Most wonderful time of the year

Christmas time is such a great time for family. This year was a little different for us in that Hubs had to work every weekend leading up to Christmas. That put a strain on getting the shopping done with three kids in tow. But it all got done and we had a wonderful Christmas. I love traditions. I want our kids to have some Christmas traditions they can remember and cherish as they get older. This year we went over to my parents house on Christmas Eve. We had dinner and opened gifts. It was different since my sister from Illinois wasn't there with her family. So it was a small affair. We left there around 8 so we could come home and let the kids open gifts from us. It was so cute. They went from tree to tree gathering their gifts and making a stack. After they got all their presents Hubs said "Now I know why the bank account kept getting smaller!" I just ignored his claim :) They were so funny while opening their gifts. Buggers kept saying "I love it...I love it!" to everything. My favorite was when she opened her Hannah Montana slippers. She went nuts (probably because I have banned all things Hannah Montana). Bubby was hilarious too. He gets so excited and just keeps saying "cool!!! cool!!"
Hubs and I had a great gift exchange also. He got me a new camera...our old one was from when Buggers was born (over 4 years old). We doubled our megapixels and it makes such a difference! Hubs got a wide array of gifts including a wireless mouse, PS3 games, Dunder Mifflin shirt and other little things. I love buying for him. After we opened gifts, we hustled the kids off to bed with the promise of Santa's arrival. They eagerly went to bed all snuggled in their new bed tents.


The next morning Hubs, Piggle, and I all woke up to find Santa's gifts. Each kid got one (unwrapped) gift from Santa and a stocking full of "stuff". Piggle got to the tree first and she loved her toys from Santa. Hubs went in to wake the older ones and one by one they headed into the living room. One of my favorite things about Christmas morning is seeing those sleepy little heads stumbling towards the Christmas tree to see what Santa left for them.




They loved their Santa gifts. Buggers got a new bike and Bubby got a Nintendo DS and game.


I hope everyone had a great Christmas with their families!!

Domestic Disturbance

cough...cough...hack...hack...Those are common sounds coming from our house. After talking it over, hubs and I think the house we are living in is giving us health problems. We have invested in several hundred dollars in air purifiers, air filters, pest control and cleaning products. And we still feel like this house is in some way contaminated. We think possibly with mold or something. I was built in the early 50s and is on piers and think the problem lies beneath the house.

There are so many other things about this house that I don't like...
-laundry room is outside
-back porch floods when it rains
-showerhead in master bath has no water pressure
-counters in kitchen have a "lip" all the way around
-oven temperature isn't correct
-bugs
-master bedroom ventilation doesn't flow properly (hot in winter, freezing in winter)
-carpets are in poor condition
-drain in tub allows water to drain

We have been searching for a new place since this summer. But this area has an issue with supply and demand. There are areas outside of the city that people want to live and houses in those areas go fast. Not to mention there is a terrible system for looking for available houses. You have to go to individual property management firms to find houses for lease. Not to mention some don't even have online listings. Seriously are you kidding me? I have to come to your office to look at a printout to even see if you have anything in the area I want. Give me a break...get with it! So I rely mainly on craigslist to find houses. And that poses a whole other problem with contacting the people about the houses. It is so frustrating!!! Please wish us luck as we look for another house.

Double your weight in four months!!

My sweet June Bug is growing up so fast. I wish she would just slow down a bit so I can soak it up. I'm trying my best to relish in each snuggle, each time I put her to sleep, each little gummy smile and each laugh ang giggle. I know I keep saying this about her but she is the best baby ever. She doesn't mind being on the go and adjusting to her environment. She went to the doctor this week and she weighed in at 14 lbs which is twice her birth weight. She was 50% for weight and 75% for height. The doc said she is little ahead of schedule since she is already rolling back to front and vice versa. I can already see it...she will be crawling by Valentine's!! She hit another milestone this weekend. She has enough head/neck control to be in her "entertain-her". She loves it and gets so excited when we start to put her in the seat. The older two love sitting on the floor and playing with her while she is in the exersaucer. I think they like pressing all the buttons more than she does. It is hard to believe that tomorrow I will be taking her 21 week picture.
17 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

Buggers got picked for our school's hair and fashion show. She loved every moment of it. She got to pick out her own dress at Belk. She even got to be the finale at the show. She did a great job strutting her stuff on stage. It made a momma very proud to see my little diva have so much fun!!
Before


After

(Disclaimer: our school did this fashion show for educational purposes...it was to encourage some of our 8th graders who are wanting to pursue a career in cosmetology)

Tooth Fairy needs a key!

