" of $250 plus tax. I then called Trey and asked him to go to the post office and send the key to me express mail. Next I called a ride to come and get me. The car stayed in the parking lot all weekend. The key arrived today and I had someone to take me back to my car to pick it up. It cost me nothing, but a small amount of humiliation. I am so proud of myself for not getting mad or letting it ruin my weekend. I was able to laugh and make jokes and not be offended when everyone called me accident prone. I remember telling someone, "I can't help it if everyone else's kids are boring. I will just have more stories to tell my kids when they are grown up." But I can't help but wonder what makes us so accident prone. Despite the drama of Friday night, we still made it to the Baton Rouge State Fair Saturday. We had the most wonderful day together. Me, the kids, and Gran Gran. We all laughed and laughed all day. When we arrived, the petting zoo was the first attraction. We fed baby goats and sheep. And we sat on a bull to have our picture taken, minus Gran Gran. You can tell by everyone's expressions in the picture below, that this was not that great of an idea. The babies were fine until the head moved. Jack went nuts! I think he scared Laiken because she was ok until this point. Next we ate fair food. I had alligator on a stick. (just tasted like greasy chicken). The babies had ribbon fries and a funnel cake. Gran Gran had an enormous sausage dog with onion and peppers. Mmmm, it was so so good. We rode the carousal next because it was first and also Laiken's favorite ride. Right before it started she told me she loved me and kissed me. Then she said she loved the fair, she was having "much fun". It was a precious moment. We played games and rode the rides until 8:00 that night. Gran Gran rode the bumper cars and the big swings. Later on the ferris wheel alone with Dylan he told me that Gran Gran closed her eyes on the swings and he asked her what she was doing. He told me that she said she is praying. He said she must not have felt good. I laughed so hard. She didn't want to ride any rides, but later she said she was glad she did. It was fun and special to have shared that with him. On the way out of the fair we won 3 goldfish. Jack points and says "bish! bish! I see bish!" We were about to leave and I saw the cotton candy vendors. You cannot go to the fair and not have cotton candy. So I bought two. It was one of the most enjoyable days we have ever had. Fair admission...$45, Fair food...$40, Games and attractions...$50, Goldfish...$15, The memories I made that day with my children...priceless!

2009-10-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one enjoying this?? Whose idea was this anyway? Not Jack's, that is for sure!

2009-10-26T20:47:00.000-05:00

Squint your eyes and look really close...Yes, that is Dylan AND Gran Gran (Trey's mom)! How did she get suckered into bumper cars?? I thought she was just going to stand in line. Grandmother's will do just about anything for the Grandkids!

2009-10-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

Say cheese!

2009-10-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

Dylan climbed all the way to the top of the rock climbing wall. And very quickly, I might add. Impressive!

2009-10-26T20:21:00.000-05:00

Cotton Candy was our final purchase of the night!

Oct 17th...Annie's Birthday Party

2009-10-26T09:20:00.000-05:00

October 17th Our good friend Jennifer, here in Denham Springs, was throwing a birthday party for her oldest daughter Annie. They have only lived here a short time and wanted to have her party in Monroe, where they used to live. So we went to north LA to celebrate with them. Dylan was out of school on Friday and decided to go to his Mom's Thursday night so he could spend an extra day with them. Highlights from that weekend are my speeding ticket and the party. The speeding ticket was for 59 in a 45. But in my defense it was a highway where the speed changes constantly from 65 to 55 to 45 to 55 to 65....and so on forever. Well, I just missed the last change from 55 to 45, but I should have known it was 45 through town. The only problem with that is I didn't notice the town. He said, "You were going 59 in a 45." I said, "It's 45 here!?" He said, "No, in town it is 45." Oh, what town. I didn't see a town. That is what I thought. I was careful what I said. I was hoping for a warning. No such luck. But I was lucky that I did not get a ticket for my illegal tint, and he is going to change my ticket to a non moving violation when he submits it to the state so it will not be on my record or change my insurance. Sounds shady right? Well I asked around, and apparently they can do that in the great state of Louisiana. Annie's party was awesome. It was a Halloween theme. Jennifer really went all out! (Between Lil's party for Abigail and this one...mine are looking kinda boring...we need to step it up in 2010! lol) She had a costume contest, in which Laiken won prettiest and Jack won spookiest. Laiken was a ballerina and Jack was a triceratops. There was a bean bag toss and a dart game. She even had bobbing for apples. The stems were left on because the "bobbers" were mostly small children. Laiken and Jack both got apples. It was so cute to see them come up with apples dangling from their mouths. She had a pinata for the last game. It only took a few whacks by the little boys and candy covered the ground. Annie was so cute opening her presents. She was so happy and excited about each and every present. It a great day for everyone.

Oct 10th...Good Friends, Good Times

2009-10-26T08:42:00.000-05:00

I am 3 weeks behind on my blog. I have been so busy. I have not had time to update. So I will attempt to catch up today. The weekend of October 10th I went home to Southaven. Highlights of the Weekend included meeting up with my best girlfriends from high school and Miss Abigail's (Lil's youngest) first birthday party. With Trey being gone, we were really starting to feel the stress. This trip home was the best one I have had in years. I was so happy and it was such a good change of scenery for us. All of my kids were thrilled. Even though they may not see my family as much as I would like them to, they love them dearly. Friday night I had arranged a little reunion with my two very best friends from school, Kate and Hillary. As soon as we sat together at Outback, it was like old times. We started with what everyone is doing now and stories about how we all met our husbands and what our jobs and lives are like now. We spent most of the night remembering all the crazy things we did together in high school. The good, the bad, and the outrageous! I haven't laughed like that in years. I loved every minute of it. I enjoyed being with them again. We were all mad at ourselves for not keeping in touch over the years and made promises to get together every time I come in town from now on. Saturday I stayed up late with Lisa icing birthday cakes, as usual. I say as usual because everytime I visit it seems that we are up late icing cakes. Well, first let me clarify here, Lisa iced the cakes. This is the first time she offered to let me help. She was going to let me do one by myself. I practiced on a paper plate to show her how I would do on the actual cake. After a few minutes she showed me a second time how to do it...then a third ....then a fourth...then she politely said that she would do it. I laughed, and agreed. She is much better and faster. If I would have helped, not only would it have taken longer, but we would have spent half of the night correcting my mistakes. So I helped in other ways, as I have done in the past. She does the icing, and I assist (clean up, get things for her....small jobs). Sunday afternoon Lil hosted Abigail's birthday party. It was really cute. Laiken loved the princess theme. And Jack loved the cake. We know he did because he climbed on the table and helped himself to a taste while we were playing games. The kids played pin the crown on the princess and busted a pinata full of candy. They had a blast! We had an amazing weekend!

