Day 3

Simplicity is picking up pecans with your grandpa. (Miss you gramp)

Day 2

Simplicity is how eye shadow changes everything especially a 5 year old's attitude

Day 1

Simplicity is the first bite of a warm fried cherry pie on a cold day at the trade days

It is because of you that I want to be a better person.

I hate that it takes a horrible thing to happen for you to realize how much of an impact someone has had on your life. My Gramp, my dad's father passed away this week. He was such a great man of strenghth and determination. He loved God and all of God's people. He was a true giver of love, time, and money. He went on many missions to Alaska, Mexico and Haiti. Haiti was his second home. He loved the people over there and loved helping them. At his service, there was an opportunity for people to get up and talk about him. I was truly touched by all the wonderful words people said about him. So many people got up and shared, his brother, his three sons, two grandsons, a grandaughter, fellow missionaries, a Haitian girl, church members, and a great grandson. The outpouring of love for him by so many people made me feel so honored to be his grandaughter. As I was sitting there, I began to feel sad. I was trying to figure out why I was so sad and I struggled until I realized I was sad because I felt cheated. Cheated out of a better relationship with him. It seemed like everyone that talked had more contact with him on a daily or weekly basis. That they had been more impacted by his "remarkableness". Being that we live in Texas, we only got to see them two to three times a year. I know my relationship with him was special and it means a lot to me. However I just wish it could have been more. There are so many things I took away from losing him this past week. One thing he instilled in people is to not make excuses. I have decided that I'm not going to let things stand in my way of doing things. He also had a great love for giving and making other people's lives better. He was truly a remarkable man who makes me want to lead a better life. Another thing I realized is that I want to have a stronger relationship with the Lord. He was a true man of God and he lived by the word of the Lord. He was a great Christian influence on his family and I hope that I can do the same thing. A few hours after I learned that he had passed away, I went out on the back porch and looked up at the stars. I felt peace knowing that he is in a better place and that his legacy will live on in his family. I love you Gramp!

Movin' on Up!!!

In mid January, I drove by this cute little house with adorable curb appeal. It was in a great family neighborhood in the country setting outside the big city. I feel in love with it even before the front door opened. As the guy showed us around the house I KNEW we had to live there and make a fresh new start. So the next day I went and signed the paperwork. Then hubs went a few days later to sign eventhough he hadn't even seen the house. We waited for 2 weeks to get into the house. We were counting down the days and would make a daily annoucement on how many more days we had to be in the awful horrible roach motel!! So on February 1st, even through a winter storm advisory we loaded our big Uhaul. It rained, iced, snowed, and chilled us to the bone that day but we got it all loaded. We unloaded it that night at the new house, set up the beds and called it home.
It has been great!! I love the family friendly neighborhood.I have strangely fallen back in love with doing laundry especially with my new front loaders. We don't have to constantly clean and disinfect everything. We wake up each day with the hacking and snorting. It is calming and relaxing.

Hoopin' it up!!

Kindergarten basketball is a hoot. Imagine this 5 six year olds running back and forth chasing after a basketball then when they have the chance chunking it up towards the hoop. Bubby is doing great even with this being his first year playing. He has great coaches who are doing a great job keeping the chaos contained. Admittingly so, we are those crazy yelling parents on the sidelines. The most common phrases we say are "SHOOT!" and "Get your guy". When he drives toward the basket, he tends to hold the ball and dance around until his guy has enough time to get on him. Meanwhile we are screaming SHOOT SHOOT!!! He continues to dance around until he has it all lined up and finally shoots. He actually has a pretty good shot and has been making a basket or two every game. The way they assign the man on man defense is by colors. Each boy has one wristband that they wear and they defend the boy on the other team who has the same color. The first game Bubby was enamored by wearing the wristbands. He acted like he was a superhero PowerRanger and keep doing karate moves towards his guy. He was cracking us up!! This KungFu movements have subsided some but every once in a while he cracks off a karate chop action towards his guy. We have really enjoyed watching him play. We will definitely play again. We have 4 more games then it is off to a new season...tball. This go around little sister is playing too!!! Oh BOY!!


By the way Bubby is #4

Demon Possessed Comedians...

Our children do the craziest things to make Piggle laugh. Buggers makes this crazed demented face and jumps at her which cause Piggle to erupt in laughter or just a humoring smile. She will also make weird sounds as she pops up and down on her knees just to get a little chuckle or two. Bubby's way of getting Piggle to laugh is to sound like a deranged clown at an amusement park that you press a button for it to talk. (not sure if anyone else but me will get that analogy) He will repeat the same silly phrase over and over in an over exaggerated way that will always get her to giggle. You can't help but laugh at their efforts. Most of the time I just try to grab the camera and capture it before it is over.
And here's one a little closer

Mooshie Face

I like to do this little song with Piggle called Mooshie Face. The older kids think it is so funny. Piggle goes along with it until she figured out a defense move. She now opens her mouth which prevents me from squishing her chin. I think it is so cute and funny. Hubs doesn't like it and he gets on to me when I do it. She doesn't seem to mind it

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.