The Tooth Fairy has been frequenting our house quite a bit. Bubby is up to 4 teeth and suprisingly Buggers has lost one already. She lost it Octobe 13th at school. She was so excited. I'm not so sure there was another tooth pushing it way to the top...I think it became loose after she bit down on a juice box straw and it became wiggly.
Buggers was so excited to do the whole Tooth Fairy ritual...tooth goes into an envelope...envelope under pillow...sleep...wake up to written note from tooth fairy and a buck! She was so awed that the TF knew her name and wanted to know why the TF was proud of her for losing her tooth. She was so excited about the letter and money she took it to school for show and tell. Only to lose the dollar...she doesn't relaly know the value of the dollar so she didn't seem too upset. My favorite memory about Buggers losing her tooth is her vivid recall of what the TF looked like. She had bells on her toes, long blonde hair and smelled like strawberries. That girl and her imagination are something else!!

Bubby turns 6!!

The grand age of 6....life is all about playing video games, watching tv, playing with action figures, and believing that you are fully grown even thought you still need a nap and a 9 o'clock bedtime. Bubby is your typical active 6 year old. He loves Bakugans, Lego video games, and seeing how fast he can run up and down the hallway. However as he grows, he still has his moments when the "little" boy comes out. He still requests three things every night....water, Macy music, and to be snuggled. I hope he doesn't outgrow this anytime soon.
He had a wonderful birthday starting with his class party on Tuesday at Jumping -n- place. Then on his actually birthday we headed to Kaska Family Farm for a day of family fun.

God forgot her cry box!!

Well it has been almost 16 weeks since our sweet June Bug was born. It is really remarkable how great of a baby she is. My mom made the comment last week that she things God forgot to put her cry box in. She will only fuss when she is sleepy or needs something to eat. I wonder why some babies have such a great temperment and others don't.
I think back to the way Bubby and Buggers were as babies. I remember Bubby was a good baby. He was pretty easy going except he didn't like being in the car seat. He loved to be snuggled and wrapped up tight. Even as an almost 6 year old he has to be snuggled every night. Buggers on the other had we nicknamed her "pissy pants". She would get fussy in the evenings. We eventually switched her to formula and she improved some. She was a sweet baby who was also full of smiles and laughter. She was always one that she wanted things just so and it was always to her liking. She was a very particular baby who wanted things to be a certain way at a certain time. And funny thing is she is still that way as a 4 year old. I can only imagine her as a teenager!!
I wonder if June Bug's temperment will be the same as she gets older. I try and picture her as a toddler and think about what a great child she will be. She is such a joy to be around now I can only imagine her in a few years. So thank you God for this wonderful baby who is such a joy in our lives and for trusting us to raise her.

Kindergarten Homework!!

Bubby is really hitting it hard at school. I was a little shocked when his first homework folder came home for the week. There were atleast 6 pages of handwriting and a reading log requiring us to read him 5 books a week. That is alot for a 5 year old to get done at night when we only have about 3 hours to play, eat, bathe, and go to bed. Well one week we got a little behind on the reading so on Thursday night we had 4 books to read before bed time. So I seized the opportunity of bath time and read him his books while he bathed. Buggers thought we were being so silly but it didn't take her long to join in the bathtub reading.

How did we get so lucky??

I have said it over and over again...June Bug is the best baby ever. She is so pleasant and good tempered. She hardly ever cries and if she does it is this sweet little "meow". She lets you know if she is hungry, sleepy or just wants to be cuddled. She has made having three kids such a breeze! I would have 10 more (well maybe not 10) if they were all like her. I can't wait to see if her personality carries over to toddlerhood.

