Hermie the Caterpillar

Logan and Laney were in a program at their preschool before Christmas. I am just now getting a chance to post pictures. The program was centered around Hermie the Caterpillar. They sang songs about being special. It was really cute. We decided Logan is just like Chad and Laney is just like me when it comes to public performances. Laney stood on the stage and did not move. No smiling or singing just a statue. Logan on the other hand danced and sang his heart out. For some crazy reason they placed him close to one of the microphones. I could see the problems right away with this arrangement. About halfway through the program Logan starts inching closer to the microphone and begins to sing a solo. The teacher has to call him out during the show. Oh well, it was a great one to have on video.

Christmas Wrap Up

I hope to post more pictures soon but wanted to give a quick update from Christmas. We had a wonderful time with our families. The kids had a great Christmas complete with 3 inches of snow on Christmas morning. They received a special visit from Santa in Texas. Logan thought he looked and sounded a lot like Papa Charles Hmmmm... They have a new playhouse that we hope to enjoy once the weather warms up and both kids have bikes now. We tried to instill the true meaning of Christmas in our children. At least Logan can tell you the 3 gifts the wisemen brought. We are looking forward to 2010. Laney will be 3 in a couple of weeks so I will post more updates soon.

Laney's a Big Girl Now

We had promised Laney that she could get earrings once she quit having accidents at home. She would go all day at school without accidents but would come home and have them. Last month she finally turned the corner. Mom and I took her to get her ears pierced. She was a little nervous at first but did not cry at all. She is such a big girl. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. I attached the before and after pictures.

Thankful

Our family has a lot to be thankful for this year. I could never list everything in one blog post but I wanted to list those dearest to my heart.

1. I am thankful that Jesus is my savior and that he watches over our family

2. I am thankful for our health. I read so many blogs of sick children and families suffering from terrible diseases. It reminds me of how blessed we are to be healthy and have healthy children.

3. I am thankful that we have wonderful grandparents that are still alive and healthy enough to enjoy our children and share holidays with us.

4. I am thankful for my parents and in-laws who support us and love us no matter what.

5. I am thankful that 4 years ago we saw a miracle with my brother and that through his surgery he was healed.

6. I am thankful for our church family, co-workers, and friends that encourage us and share the good and bad times with us.

7. I am thankful for our jobs. Both Chad and I have been at the same jobs for the last 6 1/2 years. We are truly blessed in this economy to both have our jobs.

8. I am thankful that we have have a roof over our heads, clothing, and food as I know there are many that do not have the basic needs for their family.

9. I am thankful for our freedom in this country and appreciate all of the men and women who fight to keep us free. Many of them will not be with their families this holiday season.

10. On a lighter note, I am thankful for Thanksgiving and the 2 days off from work. I look forward to spending this time with my family and enjoying some good food.

Logan's Fish

Dad took Logan fishing a few weeks ago and he caught his first fish. Unfortunately, we didn't have a camera to record the big event. He went again this week and caught more fish. They were able to eat the fish they caught that night. Logan loves spending time with Pa in his camper.

I am going to miss this

I do not want to forget any of the cute things the kids have been doing lately. I am not great at writing everything down so I am going to try to use my blog as a digital scrapbook. Laney loves playing with her baby dolls and stuffed animals. Her latest thing is putting them down for their nap. It is like an obstacle course in our house with babies covered up all over the floor in her room, hallway, and the living room. I took a picture this morning so I won't forget this sweet time in her life. She always reminds me to be quiet the babies are sleeping.

Farewell

I can't pretend to be sad that Chad's motorcycle has sold but I know Chad will miss it. Maybe, one day when we are rich he can get another one. At this point I am happy to have the extra money.

At least Logan still has his motorcycle..

A day with Daddy at the Park

The kids had a great time Friday afternoon playing with Daddy at the Park. Logan was a sword carrying cowboy. He has quite the imagination. I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. I have vacation pictures to post.

