The 3 F's

Unfortunately, not a whole lot of time for explaination.......but the title says it all.  

First Steps starring Ally.....

Fits starring Maggie......

and Falling Asleep (doesn't happen often) starring Wyatt!

Nighty, night.

You are the perfect Mommy........

in the best home ever! These are the words that Wyatt uttered to me as I was putting on a new DVD for him. I'll tell you, I really needed to hear those after a rather frustrating day. That started me thinking (stop chuckling). What does the perfect Mommy do? Let me give you the Wyatt version:

Wakes with little resistance to demands to go downstairs while carrying a box full of toys and getting fresh ice water (more on the box full of toys later).
Finds TV shows on demand and by episode.
Short order cook for such items as peanut butter and jelly, Taco Bell (his word for bean burritos if they are from Taco Bell or not).
Cures head bumps, scrapes, scratches and the list of minor and major ailments.
Settles disputes with 2, 1 year old sisters.
Plays, plays, plays whatever the game is.
Endures endless temper tantrums and rants.
Tries to find activities for a 3 year old with a zero attention span (learned this yesterday while trying to make Thanksgiving Turkey project).

And various other things.

And, this brings me to our bedtime ritual and the box of toys. For the past year, we have a bedtime ritual. It may change a bit here and there, get longer or shorter, but there is one always in place. So, all of you out there who don't have kids or those of you who do, but may have forgotten, I will remind you.

First, we start with begging, not from Wyatt, but from me. It goes somewhat like this, "Wyatt, time to go to bed", me. Wyatt, "but I am not ready to go to bed, Mommy. One more Diego, please." Me, "OK, but only one more." I usually try and stick to this. Sometimes I give him a 15 minute warning, sometimes 5. You get the idea. Well, when he finally acquiesced, I have to carry up the toys of the week, for the past couple of weeks it has been this box of them.
He doesn't play with them when he gets upstairs, he doesn't even take them out. He just has to have them with him. Also, must have his blanket and ice water. We go up there, I read him 1-2 books. Then I must cover him up with his blanket, animal print side up, and his sheet. Then I sing him, "You are my sunshine (once regular way and once with his name in it), while patting him, then I sing him a made up song follow that with about 20 kisses and 20 "I love yous" a couple of questions and then he goes to bed. But, I also get the satisfaction of knowing I am the perfect Mommy.........

Gotta run........my short order cook skills are being requested!

And I blamed the dryer.........

You know that sock that is always missing. Well, I thought it disappeared to sock world somewhere in the dryer. I believed their was a place that sucked out that one sock once you closed the dryer door, some sort of secret door where the socks escaped. Once they escaped they all hung out with other mismatched socks forever more. Well, I was wrong..........

And then they turned 1

What have we done lately to make them so happy? The sick gods are shining upon us, we have made them VERY happy lately. My poor baby girls were sick on their birthday. Well, shall I say, Maggie was sick. Technically, Ally got sick after her birthday. Because of this and various other sickness (my back)we decided to delay the festivities until the day after their birthday (October 31). I knew that we would be combining many of birthday parties with Halloween, I just didn't know it would be this soon. Wyatt kept telling me he wanted to wear his Thomas costume for the "sisters" birthday and he was right, he would (note: he got sick in between Maggie and Ally). So, we put together their toys on the 31st and just set them out, Ally was hip. She loved the kitchen set. She played in it for a while. When Maggie saw it, she just sat their in stared, in a sick induced fog. In fact, she just played with a frying pan (toy) for a few minutes and then wanted someone to hold her. Well, on Sunday (Nov. 2)when she was feeling better, she discovered the frying pan had a kitchen set to go with it. She played and laughed, finally feeling better. So, their first birthday will always be remembered for them (along with their brother and my mother) being sick and my back surgery. Well, let's hope their second is better. In true form, they were still dressed to the nines although it was day late.