PS these pics are from her first professional photo session. She was such a trooper...she fussed just a bit then fell fast asleep on the big comfy pillow hence the pic.

Mrs. Bowdangles

Well looks like I'm going to get my bow business off the ground. I have been making bows for Buggers now for a few months. I have also put them at a consignment shop in Corsicana. But I am not wanting to branch out a little more. My mom is helping me and she is a great person to have in my corner. She has lots of experience since she used to be a craft show fanatic back in the 80s. She and my dad would spend hours making wood crafts and handmade dolls to take to church craft shows, founder's day festivals and even to Canton. I have many many many memories of sitting at craft shows helping my parents. I guess I know where I get it. I am hoping to stock the inventory and hopefully do a craft show is October. I have bows, flower clips and headbands. We are going to make some bow hangers too that can be personalized. My main goal is to keep it affordable for everyone. I don't plan on getting super rich off this...however I hope to make a little money and feed this hungry creative bug.

Starring June Bug during tummy time!!

June Bug is such a strong girl!! She is doing so well at holding her head up. We try to give her tummy time each day so she can build those muscles. She has also started cooing and smiling a lot. I love seeing her smile especially when she smiles just seeing you walk up to her. Hubs and I are just so amazed at how good a baby she is. She hardly cries and is so content.

First day of School

First day of School...Bubby starts Kindergarten and Buggers is in PreK4. They are returning to their school from last year. It wasn't such a big deal for them since they are returning to the same classrooms and teachers. Bubby wasn't very happy about getting his picture taken. Of course Buggers posed right up.
Come to find out...he just wanted to take a picture by himself.

So precious!!

Their first day was great. Bubby even told me that he stayed out of trouble! It is so great that I'm at the same school as them. I tried sneaking a peak at them today but was so busy I didn't even reapply lipstick after lunch!! My classroom faces the playground...hoping I can sneak a peak at them tomorrow.

Weight a minute.....

I loaded up on Oprah the last week before I went back to work. She showcased two books on two different shows. After watching, I really want to read both of them. I have never been a bandwagon reader but these really caught my eye. Women Food and God and Eat Pray Love are the two books I want to read. I want to read Women food and God first...I think I go pick it up at Books A Million tomorrow. (I know the library here in town probably won't have it available for several more months). My mom just got Eat Pray Love from my sister...I hope to borrow it after Mom reads it. After having the baby, I am struggling with the weight that I gained being pregnant. I have lost about half of what I gained. My body image has not been the greatest. And the worst part is I know there are many factors that are going to affect my weight loss. I have a case of the "lack ofs"...lack of sleep, lack of time to exercise, and lack of willpower to step away from the double stuffs. Also I enjoy eating....I enjoy eating good food. And very often that good food is not reallly good for me. Adding to the poor body image...I was the smallest I had ever been in my adult life before I got pregnant again. I was very dedicated to eating right and was running atleast 5 times a week. I was training for a half marathon at the time and was getting in great shape. With that in the back of my mind, I feel hopeless because I do not have the time to commit to that type of regimen. Plus I'm still nursing so I can' t go too crazy with my diet. I am going to have to get creative with my exercise plan. Maybe I can sneak in some walking time during lunch. Doing workout videos in the living room is not really feasible so that is kind of out.

I'm hoping I can gain some insight that will jump start me into motion. And to those who are closest to me (at the dinner table) I'll need your help and support!!

Night and Day

While we were in Nederland we saw our dear friends Jeremy and Leeza. We have been friends with them for a long time. It is always so good to see them. We can not talk for weeks or even months (don't think we have ever done that) and we don't seem to miss a beat. After they left I got to thinking about the different paths we have taken. Hubs and I with the 3 kids and Jeremy and Leeza with no kids. As I was putting the kids to sleep I was thinking about the distinct differences in our chosen lifestyles.

Them--They went out for a nice dinner...
Us--Nice, I haven't had dinner and I'm wearing the kids' dinner.

Them--Time to dedicate to exercise and diet (which I have to say they both look amazing!!)
Us--Eat while holding an 8 lb baby-bel and doing the bouncing walk (does that count for strengthening our core?)