flu shots!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-03T23:22:00.000-05:00

Today was Flu Fair at our doctor's office. Fair? Are they serious? So I unloaded all 3 kids out of the car, and had to carry an overly dramatic Laiken in (she overheard that we were there for shots!). I was met at the door with clipboards full of paperwork. And greeted at the next door by another nurse and coordinators giving directions. Laiken is just before crying the whole time. And just in case she was not completely sure if we were there for shots...They were giving them in mass quantities to adults in the lobby. They were really having a fair! Booths set up everywhere with all the necessary supplies right out on the table! It was very efficient and set up well. So well, for anyone who knows me at all, by breathing got shallow and it was hard to swallow. I have a phobia of needles. Since having been pregnant twice, I am making progress in that area of my life. I no longer cry and hyperventilate at the sight of needles anymore. Just gets hard to breathe. I know. Big Baby. So I hand the nurse at the pediatric booth our paperwork. She said "mama first". Oh that was unexpected..getting hard to take a breath in...So I sat down and put on my brave face. And managed to hold it together for the kids. I know, I know. So then she says, we do kids in the back. Of course you do, you wouldn't want any small children, elderly, or weak at heart to see the ginormous fit Laiken is about to throw. So the nurse takes us to a table just behind the door. Who's first? I picked Dylan so that MAYBE Laiken would see him not cry and gain an ounce of bravery. NOPE...I picked her up kicking and screaming! The doctor, the nurse, and myself had to physically restrain her. She screamed and screamed. I couldn't even assist with Jack for his turn or comfort him afterwards, b/c Laiken is still screaming. He only cried for a few seconds and the nurse strapped him back in the stroller. I asked the doctor if maybe Laiken could have a sucker, over her screams of course. She stopped just long enough to pick out the sucker, and to eat it on the way to the car and in the car. When the sucker was gone, she grabbed her leg and screamed again. We went to have the car washed, thinking that might cheer her up. She screamed the whole time. We got out for them to vacuum and wipe down the inside and she still screamed. Finally about an hour after the shot she quit screaming. She just whined and held her leg. She limped and whined for a few more hours. Finally, sometime after lunch, she recovered. My only question is....WHO is going to take her to get her 2 swine flu shots in November?! Any volunteers????

new words and phrases

2009-09-23T21:12:00.000-05:00

Jack is starting to say so many new things. We were at the playground at Chik-fil-a and he asked "where the shoes go". Just this week he started saying "I hungry" and "I thirsty". Amazing. Funny to me that those two phrases followed "I Mad" which he has been saying for weeks! He also says "I did it" and "I get it", which I love. I want my kids to be super independent. I hope I am doing a good job to give that gift to them. He also tells others to "sit down", usually at the table when it is time to eat. I am so proud of my little Jack. He is growing up so fast. Laiken has a few new phrases too, but they include words like "freakin" and "this is your last warning" and of course " are you listening to me". She is such a sweet little girl. I need to watch how I talk to her, she will tell on me. Well, at least she does not use fowl language. (although I was really embarrassed when she said freakin) Jack's newest obsession is hot wheels cars. He carries around 3 or 4 at all times. He sleeps with them and takes them everywhere we go. It is really cute. Laiken got a new pack of big girl panties on Saturday. She has been carrying them around ever since. I convinced her to please put them in her drawer. The next thing I know she is looking a little thick in the hip area. Oh yes, she put on every pair, thinking that was better than carrying them all around. She is relentless. When it comes to clothes, pajamas, panties, and dress up dresses, I just have to choose my battles carefully. Mostly I just let it go, so she changes 5 or 6 times a day. Oh well, it could be worse!

growing up way too fast!

2009-09-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

Jack sleeps in a playpen, instead of his toddler bed...(see previous post Thurs, July 16th "I WIN"). Well, score is Mama 1-Jack 1. Tonight, he got out! Yep, he climbed right out. What will keep him in the bed now? Don't ask me, I am wondering that myself!

Laiken surprised me in Wal-Mart tonight. As we were walking around, she is telling me that she is thirsty and wants a drink. I told her we will go to sonic next (only b/c I wanted a big fountain coke). She said "No, I want it here. I know the lady has some." I said, "What lady?" She said, "The lady at the pretzel place has lemonades!" Man, she remembered a few months ago when we were waiting for a prescription, I took her and Jack over to the Auntie Ann's in the front Wal-Mart and got them a lemonade to share. She is so smart. And starting to remember everything and everywhere we go!

I love my babies!!!

I think I need a babysitter while I am cooking supper.

2009-09-10T20:38:00.000-05:00

And just in case you are wondering...I cleaned the bathroom (including scrubbing that toilet) just hours earlier. Luck? I think so. And yes, that is toilet water and toilet paper all over the wall, the floor, my child, and a trail from the bathroom to the kitchen, where he ran, to show me the fun he was having. His expression in the picture, probably is similar to the one on my face as well....

everyday fun!!

2009-09-08T21:39:00.001-05:00

Jack has a new phrase "ah stuck!" He is a smart cookie too, b/c he uses his new phrase in the booster seat, car seat, and stroller. He is not so much stuck, as he is strapped in! But it is still adorable when he screams it. Yesterday walking into Sam's, Laiken was calling my name "mama, mama, mama". The greeter/card checker lady at the door was a grungy looking old lady that was mocking her "mama, mama, mama" and said "that's my mama" as we walked by. My little Laiken, bless her little heart, frowned at the lady. And like a grown up, she waited until we passed the woman...and with a disgusted look she said to me (with the proper amount of attitude and some snobbiness) "we do NOT need her help!" How dare that lady talk to us... the nerve! Haha it was priceless! She is definitely going to be a handful. Probably my fault, I remember saying to Lisa and Mama in my living room a few months ago, "Princesses don't get spankings!" Which Laiken repeated with the same attitude, as if on cue. Mama said I will eat those words one day. Probably so. Tonight was our second soccer game. Dylan did an amazing job! He is definitely the best on our team. The last game he had a problem with getting hurt alot. He was carried off the field in a crumpled mess about 6 times. Before tonight's game, Daddy gave him a little pep talk. He explained the difference between hurt and an injury. And just to be sure he understood...Trey told him that if he was carried off the field for no reason, that we would go home. It worked b/c Dylan was so tough tonight. It really let people see what an amazing athlete he can be when there is no distracting drama. He even seemed to enjoy it more! He was knocked down by one kid and halfway stepped on by another and still jumped up and went after the ball. It was so much fun tonight. During the game, Laiken and Jack were bribed with suckers to stay still. Jack remained "ah stuck" in the stroller for most of the game. Finally, the last ten minutes I let him out. And he seized the first opportunity he had to run on the field during the game while I wasn't looking. Good thing some lady was watching and saved him from being trampled, just as I noticed he was missing. And right after that Laiken and Jack were playing on the next field, which was empty, in the goal. Harmless I thought. So I was watching Dylan play again. Laiken got tangled in the net and was rescued by a lady who was jogging on a track around the fields. So I definitely was not looking to get a mom award tonight. Nothing like both your kids being rescued by total strangers to remind you not to take your eyes off of them, not even for a second!

