The Glovers, Crazy But Loveable

Quick Update

2011-06-26T17:25:00.000-04:00

Brittany Graduated!!

Lexi had another dance recital ~ Don't Go Hollywood!

Nicholas is learning to swim!

Happy 4th Birthday Princess Alexis!

2010-09-17T08:25:00.000-04:00

Now

THEN

It has been four years now since my baby girl was born! I can hardly believe it has been that long!

Lazy Five Zoo

2010-09-06T14:55:00.000-04:00

A Day at The Park

2010-09-06T14:32:00.003-04:00

Surgery Pix

2010-09-04T18:45:00.000-04:00

Busy Busy Days

2010-09-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

Well things have been pretty busy since my last post! All four of my babies have had surgery: Nicholas ~ tubes and adnoids, Alexis ~ tubes, tonsils and adnoids, Brittany ~ tonsils and Mercedes ~ wisdom teeth.

We have also been getting things ready for Mercedes and I to start college this fall, Brittany to begin her senoir year and Alexis to start back to Preschool.

Other than that and spending a massive amount of time just enjoying the end of the summer together, things have been pretty normal! We did put in a pool and have had a blast swimming in it!

Here are a few pix from the summer!

My New Favorite Song!

2010-06-28T10:19:00.000-04:00

Can anyone guess who all this song is dedicated to???? Sarah, I am sure you know!! LOL!!

Leave the Pieces- The Wreckers Karaoke (W/ DOWNLOAD LINK)

2010-06-01T22:12:00.000-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

2010-03-14T17:02:00.001-04:00

Happy 17th Birthday Brittany!

We had a great time last night, picture will follow later!

Mercedes Nicole - Senior Year

2010-03-08T12:40:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe it, but this is Mercedes Senior Year! Here are the pictures that I ordered for her annoucements! Isn't she beautiful!

Wild Women

2010-03-08T12:38:00.000-05:00

My girls were getting ready to go terrorize the neighborhood!

STOP! SOCCER TIME

2010-03-08T12:30:00.000-05:00

Both my big girls are playing soccer this year! Here are a couple of pix from the first home game.

2010-01-10T22:42:00.001-05:00

2010-01-10T22:10:00.001-05:00

2010-01-10T17:14:00.001-05:00

Brittany's Cake Decorating Skills

2010-01-10T16:55:00.000-05:00

2010-01-10T16:50:00.001-05:00

Pre-Christmas Ice 2009

2010-01-10T16:31:00.001-05:00

2010-01-10T16:29:00.001-05:00

Papaw's Big Buck

2009-11-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

Picture Day 2009 - Grace Bible Academy

2009-11-26T19:24:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving 2009 - Myrtle Beach, SC

2009-11-26T19:23:00.002-05:00

China Grove - Landis Holiday Parade - The Center Stage Dancers

2009-11-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

Savannah's 4th Birthday

2009-11-26T19:14:00.000-05:00

All Camoed Up And Ready to Hunt!

2009-11-05T22:56:00.000-05:00

Today Nicholas and I went with Daddy to bait his hunting stand. So I decided to dress Nicholas for the occassion! Can we say "like father, like son!"

Fall Festival at Grace Bible

2009-10-29T23:28:00.001-04:00

Alexis had her 1st Fall Festival at school this weekend and she had a blast!

Every room in the school had some kind of game or activity and, outside, they had pony rides!

I volunteered to paint faces and BOY did I paint some faces. I thought the line would never end, but I had an awesome time.

Each class had to decorate pumkins.

Alexis's class made a clown out of their pumkins.

Renaissance Festival

2009-10-29T22:48:00.002-04:00

Ok, while I am not a big Renn Fess person,

my daughter went with her Teacher Cadet class and brought home a couple of cute pictures.

Keep in mind that it rained the entire time they were there!

Update

2009-10-22T21:59:00.001-04:00

First of all, I would like to say "Thank You" to everyone for all of your comments, calls, thoughts and prayers.

This week has been very eventful! We have had trips to the sheriffs department, tons of calls with DSS, meetings with attorneys, etc.

Today, I had to watch as my nephew was taken by his mother. He was kicking and screaming! Begging to stay with us. And there was nothing I could do about it! I cried so much, it truly felt as though my heart was being torn from my chest!

Anyways, we went to see our attorney to finish the paperwork for our court ordered emergency custody order and my nephew called. His mother decided that she did not want to fight for him. She packed some of his things and sent him back to us.

Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful to have him back home with us. But I cannot help but wonder what she has up her sleeve. She has never been someone to give in.

I fear we have a long drawn out court battle ahead of us! But I am more than up for the challenge! I will fight for my other son with everything I have in me!

I would appreciate the continued prayers and I know that where there is much prayer, there is much power!