Them--Bright eyed and bushy tailed
Us--Puffy eyed and draggin tail

Them--Nice clean freshly pressed clothes
Us--Freshly spit up on clothes

Them--Getting lei-ed in Hawaii this summer
Us--Got laid and had a baby this summer

Our paths have gone different ways but that doesn't mean they have gone separate ways. I think they are more like parallel paths. At any given time we can look over at each other and sneak a peek at the other life. And we can appreciate each other and our friendship.

Nederland.......

I can distinctly remember riding in the back of the car driving through my parents' hometown and listening to all the "Remember this...remember that." I used to roll my eyes and sit there patiently as I listened to the same stories over and over again. I feel like I grew up in Muskogee in the 60s!!

But when I return to what I consider my hometown I find myself doing the same thing. Since we moved around a lot during my childhood for my dad's job. No he wasn't a drug lord fleeing from authorties or a skirty business man jumping from one scheme to the next. He worked for a company that builds power plants so we were always moving from job to job. I consider "home" to be Nederland. That is where I graduated from high school and I went to college 10 minutes from there. This is also were I met Hubs.

Anyway....each time we come back to Nederland there is a sense of nostalgia. When we drove to an old friend's house last night, we pointed out this person's house or the business that used to be there. It is almost like you can picture yourself washing your car at the car wash where you got stranded because your alternator went out. Or remember senior night at the football game where your parents walked you across the field as your name was being called as you pass by the stadium. This little town has many many memories for me and I only lived here for 6 years. I can't imagine the magnitude of memories it has for Hubs who lived here until he was 23.

He wants to move back here pretty bad. Mostly because his family is here. I would not mind moving back here but would need to convince my parents to move too. (hint hint!!)

Mother May I??

"What makes a good mother?" The question was rolling around in my head so I did what you do when you don't know something...I googled it.

Here's one list that I found...
1. Treats each child as an individual. A good mother realizes that every child is not the same.
2. A good mother helps their child set out on their own path.
3. A good mother is one that is willing to "listen, and listen, and listen."
4. One of the hardest things a good mother must be willing to do is to show disapproval when she feels that the child has done something wrong, even though by doing so she may risk rejection from her child.
5. A good mother is willing to stand up for her own beliefs. And in doing so earn the right to have and keep her child's respect.

I really like #1 especially as I have seen how night and day Buggers and Bubby are this summer. Their personalities have presented themselves quite loud and proud!! I suspect #4 becomes harder as your kids get older. At the kids ages right now I imagine they think I'm way cool and the best person to be around. I know that time is short as they become older.

I wasn't quite satisfied with that list so again I turn to google in search of the answer....

This list is alittle more what I was looking for...

Characteristics of a Good Parent
1. A good listener:
As parents, we sometimes are quick to judge our child's actions or choice of words, that we do not hear their cries for love, attention, or help. We should listen to their feelings, reactions, and opinions. Try to understand their point of view. Look at them when they are talking to show that you are hearing their every word. Put down that book, turn off that television, stop what you are doing and listen!

2. A good example:
We should treat our kids as our equals and not as subordinates. The "do as I say and not as I do" mentality doesn't work. Teach your child how to be responsible, caring, a hard worker, patient, etc by exhibiting those characteristics within yourself. It's not too late for you to do so.

3. Makes time for the family:
It's true that many of us have to work to provide our family with the essentials. In doing so, remember that material things cannot substitute love and quality time from a parent. Your child should know that they are important to you. They should not have to compete against your job. The position and title that you hold and your job cannot be passed on, but the love, the traditions, and time put into your family can be carried throughout generations.

4. Get involved in your child's life.
Respect their interests, do not down play them as mediocre. Share in some of the activities you enjoy. Become familiar with the current trends. It may be a little different than what you're used to, but that doesn't mean you can't learn to at least respect it.

5. Displays unconditional love:
Love your child no matter what. Never allow them to have a doubt in their minds of your love for them. At times they may disappoint you, anger you, or even disrespect you, but even during those times they should know that they are loved by you. No one is perfect, we've all made mistakes and will continue to. Shower those imperfections with love.