I love my computer!!

2009-08-22T22:01:00.000-05:00

They say you never know how much you need something until it is gone. That is the absolute truth. My computer hard drive crashed, and I was forced to live a long, long week without it! How did people ever get along without them??? How did I ever get so addicted to it??? lol. School has started again. Wow, almost forgot how much I hate homework and how difficult an hour can be! Soccer also started. The coach said Dylan is an outstanding soccer player even though he has never played before. He is a natural athlete. He would be outstanding if his heart equalled his ability. On somedays it does, maybe soon it will every practice and game. Maybe. He has so many wonderful opportunities available to him, I wish he could see them too. Jack sees his...He sees no fences and nothing to stop him from running free. Practice for me consists of chasing Jack. I did not realize he has never been in a wide open space with no boundaries. Usually there is a park or playground or something to keep his attention. Not anything like multiple soccer fields. He just laughs and runs away as far as he can. I always call to him (and pray) he will come back, but he doesn't. He doesn't even look back. Maybe I should request the doctor to check his hearing next time we go in... maybe he does not hear me....nah, he always comes to me, no matter where he is, if I say eat or tea! He probably can hear me. Laiken loves practice, but she just loves being outside no matter what we are doing. Except for the bugs. She lets out blood curdling screams if she thinks one might get on her. She doesn't like any type of bug. I could not even get her to hold a ladybug today. Trey leaves for Wyoming on Sunday. I have really enjoyed being here with him. I know we made the right decision by moving here. I am only afraid that we are so used to seeing him and hugging and kissing him everyday, that this will be a really hard, really long 3 months. Maybe it will pass quickly if we are busy enough.

new firsts...

2009-07-30T10:54:00.000-05:00

Sometime late last week Jack decided to start talking. He already had a pretty descent list of words...no, nonono, stop, don't, daddy, mama, Dylan, Laiken, Tucker, Kitty, thank you, luv you, nite nite, go go go, bye bye, hello, and maybe a few others I am forgetting. But last week he just started with sentences and phrases, and can repeat anything we say! Laiken was watching Dora and Jack said "where are we goin?" For those who don't have the pleasure of watching Dora, they sing a song about where she is going. "clap, clap, clap, Where are we going? Mermaid Kingdom!" Another day I told him Swiper no swiping (also from Dora) and he said "Aww man!" And all week long he has been singing "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you!" over and over and over and over. Maybe if I give him a cupcake he will sing something else. LOL. But it has been really cute that he has gone from one word speech to sentences, phrases, and songs over night! I guess he is officially a toddler now. Oh how sad that makes me. We have no more babies in the house. Laiken is growing so fast, soon she will no longer be a toddler. Maybe she is not a toddler already, I just am not ready to admit it. She has started to tell stories. Her stories are long and drawn out and full of detail. And they are very interesting if you can follow them. Her memory is outstanding as well. Dylan went to a birthday party for a friend last Saturday, so I took Leigh, Blayne, and Laiken to Baskin Robbins (Jack was napping). After that we went to Wal-Mart. We were gone for about 2 1/2 hours. When we got back, Trey asked Laiken what kind of ice-cream she had. Not only did she name what color ice-cream she had, but she named the color of each of ours too!! I was shocked. I should know her memory is that good, because she always repeats what I say. I am learning to watch my mouth and not to say anything I wouldn't want her to say. LOL. She is way too smart!

UNO!

2009-07-29T22:44:00.000-05:00

Leigh and Blayne have been staying with us the past two weeks. We have had a really good time together! The most fun has been swimming. Normally when we go, I play with the babies or chat with other mom's, but with Blayne and Leigh we play games. We play catagories and do relay races. It has been a blast! Leigh also brought her Wii, which makes me feel old because I am not very good at it! lol. We all play bowling together and take turns playing tennis. Thanks to Leigh, that will probably be the Walker family's next big investment. Tonight we played UNO. Blayne won twice, Dylan twice, me once, and Leigh won once. On the last game she made me draw about 50 cards. Everytime it was her turn she was throwing down draw 2 or draw 4. At least when Dylan and Blayne did it to me they were saying sorry, but not LeeBee, she was just throwing them down. lol. She showed no mercy. It has been so crazy and out of routine here that I am excited about this weekend, but at the same time I am sad for them to go. Our apartment will be so quiet and so empty! We will be lost without our BlayneBlayne and our LeeBee! Poor Dylan, he will probably miss them the most!

I WIN!!!

2009-07-16T08:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, last night in Jack's room a battle line was drawn! It was a long time coming and had been previously predicted by Mama. She said "You know how he is...you better not put him in a toddler bed until the last minute b/c he will never stay in it!" And once again for all the world to know...She was right. It started off slowly. He would get up about 15 times after being put to bed. But I have watched super nanny, so I would go in and without a word, put him back to bed. 15 turned into 20, then thirty, then me begging, then before long he was being tucked in endlessly for over an hour. There is not much patience for that. Earlier this week, he started something new. He gets out of bed, then gets under the bed!!! When I come in and say "Jack, night-night" He just lays super still and I guess thinks I can't see him?? Last night he would get under the bed every single time I tucked him in! He refused to stay in the bed. I was tired and this game had to come to an end. I walked away from him, went into my room, and got the play pen! Yes sir, he WILL stay in the bed now. I am bigger, smarter, and have more resources than him. I will win! (not every time I am sure, but this was a big victory for me!) He can sleep in a toddler bed when he starts potty training!

Happy Birthday to Laiken!!!!