Our Anniversary

Six years ago I was waiting for a mini tornado to pass through Fort Smith. We had spent a year planning the perfect outdoor garden wedding. It only took a little over an hour for a storm with tornado like winds to destroy it. This storm also knocked out the power to the hotel our out of town guests were staying in. The morning of the wedding revealed the destruction and the rain continued to pour. I was so stressed and upset. How could this happen on what should be the perfect day?

Then a couple of hours before the ceremony started, the rain stopped and left us with a beautiful sunset. The ceremony was moved indoors. It was a little crowded but we still were able to get married and celebrate at our reception.

I guess marriage is alot like that day. Sometimes your plans change and you have to improvise. You have storms in life but once they are over life is that much sweeter.

I am so glad we were married 6 years ago and have been blessed with our two wonderful children.

Happy Anniversary Chad!

A Busy Weekend

We had a busy weekend. I has a much needed garage sale Saturday and am proud to say we can now see the walls of our garage. We also made enough money to pay for a mini-vacation. Saturday afternoon we celebrated Leightyn's 4th birthday with waterslides. We all had a great time. Laney even slid down the slide by herself. Sorry I do not have any pictures. Hopefully, Missy will post some to her blog.

We are starting VBS tonight. This is Logan's first year to attend. Chad and I are helping.

What makes me happy?

I love for someone to surprise me with flowers especially when they come from my two favorite kids. Hydrangeas are my favorite flowers and now that the kids know that, they like to pick them from my mom's bush for me. Sorry Mom.

Happy Birthday Granny!

I just want to wish my sweet Granny a Happy Birthday.

New Pictures of the Kids

We had family pictures done a couple of weeks. Our photographer was awesome as it is quite a challenge to get a 2 and 4 year old to cooperate.

We are done with diapers...

I was hesitant to say this since I didn't want to jinx myself but Laney has officialy worn panties for over a week now. I am happy to say that we are no longer changing diapers in our household. We have graduated to the visiting all public bathrooms phase. I can now tell you where all restrooms are located at the mall, walmart, and restaurants. I am so proud of my big girl!

Our Family Easter pic.

I am only a month behind but wanted to post our family picture from Easter.

Update

It has been quite busy around our house lately. I thought I would give a quick update and hopefully I will have pictures to post soon.

Logan has started t-ball. They will have their first game this Saturday. It should be interesting since he is on a team of 2-4 year olds. Chad is helping coach. At the last practice he was assigned the task of teaching them how to run the bases. At least Chad is getting great exercise out of this.

We also had revival at our church this past week. It went really well. We had a great attendance for all of the speakers. I am looking forward to next year's lineup.

We also will be taking family pictures next weekend so if anyone has some good ideas for poses, location, clothes, let me know. This will be our first family picture since Laney has been born.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

are you ready for children?

I am so glad Magen sent me this email. I thought this was hilarious and yet true.

Enjoy :)

Are you considering having children? To determine whether you are truly prepared for the experience, we suggest you take this set of simple tests...
MESS TEST:

Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flower bed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

TOY TEST:

Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos. (If Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream (this could wake a child at night).

GROCERY STORE TEST:

Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

DRESSING TEST:

Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all arms stay inside.

FEEDING TEST:

Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST:

Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8 to 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8:00 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00 PM. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00 AM. Set alarm for 5:00 AM. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for five years. Look cheerful.

PHYSICAL TEST (WOMEN)

Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10% of the beans.

PHYSICAL TEST (MEN):

Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. G o home and read it quietly for the last time.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child’s table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run riot. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

A morning in the life of a Mom...