As "new" parents we are all on this uncharted path of uncertainty. Uncertain we are doing things right and not adding to that therapy bill they will have when they are adults. Molding our children in the right direction is hard when you don't see the benefits right away. With our little ones being so young you often wonder if you are being a positive influence at all. Especially when they are throwing a temper tantrum or saying "this sucks". All I can truly hope for is that they become God loving, caring, driven adults who don't blame me and their dad for everything.

Blogging 101

Today I'm at my mother's house helping her with all her computer/blogging questions. She has been wanting me to come over for a while to show her how to do a few things. I have to say my mom has some pretty good computer skills.

We started off by trying to change her backgroud on her blog. We are currently up to 3 different background because she finds something wrong with them.

"There's no room for clutter. It looks like finger smudges. I can't handle it. Take it off...take it off!!"

This one was rejected for the frayed ribbon.

"I HATE the black...change that and it is good."

After about an hour of searching for a new background...where did we end up? With the background she started with...lol!! Gotta love it!

No Impact

For one year, my wife, my 2-year-old daughter, my dog and I, while living in the middle of New York City, are attempting to live without making any net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no air conditioning, no TV, no toilets…


Could you do this????

This is an excerpt from the blog of No Impact Man. He dedicated one year of his family's life to making no impact on our environment. I began watching his documentary last night and it really made me think about some things. Funny thing is Hubs and I were just talking about this last weekend on our trip to OK. Well let me correct....I was talking about it and he was listening graciously.

How much of an impact of you making on our world?
I'm not some big environmentalist tree hugger who would forego toilet paper to make it a greener world. But I am a recycling, non littering, waste not person who cares about the world I live in. I am pretty adament on two things when it comes to being environmentally conscious...littering and recycling. I have been an avid recycler for many years now. I get so excited when I our big recycle rolling can is 2/3 full each week and our trash can only has 2 bags of trash in it. I think it is pretty amazing that for a family of 5 we only produce 2 bags of trash a week. And yearly that is over 100 bags...But I wonder how I could reduce that by becoming a more conscious consumer. For example, a pitcher of lemonade only produces one small cup for the powder that is recycled versus 10 juice boxes that are not. The packaging that our products come in can be pretty wasteful. Just think about how much trash there is in a value meal at a fast food restaurant...the wrapper for the burger, the carton for the fries, cup, straw, straw wrapper, napkins, ketchup packets, and the bag. That is alot when you break it down that way.

Don't get the wrong idea that I'm going to start becoming some crazy environmental nut...I just want to make less of an impact on our world with my trash and more of an impact with my thoughts and actions.

**If you haven't seen the documentary of No Impact Man it is worth the time. You can find atleast one thing that you could apply to your household (hopefully NOT the absense of toilet paper). Just something to think about....

Baby Brain

It is not from the euphoria of the sweet new bundle of joy...it is from sheer sleep deprivation. I can't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday, let alone what I did last Monday. I feel like I'm a walking zombie on some days. I feel like my gas tank light is always on...screaming EMPTY. Don't get me wrong I get sleep but I don't ever get that deep dreamy sleep. Overall June Bug is a good sleeper. It could definitely be worse. She will sleep for 4-5 hours at a time at night. But the problem lies in that one or both of my other kids aren't asleep yet so I have to wait for them to go to bed. Then I'm missing out on sleep while June Bug is sleeping.

I go back to work in a little over a week and I wonder how I will handle baby brain at work...

8 things...

I hate to do on a daily basis.

1. Fill up the dog's water bowl over and over and over again
2. Unload and load the dishwasher
3. Straighten the rug in the den as it shifts throughout the day.
4. Make the kids' beds...I don't mind making mine just the kids.
5. The whole getting ready routine..shower, getting dressed, makeup, hair, etc for myself and the kids.
6. The whole decision making process of what to make for lunch and dinner.
7. The opening and closing of the blinds in the morning/evening.
8. The closing of another day since I know it is one summer day gone... making it one day closer to school starting again.