2009-07-07T06:49:00.000-05:00

Laiken turned 3 years old yesterday. Despite having just recovered from a stomach virus, which she shared so nicely with Jack, her party was a success. I had so much trouble planning Laiken's party this year because Trey was back and forth about the possiblity of leaving to work out of town. Once that was settled, he was unsure if they would be working 7 days a week or staying at 6. Finally, I decided to just have her party on her birthday, at night, so he would be there for sure. Everything was planned. Mimi, Kristin, and Kynnedi were coming. Lisa, Jason, Blayne, and Savana were coming. We were so excited! Then late Thursday....the stomach virus reared its ugly head in our door. All plans changed again, all out of town guests were forced to cancel. She was doing better by Sunday, so we decided to not let her b-day pass with no celebration, and go on with the party. The only guests who came were our downstairs neighbors (Jennifer, Brad, Annie, and Zoe). I told them that Jack was feeling poor and had the virus. Jennifer felt it would be ok because they had already spent the first two days of Laiken being sick playing with us and in our house before we realized she had the virus. They were already exposed so why not come over for cake? It was a wonderful party! Only lasting about an hour, the kids played, opened presents, and ate cake/ice cream. Laiken, in her three years of life, has often surprised me. She surprised me the day she arrived 6 weeks early. And in the NICU, where she was so strong and was out so quickly. She surprised me by showing me how easy it was to be her mother, when I was so scared to have a new baby and was not sure I would know what to do. I am delighted and surprised everytime she does or says something new. She has learned to count on her fingers. She is so proud of herself when she holds up her fingers and says " I am two, but in a few days I will be 3". Well now she can say she is 3! Last night she surprised me too with her manners and her gratitude. She opened each present and looked at it and was happy. She took her time with each one. She waited patiently while I read cards. She moved from presents to cake with no fits or protests (just a little coaxing). For anyone who has seen my kids eat cake...you are not wondering why I did gifts, then cake! At the end of her party, she hugged all of her guests and told them bye and thank you. I was so proud of her. It was not her usual shy, quiet thank you, but a loud and sincere one. She is growing up so fast! One day we will turn around and they will all be grown up! These are the days we will want back!!!!

"I'm so mad at you!"

2009-07-01T09:05:00.000-05:00

Laiken picked her cup off the table. It was almost empty. (what she didn't know was that I had just taken the cup from Jack, who was drinking it while she was using the potty.) She noticed her half full cup was almost empty. In her sweetest voice, she told me, "Jack shared my cup, but it's not all gone." Then she drank the rest of it. I guess it wasn't enough to satisfy her thirst because she turned to Jack and said, "Did you drink my cup? JACK! Look at me!! Why did you drink my cup?? It is all gone and I am so mad at you!!" Jack seemed completely unaware of the entire situation. It was priceless!

I love my kids!!

2009-06-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

As I wrestled bubbles away from Jack, he threw his body back and arched his back; all while screaming his head off. I kept my cool. When he quit screaming I asked him if I could trade him in for a new baby. He said "nome". Which means "no m'am". Laiken threw her arms up and said "we can't get anymore new babies, anymore!" LOL They are both right. Mama doesn' t really want a new Jack. And definitely no new babies.

thankful!

2009-06-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

Last weekend a building in our complex caught on fire. No one was hurt but the building and the personal property of 12 families was lost. It is a reminder of how precious each day is. We are blessed with each day. It is so easy with three children to take things for granted, and to "just make it" through some days. I am blessed to be able to spend each day with my children. And we are so fortunate to have the things we have. I am trying hard to remember that every day now.

The picture you don't get to see.....

2009-06-13T22:30:00.001-05:00

This is Laiken at the pool. Leigh and Dylan are swimming in the pool. Jack is walking around. He is flirting with all the ladies at the pool. He wanders from one to the other laying out in their lawn chairs, letting them hold him in the pool, talking to other kids, and sometimes grabbing abandoned pool toys and throwing them in. He is being reasonably good and has made a few buddies, I thought I would seize the moment and lay out. After laying out a bit, I got brave and untied my top (to get rid of that pesky tanline around the neck). Jack wanders over to me and picks up my keys. I am watching him. He just walks around my chair "fixing things", playing with the keys. (bear in mind my keyring holds the keyless entry to my car and the apartment complex gate remote, which you are told at the time of sign in that a replacement is $75 dollars.) I am sure everyone can see where this story is going....The picture you don't get to see is the one where Jack is standing at the end of my lawn chair with me laying and my top still untied...He turns around and takes off for the water...fully intending on throwing my keys in the pool like all the abandoned toys he threw in all afternoon! I grab my top, press it to my chest to keep everything in or at least covered, catch him and wrestle him to the ground for my keys. I win. Back to the chair to tie my top. I scanned the pool to see how many spectators we attracted.... two of his new female buddies were giggling and one said, "that was so funny". Yes, Yes it was thank- you.

All good things must end....

2009-06-13T21:26:00.000-05:00

Leigh spent the past two weeks with us on "vacation". Mom and Dad came the last weekend of May to visit and leave Leigh to stay with us. We had a great time visiting with them. When it came time for them to leave, I got the feeling Leigh was not sure about staying. She made several comments about how loud we are. She is just not used to being around so many kids for such a long period of time. I promised her we are not always that loud. She always had fun with the babies, but always seemed relieved at nap times and bedtimes. She spent alot of time bonding with Dylan. They played playstation and watched movies together. Later in the second week she commented on how Dylan was attached to her hip. LOL I'm sure mama can relate to that comment.The first week was cloudy the first few days, so we stayed indoors and rested. One evening, after Trey came home, me and Leigh went to see a movie. Leigh chose Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. It was such a funny movie. I can't remember the last time I went with her to see a movie. It was a much needed bonding time for us. We spent the rest of the week at the pool. That weekend Lil, Sean, Hayden, and Abigail came to visit. We all went to the pool on Friday. Hayden and Laiken had so much fun swimming together. That night we ate a Japanese buffet restaurant. It was amazing. We all tried so many things we have never eaten before. I tried octopus salad and fried squid. I even fed the fried squid to Laiken and Jack. They loved it. Dylan and Leigh wouldn't try anything new, they were no fun. And I apologize to Sean, but that man can EAT! He ate about ten sushi plates. He ate and ate and ate. I don't know where he even put it all. It was like something you see on tv. Too funny. But he got Trey to try sushi! That was just amazing. He has always told me he would never, never eat raw fish. I'm proud he has become so open minded. The next day Lil and her family went to New Orleans to sight see, and we went back to the pool. They went home on Sunday. It was a short, but really nice visit. Its hard to believe how fast the babies grow. Leigh wanted to go to the pool as much as she could while she was here. We planned to go the entire last week she was staying. Unfortunately, we ended up confined indoors with Jack having a virus (fever and terrible rash), and my eye being cut (something got in and scratched it, which led to a $50 after hours visit, $35 dollar eye cream, swelling, oozing, pain, frustrated crying, all kinds of other unpleasantness). Wednesday, we were back at the pool. Leigh was happy again. That night, for supper I made chicken quesadillas and earned the "Favorite Sister Award" I was very pleased to accept it. I was trying hard to make sure she was having a good time. I was glad to know she is happy and comfortable here with me and my loud family. Sadly, though, all good things must come to an end....today she went home. I think she was ready to go, but was already talking about when she is coming back. We met mom halfway at a rest stop just outside of Jackson. I could tell Leigh was happy to see her when mama got out of the car. It was a sweet moment. Tuesday is Leigh's 33rd bday. Since we are not going to be in Southaven to celebrate with her, I wanted to do something special before she left. So I brought a chocolate cake with a big green 33 written on it, to our park picnic. We had sandwiches and chips, sang happy birthday to Leigh, and had cake. It was so nice. We packed up our stuff and they drove off and I started buckling babies in. I had to scream out to mom to come back, I forgot to give her Leigh's insurance card. She came back, then left again. I cranked the car, the radio starts to play the new Hannah Montana cd Leigh bought at Walmart Friday. I called mama and asked her to wait at next exit. I drove up, parked behind her, got out with cd in hand. As I gave it to her, I asked Leigh if I was still the favorite sister?? I took care of her, while she was here and even as she was leaving. We had a really good time together. It was a terrific two weeks.