I am up and Frankenstein Walking.........

just in time for halloween. Surgery went great, was a bit longer than he expected but my motto has always been, get what you can while you are in there cause I don't want you going back in for more later. I have to say it was rough and painful. I decided it would be best to stay overnight seeing as excruitiating pain was shooting down my butt, legs and feet. I was sad to leave my morophine pump but not the hospital. They are getting a letter from me! I have been planning this one for a few days now and plan to write it while it is still fresh in my mind like when the pain in pulsating down my back. There are a lot of horrible people that work in that hospital; if they need to work in the service industry, I believe the sanitation department has opennings.

I thank my Mom for her willingness to support me and stay with me while I was there. She was my rock, there to rub, ask questions, get a nurse when one didn't respond, rub my back, help me up and feed me my food. She is wonderful!!!! Thanks, M O M !!!!!!

Each day is getting better, I was worse than I thought but is much better now. TTFN!

A place where dreams are made?

or nightmares come true, a little bit of both if you ask me. One for the kids and one for the parents. Disney World, it conjours up different images in different minds. For me, I see my kids laughing, exploring, delighting and crying. Yes, crying, from heat, from exhaustion, from long waits, from disappointment, from tired grumpy parents and a grandparent. One memory that will live in my mind forever is the look of wonderment and amazement on Wyatt's face as he experienced the magic of Disney for the very first time. In his mind, it was all about Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pooh Bear and all of the characters. He waited in line for over an hour, just to see Mickey. Mickey didn't disappoint either, it was all I dreamed of and all I looked forward to with childlike anticipation. He was caught up in the magic that only Disney can provide. The girls, not so much so. Ally yes, Maggie no. This picture says it all!

A post about Moi.

I do normally post about how crazy I am but not about how I am physically doing. Well, I have come to the conclusion I can't keep enduring the pain of my back. It has been 9 months of the most recent episode, that is way, way too long. So, after a couple of nerve blocks and no real relief, I have decided to have surgery. Hopefully, I will be in for the surgery and home that evening. At the most, 1 night in the hospital. It is not so much the surgery that scares me, it is the recovery but I need to do it for my family. They don't deserve a mom that is in pain, grumpy and not able to do what she needs to take care of her family. It is not their fault I decided to have them in my late 30's with a bad back. I just want to be able to run, play, roll on the floor and wrestle, pick them up, put them down, bend over, stand up, laugh, smile and sleep. Speaking of, gotta run.....duty calls!

Picture Perfect?

To the grand list of what has been going on lately, I was remiss in adding the portrait session. Oh, yes, the portrait session. It lasted for 5 hours, was filled with crying, little laughter, exasperation, outfit changes, talks, threats, sighs, few smiles and finally the time when you get to view them. The lady taking the portrait (I pause to call her a photographer because it was at a chain studio) was extremely nice and volunteered to let us take them out and let the kids nap and come back. My reply was, "I am here now, I am not taking them out and then coming back", obviously, she didn't read child personalities very well; my kids do not simply nap at a mall and then return all cooperative and smiley. Oh, but no. So, when we viewed the pics, I was very pleased. Let me know what you think!

I have to get better at this

There you go, I know you have thought it but now I am saying it for you. So, for all of you that are wondering what has been up, here is a brief summary, this also serves as a list for future posts:

Dad moved in

Battled Head Lice

Back got worse

Battled Head Lice

Back got worse

Potty Training

Girls grow

Trip to Disney World

Potty Training

Girls grow

Garage Sale

Back gets worse

Rented a House in Little Rock

Potty Training

Back .........

Potty ...........

Girls ........

So, that's it in a nutshell. Will elaborate later. I'm exhausted! Here's some pics to hold ya'.

What 3? No way!

where did the time go? I know that as parents we sit back and ask this time and time again, but really, where did the past 3 years go? My little man turned three on August 25, 2008. In the true toddler spirit, he threw me a curve ball.