I thought I would share with you what a typical morning looks like for me. I am sure many of you can relate.
My alarm is set for 6:20 but I end up sleeping until 6:40. I drag myself out of bed and get ready. We wake up the kids, dress, and feed them by 7:25. I am feeling pretty good about this since we don't have to actually leave until 7:35 so I get the kids dressed in their jackets, load two boxes of juice boxes, 2 Easter baskets filled with eggs, and a package of wipes for the daycare. It is 7:30 by the time everyone is buckled in their carseats. Since I think I am running ahead of schedule, I decide to do something indulgent like stop at Chick fil a and get sweet tea with chicken minis. After all I didn't get breakfast before we left. As soon as I am given the food via the drive through, Laney starts asking for french fries as she assumes that is what is given at a drive thru window. I explain that it is not french fries but mama's breakfast. Now I am feeling guilty that I got something in front of them so I take out a chicken mini to share with them. That works well because Laney wants the chicken and Logan the roll. It is now 7:45. Half way to the daycare, Laney starts coughing and precedes to throw up her chicken. I arrive at the daycare at 8:00 with a child covered in throw up. Her extra clothes are in the daycare not in the car. I grab the extra wipes and start cleaning her and the car. I then have to parade through the daycare with a child covered in throw up trying to explain she is not sick she just gags herself periodically on her food. The other parents are thinking, "yeah, right." We somehow manage to get her, the wipes, the Easter basket and juice boxes into the classroom. I change her clothes. Of course now she is dressed like an orphan for her Easter party with a hairbow and shoes that do not match her outfit. It is now 8:10 and I still have to take Logan and his stuff to his class which is in another building. As we start walking up the hill, it begins to rain. I do not have an umbrella so we try to hurry with our arms full of stuff. We get to his room but he doesn't want to stay so 5 hugs and kisses later along with intervention from the teacher and I am out the door. I drive in the rain to work and arrive at 8:28. I am supposed to be here by 8:30 so all is well.

Keep in mind all of this is done while wearing heels...Life is good.

Yee-Haw!

We had a wonderful time celebrating Logan's birthday. We were hoping to have his Cowboy party in the backyard but when the high was 50 with 25 mph winds out of the North, we decided to move it to our church. Logan was so thrilled to have his friends from school and church along with family to party with us. I have posted some pictures from the party. Laney's favorite part was the cupcake. Logan loved the pinata and looking for Gold (Chuck e Cheese tokens) in the haystack.

Thanks to everyone who made this a special day for Logan.

Guilt

I am back with a deep meaningful post. I have been having a hard time lately with leaving my children while working full-time. My job has become more demanding this year with added pressure. I was able to take a few days off during Spring Break with the kids. It reminded me that my children are starved for my attention. They are at daycare/preschool from 8:00 to 4:00 Monday through Friday. Logan is already getting to the point that he does not want to go to school. Who could blame the kid? That is a long day when you are 4. I never had to deal with this when I was a child. Mom stayed home with us so I went to preschool 3 mornings a week. I got to stay home during the Summer and every school holiday. I want my children to have this opportunity. Unfortunately, I am trapped in a good job. I make a good salary and have good benefits for this area. It would be a financial struggle for us to make it on Chad's salary alone. I have begged and prayed for a part-time job but my company does not offer this option. It is all or nothing for them. Please keep me in your prayers. I am struggling and unhappy. This is the reason I do not want to go to church on Sunday and Wednesday nights anymore. I don't want to leave my children in the nursery again after being away from them all week. Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated...

A Bloggy Vacation

Sorry I have been MIA lately. I am suffering from writer's block. I have a lot on my mind but can't seem to find anything to write about. I will get back into the groove hopefully soon. I have a lot going on at work and at home. I am working on Logan's birthday party which will be the first Sunday in April.

Check back soon :)

If you don't like the weather in Arkansas...

Stick around it will change. We started the week close to 80 and had sleet/freezing rain by Thursday. I am so ready for Summer. As a result of the crazy weather, I have two sick kids. Is anyone else tired of the weather?

Happy Birthday Chad!!

Happy Birthday Logan!

My life has changed..