Way Too Sweet!!!

2009-05-07T22:17:00.000-05:00

We swam this morning and took afternoon naps. When Dylan got out of school, we went back to the pool. Needless to say, the babies were sleepy. I turned on Care Bears for them to watch on our computer in the bedroom, put the babies on the bed, and helped Trey make supper. (oh yeah, I said "help Trey make supper") How awesome is that? He grilled for supper and it was awesome! Anyways, back to the babies I left on my bed. I came in to check on them because it was so quiet. Quiet in my house means something very bad is happening. I was so surprised to see them snuggled up together watching the movie. Moments like these are few and far between and definitely priceless. The next time I came to check they were wrestling and Laiken ended up shoving Jack off the bed.

summertime!

2009-05-05T15:49:00.001-05:00

The pool is open and we have been swimming almost everyday since last thurs. It is awesome! I love it. The pool is perfect for Laiken and Jack. It has 4 half circles, one on each side, that are only a foot and 1/2 deep and wide enough that each little half circle is like a baby pool. They are probably there as a step to access the pool from every side, but they look like little baby pools to me, and work perfectly. We walk to and from the pool. It is great, we get a little exercise and a little sun every day. We are already starting to get dark. Unfortunately, standing in the pool most of the time we are there, and the walk there and back are all factors contributing to having a flip flop tan line again. I swore I wouldn't have one this year but seems unavoidable. Besides, it was still there a little from last year. Hard to get rid of. On one of our recent walks back from the pool Laiken picked up an earthworm and carried it all the way back to the apartment. She put it on all kinds of stuff on the way back and set it down and picked it up repeatedly. She even got upset once because she "broke" its head off. Lol. By the time we got home, he was limp and no longer moving. I convinced her he was sleeping and to leave him in the grass. Gross!

Fun in the Sun!

2009-05-03T20:39:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we went to Greene Co. to visit Mimi and Paw Paw Colly (Ryan and Jody). They are our adopted Grandparents, Trey's aunt and uncle. They are very close to the kids. It was the first time we have been to see them since we moved to Louisiana. It was such a treat for the babies, because they got to stay outside all weekend. They wore barely any clothes the whole time and stayed so dirty. They loved it, I know. Kynnedi had a baby pool for them to swim in. We had not brought swim suits, so Laiken swam in her panties. Not too bad, but daddy was not pleased that Jack borrowed a pair of Kynnedi's potty training panties with pink lollipops and pink cup cakes on them. They were so cute on him. He looked so sweet. Mimi and Paw Paw Colly have goats too. The babies really enjoyed feeding the goats. It has been awhile since Laiken had seen them. She loves Mimi's goats. On Saturday night Trey made Crawfish and Shrimp Fettachini. It was a big hit. They were skeptical at first but once plates were being made, they were all really impressed with him. It was nice to cook for them for a change. We all had a really good weekend. We will be going back in June for Kynnedi's 2nd birthday. My, how they grow up so fast!

5 min....

2009-05-01T10:28:00.001-05:00

Apparently, 5 min is all it takes to make a mess!!

2009-04-30T22:31:00.000-05:00

The Princess!

2009-04-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

My Little Man

2009-04-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

face painting at Baton Rouge Zoo

2009-04-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

Laiken made lunch! I wish Jack could stay this clean when he eats real food!

it's official!!!

2009-04-30T21:53:00.000-05:00

It's official! Jack is going to be a linebacker! He is 25 lbs of mean. He has learned to tackle. Laiken is learning not to turn her back on "little" brother. Today when she was not looking he came up from behind and tackled her to the ground. He does it like a baby who has seen one too many UFC fight nights. He doesn't just push or grab at the waste, he scoops the arm around the neck in the middle of a charging run and pulls her to the ground. Vicious. She thinks it is funny. Ha! Wait just a little and he will be bigger than her and she will not think it is so funny then.... Jack has also learned to climb on the the dining room table. So scary. He loves it. I hate it. I called Mama tonight to get the blog addresses for Mrs. Baker's girls. I got to see Mrs. Baker and Jennifer a few months ago at Mama's house. I was so glad to have been fortunate to be in town when they came by. I know the last time I saw them was at Horseshoe Lake, but I cannot remember when that was. It brings back so many memories. Lisa and Lil and I reminisced awhile about what we could remember. Lil did not remember as much as we did, and I didn't as much as Lisa did. But we all remembered the swimming pool and playing Nintendo, and the big horse outside (although I think Lil did not remember the horse). And how the front of the house was shaped, it always reminded me of a castle. We did not keep in touch over the years, so it was really neat to see what everyone is up to. And to see Jody and Emily's babies. Porter and Graham are so so cute. I would like to say to Jody, if I can, at Jack's six month checkup the doctor's called him "busy" too, and laughed and told me I'm going to have my hands full. Jack is 16 months old now, and he is more than a hand full. Mama can barely talk about him without laughing. The boy is relentless to say the least. He is only interested in things he shouldn't have or things that make loud noises. Tonight, right before tucking my "little angel" into bed, I had to unassemble the fan and retrieve the 10 plastic play forks and knives he shoved into it. He is so "busy", you literally cannot take your eyes off of him for a second. "Busy", hmm that was a nice way to put it. :) Well, for anyone who doesn't know.... Laiken is officially potty trained! She has not had even one accident (aside from night time) in one week and two days. God Bless her cause I was not sure we were both gonna make it out of this one. Good for Lil and Hayden and their 3 day potty training. It only took me and Laiken one month! Shouldn't I get some kind of award or something???