He talked and talked about getting a blue truck cake with blue truck decorations. I called every bakery in the area, no blue truck cakes every party store and website, no blue truck decorations. In order to not dissappoint him, I took him to the grocery store to pick out his cake. Not Dora, or Mickey Mouse, Thomas or Tonka trucks, not a simple sheet cake, it was the mammoth 3D Noah's Ark Cake. OK, it feeds 20,l00 and costs 20,200 but, that's what he wants. On to the balloons where he picks out Dora and JoJo. This party is beginning to get bit eclectic. The decorations were blue, and then he says he wants a pinata. I was fortunate enough to find a green truck one. For the plates and napkins I landed The Wiggles on clearance. Did he love it? Yes, it was everything he knows and loves. As a parent, I know that many Mom's are gasping at the horror of my sons birthday not being a complete theme. I also only had family attend. He kept saying how much he loved it and how happy he was. That is what matters, not the other stuff, just his happiness. So, for those of you gasping in horror over a multitude of themes and no goody bags, it doesn't matter to Wyatt or I, we truly did things "our" way.

Here's the cake And the festive decorations


He received things that he loves, felt sets and a felt board, a tractor with a trailor to drive in the yard, a mini trampoline, a batman batcave, some "homework" books, DVD's and videos, a cowboy suit and guns and some books. And a few things I am not able to remember (sorry).

It was a wonderful day for a wonderful 3 year old. Where did the time go, seriously, he's three. Just the other day it seems as he was wiggling around in my belly. Then I remember the days and nights that I spent longing for this child, how every part of my being hurt for child. I truly thought deep down I would never have one and I cried tears of pain. Then it happenned and I was so scared something was going to go wrong, I waited, was cautious, thought I would curse such a blessing by talking about it. I was really pregnant and he was really growing at a healthy rate and finally I would have what I have always wanted. Now he walks, talks and talks and talks (and talks), sleeps, eats, and talks and talks. He is Jim and I, totally, looks, actions, expressions, sayings, loving, kind and tender. He is MY little boy. I wish I could tell him to slow down, I still want to hold you and rock you. No matter what, you will always be my baby boy.

Here are a few pictures........the day he was born:




One Year ........................Two Years................Three Years NOW!





Happy Birthday my gorgeous, adorable, smart, fantastic Boy. You are truly my dreams come true. You amaze me everyday with the wonderful things you do. My heart swells when you give me a sweet kiss and a loving hug and say my favorite words, "I love you, Mommy". Everyday with you is the best day of my life. I love you, buddy!!!!!! As I was putting up balloons and streamers, I recalled the day we were blessed with such a perfect precious gift, a gift that we had prayed and prayed for. It is worth every bit of the worry and wait. Wyatt, my worst day with you is still better than my best day at work. I look back at the pictures and wonder where the time went. You are my life, my little man, my blessing. Your use of language, you always amaze me with your comments, "it's perfect"; "of course I would like that", "here you go your majesty", "hi baby sister, you adorable, don't cry", "I love you more than 100 big red cars", "shall we go downstairs and get a cookie, Mommy", I could go on and on. What joy you have brought to my life, you are a true blessing and I will never forget how special you are. Slow down, it is going way to fast and I know I need to savor these moments with you. I love you, son!!!

A sad attempt to catch up...

I am going to give you all the abbreviated version of our lives lately..........