It is funny how life has a way of changing on you. Sometimes it changes dramatically but most of the time it is the little changes over time that move you along the way from point a to point b. That being said Valentine's Day used to be such an important holiday. In Junior High it meant a chance to attend the coveted church valentine banquets. In my hometown this was a major event. The churches decorated like it was prom. Girls went out and bought formal valentine dresses and the guys wore tuxes. In high school I would always hope I had a boyfriend for Valentine's Day. I swear the guys knew the holiday was coming because I almost never had one for Christmas or Valentine's. Valentine's Day was still important but in that depressing kind of way. Chad and I started dating in College and would celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner. He would bring me flowers, etc. It was always a special time to reflect on our growing love. FAST FORWARD 6 years or so....

Valentine's Day 2009--I find myself at Chick-fil-a for their candlelight Valentine's Dinner Family style. I have a four year old on one side of me with my husband and 2 year old sitting across from us in the booth. We are eating chicken nuggets and french fries while trying to keep the kids out of the candle. We get a slice of free cheesecake but our kids devour half of it. The kids get their balloons and hug an oversized cow as part of the celebration. Happy Valentine's Day they shout as we leave the restaurant. Wow, life has changed...need I say more.

A new cousin for Logan and Laney

I was thrilled to receive a phone call from my sweet cousin Raven. She and Michael are expecting their first child in October. Our Texas family continues to grow and it is such a blessing to see all of the little ones playing together. So far we have had at least one baby born every year since 2005. Now we will have one for 2009.

You can follow Raven's blog here.

Our Outdoorsman

Our local wildlife can let out a sigh of relief. It looks like they have nothing to fear with Logan. His latest trip to the nature center with Dad did not result in the killing or catching of any live animals. In fact Logan ate the three slices of bread that were intended for the ducks. He also ate the marshmallows that was supposed to be his trout bait. Yes, I do feed my child...he had already ate chicken nuggets and french fries. All was not lost. He got to participate in a class about snakes. The "snake teachers" as Logan call them let him touch a King snake. He thought it was great. He did look at me and say, "Seriously, mom we do not touch snakes unless the snake teacher is there." That is a relief. I was afraid he would now be searching out snakes to hold.

I didn't get any pictures from Saturday but I had to post one of my favorites of Logan.

Laney's Birthday Party

Laney had a great time at her birthday party last Sunday. We had to change the date from Saturday because I ended up with a monster migraine. Anyway everything ended up going well. She had a poodle party with pizza and icecream. Enjoy the pictures!!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday Laney!!

Laney's Birth Story Part II

I got to see Laney only for a second before they whisked her away to the nursery. I did hear the pediatrician give her an apgar score of a 6. I knew then that things were not great since Logan's apgar had been a 9. I kept asking if anything was wrong while they were completing my c-section. The nurses and Doctors assured me this was normal for a 36 weeker born by c-section. I stayed awake throughout the rest of the surgery and the hour long recovery that seemed to last forever. Finally, I was wheeled back to my room. I looked around for Laney but she wasn't there yet. Chad said she was still in the nursery. Little did I know at this point that he had already seen her and knew that things were not great. The NICU physician came in to visit with us. I was shocked to hear that she was in the NICU on oxygen. I couldn't see her at this time. I started crying and questioning everything I had done with this pregnancy. Could I have tried harder to delay my labor? Logan had been born at exactly 37 weeks without any problems. He had went straight to our room. Needless to say this was great motivation for me to get up after my c-section. I begged them to let me go see her in the NICU. I had to wait until the Spinal wore off so I could feel my legs. As soon as it did about 10-12 hours after surgery, I was up and making my way to the NICU. I looked like a 90 year old trying to shuffle down the hall but I got to see my baby. The image from yesterday was what I saw. She looked so small and helpless but I truly believe hearing her mother's voice helped her. I went in every time they would let me. Two days later she was breathing on her own. She was brought to my room on Thursday the 18th. These are pictures from those days in the NICU.

Laney's Birth Story Part 1

I have never written Laney's birth story so in honor of her second birthday which will be Friday I am going to try to document it with my blog.