"I'm not going home, I stay with Lisa"

2009-04-13T20:34:00.000-05:00

This weekend was amazing! I had such a good time visiting with the family in Hernando. I know Laiken and Jack loved it. Laiken repeatedly said, "I'm not going home, I stay with Lisa." It was still a busy weekend, even though we tried not to plan too much. I am so glad Lisa and Lil thought to have an Easter Egg hunt, even if it was last minute. I think all the kids enjoyed it. The hit of the whole weekend was the blow up bouncer Lisa had in her backyard. It is a mini version of the big one's you rent for birthday parties. That's probably one reason the kids love Aunt Lisa so much. LOL Just kidding. It was so good to see everyone. I love that every time I see Brandon, I remember how hilariously funny he is. Friday night was definitely a good night. We met Mama, Leigh, and Aunt Terry at Cracker Barrel for supper. It was so much fun. The babies were well behaved, but cutting up as usual. Jack was dipping his chicken in any and everything that would sit still, from cocktail sauce to tarter sauce. So to help, we squirted ketchup on his plate, but he put down the chicken and just ate the ketchup plain. Gross. He sat in between Mama and Aunt Terry. Big mistake. Mama had to keep an arm between him and her plate to keep him from "sharing" . He tried to feed her some of his half chewed chicken. And by the time we were ready to leave, she was wearing ketchup, cocktail sauce and mostly vanilla ice cream. By the end of the meal we were out of baby wipes. Laiken has learned to eat without making a total mess, but Jack seems hopeless. I really enjoy when we are able to all get together. The kids are growing up so fast! One day we'll all turn around and they will all be grown. How sad! Trey went to Greene co. this weekend to see Ryan. Ryan has been in South Carolina for a few weeks working. They went fishing for white perch, and did fairly well, I think. I saw a few pictures of some pretty big fish. Aunt Jody said he was not allowed to come again without the babies. He won't, because we are all going in a few weeks. Dylan went to his mom's. He wanted to stay with her for spring break.

2009-04-06T09:14:00.000-05:00

Geaux Tigers!!!!! Love ya Brian!

Too much fun!!

2009-04-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend! Friday Trey was off work and we had a few errands to run. We went to lunch at Sizzlin Wings. He ordered 10 boneless buffalo wings. If he finished all the chicken and a large order of fries and a large coke he would get his name on a board by the front register. I dared him to do it, so he did. It was alot of food. The "wings" weren't really wings, they were regular sized chicken strips, not wimpy ones, that were cooked in buffalo sauce. He struggled toward the end and was looking like he would burst but I cheered him on and he did it! funny thing to be proud of, but I was. The whole family eats there from time to time and Briana told Trey "good job, make the family proud". That also opened a challenge to some others in the family who attempted but failed to finish. lol Trey is the reigning Wing King! Friday night we were invited to Briana's to eat crawfish with the family. It was awesome. Normally when we are over there I have to walk around and follow Jack. They don't have any babies, the youngest is 3. So the house is not completely baby proofed and Jack is more curious than the average 1 yr old, so with that combination, I have to keep a close eye on him. The kids play in and out alot, so as they are coming and going from delaynie's room to the front yard Jack attempts to follow them but he is too slow and would end up wandering alone outside. But this time was different, we were all outside and I was able to enjoy hanging out with the grown ups and keep and eye on Jack all at the same time. It was alot more fun that way! lol Kip, Briana's husband, made the crawfish along with the usual potatoes, corn, garlic and mushrooms. It was so so so good. He cooked two huge bags and it did not take long at all for everyone to eat all of them. Everyone ate until they moaned with full bellies. Trey swears he fed Laiken about thirty crawfish, and I don't know how many I gave her. She loves them and spicy foods don't bother her. Jack did not eat any, he wasn't sure about the texture of them. I can't wait for Kip's birthday this month, they always have a crawfish boil for his birthday. Saturday Trey worked on an electrical problem for Mrs. Becky, she is a friend of the family and head nurse at our new pediatrician's office. I told Trey not to worry if she didn't pay him much, she will repay me with friend perks at the doctor's office, which I know all of you know the value of that! And Sunday we went to the zoo. (Of course! ) We love going, it never gets old. We got snowcones and Trey insisted we keep walking instead of sitting to enjoy them. Laiken ended up wearing more of hers than she ate. But luckily since she is potty training, I had a change of clothes. Thank goodness the only accident she had that day was the snowcone one or we would have been SOL. Right after the snowcones came the giraffes, this time they were eating hay far away from the people, and you may not believe me, but I swear it is the truth... Trey grabbed a small branch from a bush and called a giraffe over to him and fed it the branch! It was awesome. A few more people came over and started to feed the giraffe too, and a zookeeper saw them and stopped them. It was funny. I have seen people feeding the animals on SEVERAL occasions, so I was not entirely surprised the giraffe came to him. But it was still pretty cool. They were having a special event at the zoo, Zippity Zoo Days. There were alot of extra things to do like face painting, large inflatables to jump on or slide, several information booths giving free stuff away. It was really fun. I know the kids enjoyed it. It was a busy weekend, but it was alot of fun.

A new start

2009-03-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

We have started a new chapter in the Walker Family, one that I never thought would happen. We have moved to Denham Springs, LA. And most importantly, we are with Trey every night. It sounds funny to say, but I am so glad to see him every day again, being apart was difficult. We just celebrated our 4th anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 4 years. Life can pass by so fast. Everyone has adjusted really well to the move. Dylan has made a ton of friends, at school and at the apartments. He was at his mom's this weekend and 3 little boys knocked on our door all weekend wanting him to come out. Laiken and Jack had trouble sleeping the first week, but they seem fine now. We are just about in a routine. I babysit Trey's cousin's little girl, Delaynie. She is 3 years old. She comes on tues, wed and thurs. They are like peas in a pod. They both love to dress up and play with barbie dolls. They share many of the same interests. They even look alike a little. It is so much fun to watch them together. I really like it here. Trey says our move could be permanent. I don't think I would mind that. I like the convenience of being back in the city again. It is so nice to be able to "run" to walmart and not be gone all day. And I am so happy about high speed internet, only dial up was available in Sandhill. We have even been watching movies on our computer through netflix. I am so excited about the pool here too. I know the kids will be too when we get to start swimming. The apartments also have a nice sized fishing lake. Trey has already taken the kids several times and Laiken loves to fish! And as everyone knows, I have to mention the Zoo. Laiken and Jack love going to the zoo. We have already been twice. It is really nice, compared to the smaller zoo of Hattiesburg. The first time we went we were able to feed leaves to a giraffe and the second time we went, we saw people feeding peanuts to an elephant. Both times were really neat. I am sure that moving here is going to turn out to be the best decision we could ever have made for our family. It will open up an endless amount of opportunity for us and our children, not to mention daddy's new dream of Jack becoming a linebacker for LSU! Go Tigers!!