Ally's teething....run here......wait.......wait......hurry, hurry, hurry......don't wake the babies.......Wyatt, don't do that.........OK, go to the naughty stair......no, you can't get up.........ok, give mommy a kiss......don't hit your sisters........Ally's teething......Maggie has another tooth.....I love you.........yes, your food becomes your poochie........don't sit on the dog......Just a minute Maggie, Mommy will make you more food......Wow, Ally is trying to stand by herself.......hurry up.......I will do it when they all nap......I guess you're not going to take a nap today, Wyatt........No, you can't have Coke......OK, just a little bit........go to the naughty stair.......Maggie, what do you have in your mouth.......get that from your baby sister.......don't take that from your baby sister.........When did Maggie get 6 teeth........The girls are the only ones who eat three meals a day.........No, you can't ride your tractor into your sandbox.......wow, they are both cruising.........Where did Maggie get that bump on her head.......Is there a place on your body that doesn't have a bruise on it, Wyatt.......Their skin coloring comes from my side of the family........Ally looks just like Jim.......Maggie looks just like Tina........they
re fraternal, not identical.......Wyatt is Jim made over......No, you can't wear your PJ's all day today, only Mommy can.......I don't know when we are moving to Little Rock.........I am waiting to sell the house......no, he isn't potty trained YET, we are working on it........great more laundry.........Can I have a rag, I didn't mean to Mommy.......I like the truckie underwear.......Yes, that's Maggie laughing hysterically at her brother jumping up and down......no, baby coyote didn't take your sisters toy......please do not throw anything in the play yard........

We're up and running.....

I have had sooooo much to say and then my computer goes down. Anyone else have Norton installed and updated and have 243 viruses on their computer. FYI, it costs about $350 to clear them up. And computers were supposed to make our life easier, ha!

What's new (or old) - the kids and I are still not moved. No action on our house. Something needs to happen soon.

This summer - we spent about 3 weeks up in Michigan with Jim's family. It was great. Wyatt got to do lots of things with his Nana and Aunts, Uncles and cousins. It was a blast for him as he always had someone to play with and mommy got a break. We had a fantastic time at the zoo with all of the family.

It has been a wonderful summer and just flew by. I am glad to be back........

Who's who?

It is amazing how much the kids look alike. The question is, "which ones are the twins?".

I guess the dresses give it away.

Still Alive, barely.

For those that have wondered where I have been, I am still around. Just up to my eyebrows with stuff, kids stuff, house selling stuff, and lastly, my back problems. Actually, that should be put to the top of the list, I am in bad shape but still going. So, I hope that explains whats going on, I hope to be back blogging soon. Here are a few recent pics, just because.

Let the 4th Begin!

This morning I awoke to at 6:00am to a toddler telling me "sun up, sun up" which is code for time to get up in Wyattease. He is so excited because Aunt Zena, Uncle Marty and Clint gave him a play McDonald's set.

It has been a few weeks since my last post. Things are hectic and busy, Wyatt and I went to Little Rock to look for a house, and now we are in Michigan for a few weeks with Jim's mom and family. We drove with help from my Mom. What a trip it was.

Other than my back bothering me, things have been life as normal. We haven't gotten any bites on the house, hardly any lookers. We are praying and hoping for a miracle buyer so, our family can be together again. Wyatt misses his Daddy horribly.

Here are a few pics from their first time on real swings. Maggie loved it, Ally still isn't to sure. Wyatt had a blast chasing Mom around and sliding, swinging and playing. The pic of Wyatt is of his cousin and him, Righley, playing for the day, they were born on the same day hours apart.

It is nice to spend the fourth with family. We are having a BBQ on a beautiful summer day, cool by my standards (mid 70's) warm by theirs. Happy 4th to all.

Chicken soup for breakfast

My day got started early. At 5:49am, the call of nature awoke me. At 6am Wyatt comes walking in saying, "I'm soaked", evidently he had to go and go and go, too. Up to change his diaper. I hear Maggie talking. I come downstairs to buy some time. Make Maggie a bottle and feed her. While making coffee, I go to open the new coffee container and grounds come spewing out all over. Great! Wyatt asks for soup for breakfast. Why not? This is where the good mommy comes in, I make him a can of Campbell's condensed chicken noodle soup for breakfast. He loves it. Wants more. Ally wakes up. She is soaked. Change her clothes and feed her. While doing so, I hear Bonner. Look over and see her pulling the leftover bowl of soup over off of the table and watch it tumble to the floor sending soup flying in the air and all over. It is only 8:48am.............