My pregnancy with Laney was much smoother than my first pregnancy at least in terms of how I felt. I seemed to have more energy and did not swell up like the Goodyear blimp. I was due February 9th but by January 15th (36 weeks) I had already gained 31 pounds and looked like I was ready to give birth. I had been experiencing periodic contractions for the last 2 weeks. My Doctor was monitoring me closely and expected I would not make it to my scheduled c-section on February 2nd. I had taken the 15th off for a couple of reasons. 1)It was cold and icy. 2) I was 9 months pregnant and wanted to spend one more quiet day with Logan. We did just that. In fact he even took a good nap that day which allowed me to rest as well. We had an uneventful night until after Logan went to bed. I started having a few strong contractions after 10 p.m. Chad was already asleep so I started timing them. By 2 a.m. they were lasting longer and coming every 3-5 minutes so I called Mom to come stay with Logan so we could go to the hospital. Keep in mind it is one of the coldest nights we have had so far and still a little icy. My mom falls in our driveway and hits her head. Luckily she doesn't break anything. We get to the hospital around 2:30 a.m.
They check me in and start monitoring my contractions. I am definitely in labor so they call my Doctor. My wonderful Doctor had given me a note to give Labor and Delivery so they would call him even if he was not the one on call. He was such a saint. He arrived around 4 a.m. and had them give me something to slow down the labor so he could prepare for the c-section. The moment the nurse put that medicine in my IV I went from alert to semi-crazy. I couldn't get the words to come out right and absolutely could not get out of bed. Mental note: I should never try recreational drugs. I somehow managed to call the office and leave a few incoherant messages with my supervisor that I was in labor and would not be coming in. I was the first c-section for the morning surgery crew. They prepped me and started the spinal. I was terrified the anesthesiologist was going to wait too long to give me the Spinal and I wouldn't be numb. I kept asking them to pinch me so I would know for sure it was working. Chad was in there with me in his scrub suit. I felt tugging and pressure but no pain. The anesthesia made me a little sick at first but she gave me some oxygen and I felt better. I remember listening for a little cry. At 8:33 a.m Laney Grace was born weighing 6lbs. 4 oz. and 18 inches long. Instead of a wailing baby, she sounded more like a baby kitten whimpering. To be Continued...

Super Dad!!!

I have been wanting to do this post for a while but was waiting for the perfect day. Well today is it. I don't mention Chad enough on my blog but I wanted to recognize what a great Dad he is to Logan and Laney. He has arranged his work schedule so that he can pick up the kids every day. He has taken them to Doctor's appointments and stayed home when they were sick. I am so thankful my children have the opportunity to spend so much time with their Dad. We have definitely adopted the 50/50 approach to parenting and they love it.

I know there are other great dads out there as well. It seems this new generation of fathers are much more involved than the fathers of the past. What do you guys think?

Customer Service...Be Nice

Some of you may know that I work in the insurance industry specifically with group insurance. January is always a trying time for us as most groups change their policies Jan. 1st. To add to the mix, we have 3 holidays that hit during our crunch time. We always have stragglers that are not in our system by Jan. 1 and guess what they all come down with the flu and need a prescription on the first. I am getting to a point here...I promise. The last two days I have been bombarded with angry callers demanding me to fix their situations. I work as hard as I can but can't solve the world's problems alone. Most of this is out of my control. I have been screamed at and hung up on. People can be so rude to others. They forget I am a person just doing my job so I can get a paycheck and take care of my family. If anything I sympathize with them and want to help. I finally took a call from a very appreciative customer today who simply said thank you. You better believe he was moved to the top of my stack. He will be the first one called when the problem is corrected :)

I now try to practice this approach with others in the service industry. I watched a lady chew out the Subway clerk last week because their credit card machine was broke. When it was my turn, I just reminded her there would be a special place in Heaven for those of us who have provided customer service.