The Skittles Story

2009-01-10T20:46:00.000-06:00

I bought Laiken some skittles the other day. She gets only a few at a time, and only for things she does good or after eating a good supper. A small, sporadic reward. She loves them so much. Well, tonight Trey and the babies were on the couch while I was vacuuming the rug. Trey walked into the kitchen and came back to the couch as I was finishing and wrapping the cord. Laiken jumped onto the couch next to him. She gets right in his face, her nose to his mouth and says, " What you smell daddy??!" She tried to open his mouth (he's laughing so hard) She says, "That's my candy!!" Daddy had sneaked a mouthful of her skittles, but she smelled them!!!! It was so funny. She is getting really good at sharing, but skittles do not fall under that category for her. Update on New Year's resolutions: The diet is only going fairly well. I am having a hard time finding a good work out schedule. 6:15 is when Dylan gets on the bus but Jack is usually up before seven. Not enough time and his morning naps are getting shorter, not enough time. And it would be hard to do after bedtime, and that would also require 2 showers a day. So, there is a stationary bike at walmart that comes with an mp3 player for 135.00. I am considering that because it seems it would be easier than a workout video. I am trying to keep my stress levels down. It may seem silly but this past week I have just tried to breath a little more. No really, it is working. When I feel a snap or loss of patience coming on, I take a deep breath. Then I am able to handle the situation more calmly. I don't know how much longer that will help, but its working for now. I feel less guilty when I am able to remain calm. Laiken seems to sometimes respond better to a calm request rather than a loud angry one. Sometimes she does not respond at all, that could be due to her confusion about who is the boss. In moments like this I allow her a minute or two to sit quietly in a designated spot, where she is not allowed to get up, to let her think about how she could have handled the situation differently. (yeah, I bet that's what she's thinking about in time out.) We have not handled potty training at all, I continue to ask, "do you want to sit on the potty?" She continues to say, "no." So no rush there, she'll do it in her own time.

It's 2009 already??

2009-01-05T20:39:00.000-06:00

The month of December was so very hectic for us. But it was a wonderful time for our family. We enjoyed spending time with my family in Hernando, and also in Corinth. I am really glad we got the chance to see everyone and spend the holiday with them. The highlight of the day was definitely the scratch off lottery tickets. I loved it! The kids had a ball playing together, I think Dylan was sad to leave. I am sure Laiken was, she screamed, " I want to stay!" all the way to the car. It may be madness when all the kids are together, but it is so important to get them together like that. I want my kids to know and love my family as much as they do their family here. We're doing a good job, because both Dylan and Laiken know who I am talking about when I say everyone's names. (Maybe not Brian and his family, but they just moved closer so it will take a few more visits). Laiken used to see babies on tv and call them AnnaReece. Now she says Sabana. Somethimes she says Hayden. LOL. We also had a great Christmas here as well. Gran Gran (Trey's mom) stayed a few days with us over the holidays. We had Christmas dinner and Jack's birthday party at Jody and Ryan's. Our kids probably had the best Christmas ever. They got a swingset. Which may not sound like much, but my kids can swing for hours and hours. They love having one in the yard. (although it has rained almost everyday since Christmas). Jack had a great birthday. Thanks to Aunt Lisa, I made him a football cake that he enjoyed all to himself. He loved it. The new year is starting off good. Nikki, Donald's wife, had a beautiful baby girl on Sunday, Jan 4th. She was 5lb and 11oz. Her name is Kelsey Ann Elizabeth Walley. Trey is still in Baton Rouge but is only working 40 hours a week. He will get to come home every Thursday night and goes back every Sunday night. I am so glad to get to see him that much. Might even start to feel like he lives here again. I love my children more than anything else in this whole wide world but it is hard being a single parent of three. I need a little help sometimes. So for new year's resolutions.... I want to lose about 20lbs. I have already started a workout video. I am going to take the babies for a walk in the wagon as many times a week as I can. And I am going to watch what I eat. Maybe follow a diet plan or join weight watchers. I want to reduce stress in my life. I am losing patience and feeling tired too often. I will rest more, drink more water, choose my battles with the kids, simplify where I can. I want to make a flexible schedule to help me move through the day more smoothly. We function mostly on a natural schedule. Breakfast is always about 7:30 or 8. Jack's first nap around 10. Lunch by 11:30. Laiken and Jack nap around 2. Jack has a snack about 3:30 or 4. Supper about 5:30. Jack goes to bed at 7:30 and Laiken by 8:30. Dylan has no natural schedule. He eats when food is on the table, and goes to bed when we tell him to. Last but not least, I want to potty train Laiken. I don't know if she's ready, I think she is. Step one will be to make the potty her friend, she is not overly enthusiastic about sitting on the potty. She doesn't dislike it, just has to be bribed to sit. I am not going to pressure her, just test the waters and see if she might be more ready than I think. She is smart enough to use the potty, but stubborn enough not too, if you catch my drift. We'll just see how it goes.

Let's go to the zoo!!

2008-12-13T20:11:00.000-06:00

Today we went to the zoo. We had a truly wonderful day! The zoo itself is very small. There area only about 15-20 animals in the whole place. But the exhibits themselves are really nice. (nothing compared to the Memphis Zoo of course) but nice for Hattiesburg. The zoo membership I purchased has already paid for itself. The biggest plus about the zoo is the humongous park next to it. I decided last night that we would go today. Everyone woke up in a good mood, surprisingly. So we got ready, packed a pinic and took off! The weather forcast said it would be mid fifties, but it wasn't. It stayed mid forties most of the day. So I thought we wouldn't see many animals because of the cold. I was wrong, most were out more than usual. The best one was the jaguar. He was pacing right in front of the fence on the side of his exhibit. The front of the exhibit is glass and big fake rocks. We came up to the fence and watched him pace so he started pacing in front of the glass too. It was really neat to see him so close. Dylan stood on the rocks in front of the glass to get a close close look. The jaguar walked up to the glass where Dylan was standing and peed on it. It was so so funny. Good thing he didn't do it when Dylan was standing by the fence, that could have been nasty. (Lil why does bad stuff like that happen to us at the zoo?? The gorilla assaulting you, the crocadile that came for Jack?? Now the jaguar and Dylan??) Next after the animals, we took a train ride around the zoo. Laiken loves it. She squeals and laughs and yells "toot toot" the whole time. She waves to anyone she sees. It is so funny, each ride is as if she is riding for the first time in her life. Amazing! After the train, we had the sweetest picnic lunch. They all were eating, no fussing or picking stuff off sandwiches. All was wonderful, til Laiken fell off the picnic bench. Lunch was over for her after that. After lunch, we played on the playground. Finally the sun came out and it warmed up to 57 degrees. We stayed at the swings for about an hour. It was a perfect day.

