Friday's Fab Five

Yay, it's Friday!

1. It's been SO hot outside lately and the kids are constantly wanting to play outside. And let me just tell you.. heat + humidity + being 5 months pregnant = ONE MISERABLE MAMA!! Anyway, I told Rich unless he wanted to come home from work one day to his pregnant wife lounging in the kiddie pool.. we needed to find a solution. Our solution was a pool that we could all get in. It's not huge, but I can sit in it without looking ridiculous and stay cool. Yay!

2. I'm gettin' a tan :) I guess this one ties into number 1. But being pregnant, I figured I'd spend my summer as white as a ghost. But since I've been able to be outside (and stay cool) I'm actually getting a little sun. So yay!

3. Corn on the cob.. yes I think Corn on the cob is fabulous. LOL! But I just have to say I love summer because we can always find really delicious corn on the cob. We had some for the first time this summer this week and it was SO yummy. Even Colton liked it.. and that's saying a lot!!

4. Rich only had to be away 4 days this week instead of 5 days.. I think that's FABULOUS! Although, I don't mind admitting that I'm completely jealous that he got to go to Colorado this week.. I've always wanted to go.

5. The most fabulous thing of all... Rich is coming home in just a few hours and he has the WHOLE week off! YAY!YAY!YAY!

Half Baked...

is what I am today!!!!!!!!!! 20 weeks pregnant today! At the halfway mark! Woo Hoo!!! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going.



I might just have to go get some Ben & Jerry's to celebrate :)

1st grade here we come!

Maddie and Bella had their kindergarten graduation today. It was a bittersweet moment for me. I can't believe my babies are big enough for this already! I remember sitting on the couch after just bringing them home from the hospital thinking "they're so small, I hope I don't break them!" Back then it seemed like starting kindergarten would be SO far away, and now that day has come and gone.

Their ceremony was so sweet. All of the classes took turns singing songs. Their class sang "Don't Laugh At Me" by Mark Wills. It made me cry like a baby, seriously. Not just a few tears.. I was bawling! For those of you that don't know the words to this song, I'll post them for you.

Don't Laugh At Me

I'm a little boy with glasses
The one they call the geek
A little girl who never smiles
'Cause I've got braces on my teeth
And I know how it feels
To cry myself to sleep

I'm that kid on every playground
Who's always chosen last
A single teenage mother
Tryin' to overcome my past
You don't have to be my friend
But is it too much to ask

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm the cripple on the corner
You've passed me on the street
And I wouldn't be out here beggin'
If I had enough to eat
And don't think I don't notice
That our eyes never meet

I lost my wife and little boy when
Someone cross that yellow line
The day we laid them in the ground
Is the day I lost my mind
And right now I'm down to holdin'
This little cardboard sign...so

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

I'm fat, I'm thin, I'm short, I'm tall
I'm deaf, I'm blind, hey, aren't we all

Don't laugh at me
Don't call me names
Don't get your pleasure from my pain
In God's eyes we're all the same
Someday we'll all have perfect wings
Don't laugh at me

So yeah, just imagine all these sweet little kids singing "don't laugh at me". I was a mess.

I feel like the luckiest person in the world because I get to be Maddie and Bella's Mommy. I'm so glad that God chose me for the job. I couldn't imagine my life without these little girls. I'm so proud of them.

Friday's Fab Five

Yes, I know today is Saturday, and I totally meant to do this yesterday but I was so busy. So, better late than never :)

1. I started my week off with a 31 party. We had so much fun and it really was fabulous to see every one again. I got LOTS of great stuff!

2. My garden is thriving! I love it. Everything gets bigger every day. The first thing I do in the morning is let my dogs out and go check out my garden. I never knew that gardening would be this fun!

3. Rich didn't have to go out of town this week, and as much as he has been/will be traveling, that is fantastic!!!!!!!! It was so good to have him home.

4. My girls had field day at school. Rich and I were able to go and spend the whole day with them. It was very hectic (as this was actually more of a carnival than field day) but it was OH so fun. They had to move everything inside because of bad weather, but the kids had a blast none the less!

5. Friday was our 5 year anniversary!!!!!!! I am so happy to have such a wonderful, amazing, fantastic, FABULOUS husband! We spent the whole day together at the girls school for field day and then later that night we went to the casino and out to eat. We lost a little money, but we still had a blast! Happy anniversary Rich, I love you!



well, I guess that should say, "I hope you had a fabulous friday!" =)

19 weeks!

19 weeks pregnant today! Woo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Almost halfway there!

I never knew...

I always thought that when I became a mother I would do all of the teaching. I would teach them how to count, the ABC's, how to tie their shoes, how to read, how to be a caring, loving person, etc. I could have never imagined that my children would teach ME more than I could ever teach them. I am so blessed to have such amazing children. My children have taught me to look at life through their eyes. My children have taught me that life is too short and I need to slow down and cherish every bit of it. My children have taught me unconditional love. These are just a few of the lessons that I've learned over the years, but I'm positive as the years go on, these amazing little people will continue to help me learn so many wonderful things.

31 Party

On Sunday I had a 31 Party. I didn't really know what to expect from it, but I had a BLAST! Lots of old friends came, so it was great to catch up. Not to mention, the party was actually fun. Not one of the normal "sit there and listen to a presentation, home sales party". Amanda (my old friend, and person that sells 31) did a GREAT job of keeping the party fun and interesting. Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves. It was a really great day, and I can't wait to see everyone again soon!




Just some of the AMAZING things you can get at 31, they have some really cute purses, bags, totes, etc! I LOVE their stuff!

cheerleaders!!!