Thoughts & Prayers Needed

2009-10-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

It is very hard for me to write this post as I thought something like this could never happen in my family. We found out last night that a young child in our family (NOT IN MY HOME), has been being molested by his step-brother. To make things worse, we also found out that his mother knew about everything and has done nothing! I am still in shock! I have helped raise this child and have always thought of him as my own. And as I am protective my children, I really want to choke his mother. She is sweeping this under the rug just to try and save her marriage. And I cannot help but wonder how or when a marriage to an abusive druggy becomes more important than protecting our own child from most parents worst nightmare!

I am writing this post tonight to ask for everyones thoughts and prayers over the next couple of days as things are probably going to be very crazy for our family, this child more so than anyone.

Thank you!

NO, I HAVE NOT FALLED OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH

2009-10-11T22:26:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to touch base with everyone and let them know that I have not forgotten about my blog. We have had a house full of sick people and Mom has been trying to get everyone well, keep up with my crazy college assignments and maintain our house in a close to normal fashion.

Now that everyone is starting to feel a little better and being in the middle of fall break, I hope to be back in action this week and make up for all the lost time. I have several crafts that I have been meaning to post, just have not had the time to actually sit down and list the step-by-steps to them. But with a new English assignment demanding an exposition, I took this as an opportunity to kill 2 birds with one stone. SO ~ I will be posting the finished product of my essay as a "How To" craft in the next day or so.

Build-a-Bear Baby!

2009-09-19T23:48:00.001-04:00

We had Alexis's birthday party at Build-a-Bear today and she had the best time. Actually, I am pretty sure that all the little ones had a great time. They made some adorable bears and played hard while making them. Alexis made the Spooky Kitty, which she named Miley and Nicholas made a furry dog that he named T. Muffin (well mommy picked the name because I use to call him my turd muffin).

Here are a few pix for now, will work on a slide show tomorrow.

Party #1 ~ The Family

2009-09-18T14:10:00.003-04:00

Here are a few pix from the family party!

Happy 3rd Birthday Lexi!

2009-09-18T10:57:00.000-04:00

I know this is a day late, but I spent the entire day yesterday with my Princess! We made it an entire day all about her. And she loved it. We went shopping for her some new shoes, we had lunch at Olive Garden (her choice), then we had a family party with cupcakes and lots of presents! Once we got home from her party, she was so exhausted ~ she passed out snuggling with daddy!

Now she is sitting in the floor with my little prince watching her new Hannah Montana Movie!

Wordless Wednesday - Sugarglider

2009-09-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

Brittany & Nicholas

2009-09-10T22:35:00.003-04:00

I do not get Brittany and Nicholas to pose together for pictures very often, so I had to post this!

Wordless Wednesday - Where I Spent My Weekend

2009-09-09T16:32:00.000-04:00

Adam & Lexi

2009-09-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

For those of you who do not know our family, my cousin Adam hates to take pictures and claims not to be a kid person. I think this photo says otherwise!

My Brother's Birthday Party

2009-09-07T11:28:00.001-04:00

OK, I know I am a little behind, but I finally uploaded my pictures from my brother's birthday party and this weekends Maggie Valley Adventure.

By-the-way, Brittany made the cake!

Small Talk Six - Six Jobs You Think Would Be A Blast

2009-09-05T09:50:00.000-04:00

Small Talk Six - Six Jobs You Think Would Be A Blast!

(Post your 6 with a word, sentence, phrase or even a photo. Just as long as you post!)

CSI: I am a huge fan of the CSI show and think this would be my #1 job. Although I would not like the actual crimes that occur, I would love being able to help solve them.
Computer Program Writer: My uncle writes computer programs and I have always been facisnated with his work.
Ice Skater: I watch the ice skating programs and I imagine myself zooming across the ice, spinning and twirling and jumpiing around. Then I open my eyes and realize that I could never get my butt in the air like those girls do!
Prima Ballerina: I took ballet for 6 1/2 years and truly loved it. I only quit because we moved to North Carolina and I did not fins another dance studio that I really liked.
Air-line Stewardest: If I were single with no children, this would be the job for me. Traveling all over the world just seems like a dream job.
Concert Promoter: Jet setting all around the globe! Promoting new bands, meeting new people. Always something new.

OK, these are my 6 dream jobs, now tell me yours!

My Weekly Wrap-Up

2009-09-03T14:14:00.001-04:00

It is finally Thursday and that means, my weekend is here! No class on Monday so I have a 4 day weekend and I NEED it.

I have had classes all this week and have had 4 tests this week. Not trying to pat myself on the back, but I am very proud of myself, I made 3 - 100's and 1 - 96! I guess school is like riding a bike, once you get back into the swing of things, it just comes natural!

Alexis has a great time at dance class this week and we have enjoyed watching her nightly presentations of what she has learned. She is becoming quite the little ballerina.

Nicholas has 2 more of his molars and has been talking up a storm! His new words this week are: no, door and book.

Brittany has rearanged a couple of her classes at school and is now in an advanced foods class. Which she loves. She is also in a program that will allow her to teach a class at our local middle school.