And as if I had not had enough perfect, I took them to ride around and look at Christmas lights. They are few and far between out here, but the ones who do put them up go ALL out. It was really nice. Once we got home, perfect was over. They were tired from the long day of perfectness and were starting to get nuts. So Jack was first at 7:50 (he didn't even fuss, just turned over and snuggled his pillow), Laiken was next at 8:30 ( she was not as happy as I was that she was next), and last Dylan (9:00). I love bedtime. :)

I am about to get back to perfectness and watch a movie and eat chips and dip. ALONE. Perfect!

first trip to the dentist

2008-12-09T15:58:00.000-06:00

Today was Laiken's first trip to the dentist. She was so good. She climbed up in the big chair and waited patiently for her turn. She let them brush her teeth with no problems. Because she is so young, all they did was brush her teeth with a toothpaste/flouride combo. Then the dentist came in and she opened her mouth really wide and let him look at and touch her teeth. No cavities!! She was such a big girl. She was not scared at all. I am so proud of my little girl. Jack has started walking more and more. Laiken still pushes him away from things she is playing with, and sometimes pushes him down. Won't be long and he'll be pushing back. She is always begging him to come into their room and play with her. She comes in and tells me "Jack wants to play in the room" Soon he'll be running around with her. I may be crazy but I can't wait. They are so cute playing together. They love each other so much.

The Boss...

2008-11-28T21:15:00.000-06:00

Laiken is so adorably bossy. Jake, the kids 10 yr. old cousin, came over to play with Dylan. Coming from Dylan's bedroom he picked up Jack in the hallway and brought him in the den where Laiken was watching TV. Laiken saw him carrying Jack and said "That's mama's Jack. Put him down." Jake started swinging him around. Laiken said " Don't swing him like that, put him down, that's mama's Jack!" "Stop messing with him" So next Dylan and Jake walked in to my bathroom to get clean towels and washrags, with Laiken following them saying " That's mama's room, get out. That's mama's." She is so protective, like a little chihuahua. Tonight she went into her room and got her own pajamas out. All by her self, she took off the shirt she was wearing and put on her pajama pants and shirt. It was luck that she got them on without being backwards, but I was still completely amazed she did it alone. She is so smart. Right before bed she was playing with her Lego's and built a really tall tower. She said "look a mountain". Too cute! Jack, bless his heart, he has finally started sleeping through the night in his own bed. It only took a year for me to get to sleep through the night again!! Thank goodness!! He is officially the world's best baby now. Today he completely melted my heart, I wish I would have had the video camera out. I was sitting in front of the computer holding Jack, Trey came in and asked Jack, "are you daddy's baby?" Jack looked up at me, and plain as day said, "Mama" It was wonderful. I love him so much.

He Survived!!

2008-11-28T20:47:00.000-06:00

Trey had an amazing time at the game. He was teased a little. All day he was called Tiger Bait. And he heard "Go to Hell Ole Miss" all day. The Rebels beat the pants off the Tigers in Death Valley 31 to 13. His supervisor was disgusted by the game and made them all leave with three minutes to go. Trey said it definitely was one of the most memorable days of his life. He was lucky enough to get two weeks off to come home and spend some time with us. The next job will only be 4 10hour days, so he will be able to come home thurs nights and go back on sundays. That will be so nice to have him home more. We have had a wonderful week and a great Thanksgiving. Trey and Ryan made a smoker out of a grill and an old army cabinet. I laughed when I saw them start, but the finished product was truly amazing. They are so smart when they make things like that from junk they have lying around. The smoker even had an attached thermometer to measure the inside temperature. They smoked two whole chickens and the turkey. It was the most delicious meat I have ever eaten. I think Jack ate his weight in turkey on Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time at Ryan and Jody's. We stayed all day, except for a three hour break for me and the babies to take a nap. There was so much food that everyone came back for supper and still had enough to take plates home. It was excessive, but wonderful. I think the kids had a good Thanksgiving also. Thurs morning Dylan went to Ryan's with Trey to finish smoking the turkey and get the food ready. Then they practiced shooting their bows. Dylan really enjoys getting to hang out with the "guys" and do the things they do. Or at least just the things they will let him do. Laiken and Jack helped me make desert and rolls. And while Jack squeezed in a quick morning nap, Laiken and I made a turkey with a plastic cup, a piece of yarn, and construction paper. When you pull on the yarn the turkey makes a gobble type noise. It was really cute. When we got to Ryan's, they played in the front yard practically all day. They played with footballs, jump ropes, dump trucks, and the wagon. It was great. It was really a fun day for everyone.

He must be crazy!!

2008-11-22T07:40:00.000-06:00

All of my blogs are about my kids... If Trey lived here there would be more about him. He makes me laugh as much as they do. (Maybe that's why I love him so much) Today he has the privilage of joining his superintendent at the Ole Miss vs LSU game. He has never been to a college football game. He is very excited to say the least. The company he works for, Turner Industries, has season tickets available for the Bosses. The seats are on the fifty yard line and pretty close I think. From what Trey says, they are incredible seats. The company has a huge tailgating party that starts early the morning of the game. The guys have messed with him all season because he's the only ole miss fan on the job. The job is in Baton Rouge, most of the guys are from LA and are all die hard LSU fans. Trey said the supervisor even has LSU crocks. Too funny. There is even a bet between the two. If ole miss loses Trey has to dye Lsu in the back of his head, if they win the super has to dye ole miss in the back of his. Grown men....So Trey being Trey, most of you know my husband well, I think his favorite saying is " I don't give a f*** what they think!!" (can't count how many times I've heard that) He is determined to wear Ole Miss gear to the LSU game, to sit on the LSU side and cheer on the rebels, maybe even close enough to the players where they can throw things at his bright red shirt. He went on the hunt for anything ole miss in Baton Rouge, no luck, not one shirt. So he bought a super thick, nice red hoodie sweatshirt and had the ole miss logo put on it at a monogram shop. So picture Trey at the game wearing red among a sea of purple and gold. I have heard stories about fans at tiger stadium, that they are fanatical like no other fans. Daddy called Trey Thurs night to talk to him one last time before he gets killed, a friend of Mama's said one word when he heard the story, "Suicide". I asked Trey what will he do when people taunt him. He said nothing its all in fun. I said what about if someone throws a beer at you from a few rows up??? He said he'd bust his nose. Great, I said. I hope his super likes him well enough to bail him out of jail. Also, second story. I have been blessed to have two of the funniest brothers ever known to man. Both tell the greatest stories and just say the funniest things. Brandon sent Trey a birthday card, which he does claim to be the greatest card in the history of all cards ever given. I almost fell out of my car when I saw the return address on the enevelope. It reflects the Mississippi State and Ole Miss rivalry between Trey and both my brothers. It says... Coach Croop Starkvegas, MS God's Country, USA Trey will be here Sun. morning, I can't wait til he sees it!!!! And I can't wait to read the world's greatest card.

2008-11-13T21:39:00.000-06:00

Trick or Treat !!!