Those of you that know my daughters, know that the word cheerleader fits them perfectly! They're constantly dancing, and smiling, and laughing,singing, and cheering. They love all things entertainment! They have begged to be on an actual cheerleading team for years, yes years, lol. Since they were about 3 years old they've been very enthusiastic about being on a team. So, today we signed them up. My girls are SO excited. They didn't even want to leave the sign ups. ha! They have to wait several long weeks until their practices start. I know they are going to have a blast, I'm so excited that we're able to do this for them!

Friday's Fab Five!!!

A few of my friends participate in this, it's basically listing 5 great things that have happened during the week, so I thought I'd give it a try!

1. Colton has started talking SO much. He's started saying so many new words this week and even putting some sentences together. I can't believe how big he is getting!

2. Maddie and Bella have had a great week as well, I'm so thankful that I get to wake up to their smiling faces everyday. Hearing them sing every morning on the way to school is truly a blessing!

3. My morning sickness has gone away again and considering I was sicker than a dog at the beginning of the week, this is truly fabulous!

4. My garden! I never would've guessed that I love gardening this much. I really do think it's FABULOUS! (it's even more fabulous that I've managed to keep everything alive so far) I love going out every morning and seeing how much everything has grown just overnight, it's amazing to me. Let's hope I'm this enthusiastic when I'm 7 or 8 months pregnant and it's 100 degrees outside :)

5. Saving the best for last, Rich is coming home today!!!!!!!!! I couldn't be happier. We're all SO excited to see him!

Wishful Wednesday!!

There are several AWESOME blogs that I follow, and I found this on a friends blog and decided to check it out and give it a try. (Thanks Rachel!)

Today's topic: 'I wish' .... I hadn't thrown
away..


So after doing some thinking.. here is what I've come up with. I wish I hadn't thrown away some of the art work that I've done in the past. Now I'll explain.

A couple of years ago, I did some pretty elaborate drawings of different disney characters for my daughters room. I spent a lot of time on them and LOVED them. My kids did too. I never got around to framing them or hanging them up and they just sat in my closet forever. One day I was so frustrated with the mess that my closet was (surprise, surprise) and I started tossing stuff. I came across the drawings and decided it had been so long and I wasn't interested anymore so I tossed them. Now I wish I had saved them for my kids.

Morning sickness returns

After several glorious weeks with no morning sickness.. it has returned with a vengeance. I'm really hoping this is just a fluke!! I'm almost 18 weeks pregnant already, I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going :)

My mother's day

I had a FANTASTIC mother's day!! I hope everyone else did too!! My husband let me sleep late, and when I woke up the house was clean and a had a gift waiting for me. They all got me a digital picture frame. I LOVE it!! Rich had already filled it will pictures for me. I think it's the best present I've ever gotten.. and the first one that was a COMPLETE surprise!!

We decided to go out to breakfast after that, so we got everyone ready (an adventure in itself) and piled in the car and headed to Denny's. The kids and I had never been there, and over all it was pretty good. For those of you with big families.. no that any outing can turn in to an adventure (or disaster) in the blink of an eye! LOL We got there and they didn't have any tables available big enough for all of us, so we had to wait about 15 minutes... that's when it began to go downhill. The kids were getting restless.. not to mention very hungry. But after a few reminders everyone was pretty good, and we FINALLY got to our table. Hey, 15 minutes with 4 hungry kids and a hungry pregnant woman can seem like an eternity! After some minor meltdowns about the air conditioner vent under the table..and a couple rounds of musical chairs we got our food and everyone was happy! Over all I'd say our mother's day breakfast was a success!!

The rest of the day was just as great, we had our mother's over for lunch, then we went to Kirsten's Volleyball game, and spent a relaxing evening together. A day to remember for sure!

I hope the rest of you moms out there had a fantastic day!

Single Mom by order of the Military

So, Rich left for a short trip to Fl.. cause the army told him to. So that means I get to play Mommy and Daddy while he's gone. I'm hoping this week flies by. The kids get out of their routines every single time he leaves no matter how long he's gone. So, wish me luck everyone! LOL

Selective Hearing

I think my kids were born with selective hearing... or maybe they developed it over time like their dad.

I say "clean your room". They hear "pick up one toy".

I say "put your clothes in the clothes hamper". They hear "throw them and if they land beside the hamper that's ok."

I say "you can have toast or cereal for breakfast because your bus will be here soon". They hear "let me make you bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy, and whatever else your hear desires because I'm a short order cook and we have plenty of time before your bus gets here."

But as soon as I say "no tv because you didn't clean your room"..... I hear "BUT I WANT TO WATCH TV!!!! I thought you said to just pick up a couple of toys. I DIDN'T KNOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!! It's NOT fair!"

Hopefully one day they will outgrow their selective hearing, or maybe scientists will find a cure for it! A girl can dream, right?

Bathing With Alligators

Today, I realized just how much of a "mom" I really am. This realization came while I was bathing with alligators. Yes, that's right, I took a bath with gators..pink ones, green ones, and blue ones.

Normally, I take my baths at night after the kids have all gone to bed, however, today I decided to take a chance and take a bath before the kids were in bed AND before my husband got home from work. I was about halfway through shaving my legs when my son came in and yelled "ALLIGATOR" and started bombarding me with all his alligators along with all his other bath toys. And let me tell you, this kid has a lot of bath toys and a GREAT arm for a one year old!! Then my daughter decided she needed to come in and serenade me with her barbie radio. So after about the tenth gator hit me in the head, and the 20th rendition of barbies song, I realized that this is what my baths have become.. no more relaxing bubble baths, with a glass of wine, and a good book. Nope, I now bathe with gators. And that's ok with me, because all too soon my kids will be all grown up, and I won't have anymore excuses for pink, blue, and green gators in the tub. ;)