Rollin, rollin, rollin

Ally is on the move. She just won't stop rolling. She rolls to get from place to place, put her down - she is gone. She is on the move. Won't be long until she crawls, she is pushing up on her arms. Maggie is better at sitting up. She will sit up for about 3-4 minutes before toppling over, getting mad and screaming. She really isn't into rolling, although she can, she won't. And I will leave with this parting thought from Wyatt. When Jim was leaving yesterday and saying goodbye, Wyatt told him, "watch out for snakes and crocodiles". What wise words for us all.

Wyatt Stories

Straight from the mouth of babes:

I have been telling Wyatt that Daddy is in Arkansas working. I try to fill our conversation with tidbits about Arkansas, getting a new house, selling this one, Daddy's work with trucks in Arkansas and what not. The other day, he turned to me and asked "When is daddy coming home from the ark?" Ahem, his name is Jim, not Noah!

I always like to comment on how cute my kids are to Jim. In the evenings I say things like, "they are so stinkin cute I could eat them up", "how did they get so stinkin cute?" The other morning all was as quiet as could be and Wyatt was sitting on the couch and turns to me and says, "Mommy, I am stinkin hungry".

You just never know what is going to come out of their mouths!!!!!!

We have teeth - Chapter 2

I am proud to report that Miss Ally has now broken ground on a brand new tooth. Can't post a pic yet as it isn't photo worthy yet (can't quite see it in a picture) but it is definitely through the gum. So, I thought I would just post a cute pic of her anyways! Cheerios here we come!

Someone tell Fisher Price

and all of the rest of the companies that make swings, bouncy seats, jumparoos, exersaucers and all the toys that we HATE the music they use. I think they do it just to drive all of us adults crazy. I hear it in my sleep, I hear it at night when for a short time, all the kids have gone to bed and the house is quiet. This especially bothers me as quiet moments are very hard to come by. So, to hear those songs playing over and over again in my head drives me nuts. For those of you who don't have kids or can't remember what it is like, I compare it to spending time in Vegas when you go to bed and still hear the sounds of the casino floor in your head.

The songs are all played in that high pitch key which is like fingernails on the chalkboard. When I am here with the kids, I refuse to turn the music on the swing or bouncy seat. The noise of it combined with the noise of Wyatt's kids shows on the TV is enough to drive you over the edge. Then throw in a little crying. My Dad, who I absolutely am grateful for his help, insists on turning on all the music to the kids toys on full blast. He says it helps to calm them and they love it. That drives me even more crazy as 1. They don't really "love it" and 2. It drives me CRAZY.

OK, that is my pet peeve for the day. All kids toys should come with a USB port so you can download the music you want to hear all day. The kids don't care. I hope someone who has influence over the making of kids toys reads this. Remember, you heard this idea here first.

Memorial Day

Over the holiday, we went to visit my husbands 95 year old grandmother. She is doing remarkable. I hope that I am able to live that long! She is in a nursing home but is still very independant for 95. After our visit with her, we proceeding to or annual tradition of vacation with Jim's sister, Sherri and her family. This year, Jim's mother and nephew were able to join. We had a wonderful time. Here are some pics.

When did?

Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to visit my husbands 95 year old grandmother in a nursing home. It was a wonderful visit to see all the generations together. While there, an old man gave me "the look". He literally undressed me with his eyes. I have never felt so disgusted and flattered at the same time. It started me thinking, when did.......

40 start to sound young?
a well organized, room for everything, diaper bag replace designer handbags?
having cute clothes for my children replace having cute clothes for myself?
Parenting magazine replace In Style?
reading a book at bedtime mean reading "Curious George" or "Goodnight Moon"?
5 hours of sleep sound like heaven?
watching my husband play with the kids give me a true belly laugh instead of watching Two and a half Men?
all three children going down for a nap together resulted in Happy Hour instead of drinks at seven with a few friends?
staying home became more fun then hanging out?
skorts replaced skirts and capris replaced pants?
whats for dinner became more important than where we are going for dinner?
the political future of our country became more important than my next career step?
poopy diapers once day became the topic of conversation between my mother and I?
a minivan became my car of choice?
a vacation at Disney became a dream vacation more than a trip to the caribean?
child friendly means happy mommy?
the thought of doing the same thing tommorrow as I did today and the day before mean comfort and contentment?
good school districts replaced convenience to shopping and local attractions?
moving away from your family became heartbreaking?
raising three well adjusted kids more important than winning the lottery?