Fashionista vs. Mom Jeans

I'm 30. I'm a mother of 3. Does this mean that I have to toss fashion out the window and put on the mom jeans? I've never been super trendy or always in the latest fashion. However I have always been in the current decade and never far behind the current trends. I am usually pretty conservative and try not to be too out there. After having number 3, I have been perplexed where I fit in the racks at the store. I'm definitely not a "juniors" anymore in size (especially pants) or in style. And I am not a "misses" knit blouse yet ( maybe in 20 years). The problem lies in where I fit not literally. I don't want to look too young but I also don't want to be the object of what not to wear. I think sometimes people my age are pushing the envelope. They are trying to still look like they did when they were 20 and they are late by a decade. Then on the flip side there are others my age who have already given in and have that signature shirt in 7 different colors hanging in their closet. Another problem I have is that I am so stinking cheap when it comes to buying clothes. I don't like to spend more than 10 dollars on a shirt. This severly limits my possiblities. I love earrings and love to accessorize with them. My latest accessory is a headband with flower on it. I told the lady that checked me out that I might be too old for this. She told me that it would be cute. Cute? Am I going for cute?? My 4 year old is cute when she wears her headband. Is that the same cute that I'm going for? 30 is a little old to be cute huh??

So how do I find the balance between mom jeans and fashionista with 3 kids in tow??

4 weeks old

June Bug is 4 weeks old today. She is growing so fast. It is hard to believe that she is already 4 weeks old. It seems just like yesterday that she was born. She is starting to focus more on objects. She loves to be outside.

Attempt #1 at getting her weekly picture...She was not happy about the hat.

Finally after a bath and bottle she was up for getting her pic taken.

3 weeks old

June Bug is three weeks old today!! It is hard to believe that she has been here for 3 weeks already. I wish I could just make time stand still...it is going too fast. I treasure all the time I get to spend with her.

All Checked Up!!

All three kiddos went to the doctor on Thursday. They each had to get their checkups. The nurses did a great job of dealing with all three kids in there. We are getting used to our doctor still. We loved loved loved our doctor back in TW. Our doc here just has a different personality than our other one. Hubs says he is a poindexter with his jean slacks with pleats. He is a nice guy and I really don't have any complaints about him.

Bubby
Weight: 49 lbs (75%)
Height: 46 in (75%)
Vision: 20/30
Hearing check showed he missed some sounds...maybe it is the same tone as mom and dad's voice. That would explain alot.
Overall the doctor said he was healthy and developing fine. He dodged getting any shots which he was happy about.

Buggers
Weight: 42 lbs (90%)
Height: 42 in (90%) **Doc said she is going to be tall**
Vision: 20/30
Hearing was near perfect
Overall the doctor said she was also healthy. We need to get her in to see a dentist..looks like she may have one or two cavities. She was not so lucky on the shots. She had to get two shots to get current. She is a drama queen when it comes to "injuries". She screamed bloody murder but quickly got over it once she found out she could get stickers!

June Bug
Weight: 8 lbs (two weeks ago she was 6lb 12 oz...she is addicted to the milk machine!!)
Length: 20.5 in (she was 19 inches at birth...the nurse thinks they may have measured her wrong at birth...not very likely she would grow an inch and half in 2 weeks)
She checked out perfect too. She is healthy and happy. She will go back at 2 months for the horrible first round of shots.

Summer Days are drifting away

Summer needs to seriously slow down!! I feel like I'm going to blink and it is going to be August already and we will be heading back to school. We haven't been doing much of anything lately. Just hanging around the house mostly. We are all getting a little bit of cabin fever. I have figured out that I can handle all three kids by myself if we need to get out. I took all the kids to the doctor's for check up all by myself. And for the award winning venture, I took all three to the grocery store for "BIG" shopping. They were all really good in the store. I did feel like people were looking at me. I can only imagine their thoughts..."That lady is crazy for shopping alone with three kids. Ahhhh that poor lady. Super Kids....Super Mom"

I am super bummed that I have a teacher training next week Monday - Thursday. I am giving up four days right now but will get exempt from the staff days in November which will give me an entire week off for Thanksgiving. I'm not ready to be away from June Bug just yet. My mom is going to watch them and all will be fine.

Catching some Friday morning cartoons

Evidence of Cabin Fever....

They even let June Bug get in on the camera action