I will tell you when, when I became a Mom.

And that's just a few! Let me know yours.

Here we go again.....

Well, for those of you who don't know, we are moving to Arkansas. Another chapter in our lives. That makes our 5th move in 10 years and will be our 3rd state. This move has brought more anxiety than any move yet and we are just beginning. Jim has a wonderful job opportunity there with a group of people he has known for years. Everything about the job is fantastic but there are 2 major drawbacks. One, we have to sell our house which is brand new and we just moved into in August. Two, we are moving away from my Mom and sister. So, a new adventure begins. We have a long road ahead but we will make it, we always do. Just another challenge to accept and conquer. Wish us luck and pray for us.

Ready to go home, now!

That is what I heard over and over again, Saturday morning as Wyatt had his first t-ball game. It was mass confusion as about 50, 2 1/2-3 1/2 year olds lined up to play t-ball. Of course, Jim and I had visions of him fielding the ball, running the bases at mach speed and hitting the ball way beyond all the other kids. Visions, that's all we had. Instead, I was so proud to watch my little man toss the ball to his partner, cling to me as he ran the bases and insist his daddy help him bat. He wanted Grampy, Mommy and Daddy with him all the time. Baby sisters were along in tow as the cheerleading squad. It would have been much better if he hadn't seen the playground prior to getting to the ballfield. It would have also been better if there hadn't been at least 4 games going on at the same time. All in all, I was one proud Mommy, my little man played t-ball, he stuck it out and never cried. What more can you ask for?

That's What it is all about...........

Before I was a stay at home mom (SAHM)or Mom for that matter, I was pretty much clueless as to all the work, patience and selflessness that goes into the "job". Sure, I knew it was long hours, no vacations, no sleep, etc. but I really didn't know what it encompassed. For instance, when your 2 1/2 year old says "need something from the bathtub" and you ask him what it is and he keeps repeating it time and time again while you are trying to dress him, then it escalates to a full blown fit, that is what I am talking about. PATIENCE!!!! For those of you who know me, that is not one of my virtues. I have already addressed the sleep issues in a previous post, I had NO.IDEA.HOW.BAD. Or about the trouble I would have trying to convince Wyatt to try and use the potty chair, figuring out why the girls can't poop, why they don't like peas, today, etc. I also never thought I wouldn't have time to do my hair, put on make-up or get out of my pj's and shower. I never gave these things a thought until I was a Mom.

Then I remember a day about 2 weeks ago when Wyatt and I went to the strawberry farm to pick fresh strawberries. How we talked about it the night before and he woke up asking to go to the farm. On our way he fell asleep in the car but awoke ready to go as soon as I parked. The excitement of looking at the chickens that were in the barn. Not to mention everytime I turned around, the red juice of the strawberries dripping out of his mouth and down his cheeks, him not able to answer a question because his mouth was so full of fresh, juicy strawberries. His excitement when I asked him if he wanted to pick another basket. The joy on his face.

















Then I look at my precious girls.

Every morning when I go to pick up Maggie and she is chatting away in her crib, the moment I look over the rail, she breaks out into a big grin and starts kicking her feet and waving her hands.













Ally is such a joy, all I have to do is give her a smile and she returns it with the eagerness a child has when he hears the ice cream truck. Her grin is so sweet and comes so easy, just a small kiss on her cheek produces giggles and smiles that can get you through your day.


So, that is what it is all about. The blessings that I have in my three children. The three kids that I honestly never thought I would have but am so blessed to be their mother. The years that I yearned and longed for them, MY babies. That's what it's all about......