As for Doug, no major news. He has been working a lot of overtime this week and is looking forward to being off this weekend. I am sure he is cooking up a couple of hunting excursions for Friday and Saturday night!

The kids and I are heading to Maggie Valley for a few days. Time for a little R&R and what wonderful weather for a mountain trip! So do not be surprised if I am not on-line. I might be outside enjoying a technology free weekend!

Hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T22:10:00.000-04:00

Can you believe this is my 16 year old and her UNCLE who is 2 weeks younger than her. How many people can say their uncle is in the same grade as them and even has the same lunch block??

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-09-01T10:06:00.003-04:00

It's that time again! Time for Tuesday's Random Thoughts.

I cannot believe that it is the 1st of September already! Where has this year gone?? It seems like just yesterday when I was doing my spring cleaning and fall is here already!

How about this weather! It is wonderfully cool outside and I love it. My air is off and my windows are open. FRESH AIR AT LAST.

My little prince has learned so many new words in the past week. It is amazing to see how quickly he is picking things up. He is finally at a point where he is communicating with words, no just fussing. He is growing up too fast for mommy.

My little princess is going to be 3 in 16 more days! We are having her party at Build-A-Bear and she is super excited. To be honest, mommy is a little excited as well. This is going to be the smallest, cheapest party I have had for her and yet I think it will be one of the funest.

I cleaned out my children's downstairs toys last night to make room for birthday and Christmas presents. I still need to down size!

We are yard saling next Saturday and I have not even started going through the tons of stuff in my storage building! I guess I am going to have to get busy this week and next.

We are leaving for the mountains on Friday and I cannot wait. I am going to spend 4 days relaxing on the island listening to the creek run. This is my favorite place in the world to be.
I took my first quis in English today and I got a 100%. YEAH!

I took my first test in Biology yesterday and I am pretty sure I got a B on it. Not so yeah, was really wanting an A. Oh, well, I tried.

My car is not running - yet again. I believe I have a dead battery this time, last time it was the radiator needing to be flushed. But, it is paid for! So I try not to complain toooo much.

I need to go and pick up my prescription and check my post office box today. I have not checked my mail since Saturday. Not that I am expecting anything wonderful. Probably just a box full of love letters (bills).

I have an assignment to write a descriptive paragraph. No more than 150 words and it has to be completely objective. I have to pick something simple, like a pencil, a leaf or a toothpick. Can we say BORING! I love to write, but I prefer more interesting topics and more room for subjectivity.

Small talk Six - School Time

2009-08-29T10:09:00.005-04:00

Want to join in the fun? Click here to view the weekly list Small Talk Six topics for 2009.

Six things that you loved and/or hated about school! Post your 6 with a word, sentence, phrase or even a photo. Just as long as you post!

I am going to cheat a little on this one and make this a two-part post. 1st I am posting a High School list and 2nd I am posting a College list. Sorry, but there was a huge difference in my high school days and my past college/present college days!

6 Things I Loved/Hated About High School

1. I hated getting up so early in the morning.

2. I loved spending time with my friends.3. I hated homework.

4. I loved getting to go to football games.

5. I hated trying to get from one class to the other in 5 minutes. Which included trying to go by my locker, go to the bathroom and all before the tardy bell rang!

6. I loved going to the dances.

6 Things I Loved/Hated About College

1. I love getting up in the mornings

2. I hate the traffic in the parking lot! When everyone drives and there are limited parking spaces, parking can be a little hectic.

3. I actually enjoy my homework (it makes a huge difference when you are learning about something you really like).

4. I hate having so many textbooks to carry around and lockers not being an option!

5. I love that my mother is in all of my classes (my face-to-face classes that is).

6. I hate my on-line classes!

High School Daze Again

2009-08-26T21:15:00.003-04:00

Ms. Brittany started back to school yesterday. She is now a junior now at Jesse C. Carson High School. I cannot believe my baby will be leaving for college in just 2 short years! Where has the time gone?

She was sooo excited yesterday morning. When we got to the school and she went to get out of my car, she turned around and told me "I am so glad that school is back in". This made my day! I truly love the fact that she is thrilled about this school year. In years past she has always dreaded the first day and in return, mom dreaded it as well!

When I picked her up from school she was going a million miles an hour...she loves her teachers...loves her classes...loves her lunch block...has classes with some of her friends and so on!

She and her best friend have lunch together and this is the first time since elementary school they have gotten this lucky!

Batter Up

2009-08-26T20:58:00.003-04:00

This weekend I took my babies to watch our local baseball team, the Kannapolis Intimidators. They loved it! Alexis had more fun playing with the little girl sitting next to us, but Nicholas was a different story. He never took his eyes of the field. It was like he was mesmorized! Maybe he will be a great baseball player one day, he already has one heck of a pitching arm!

Wordless Wednesday II - Check Out This Face

2009-08-26T20:47:00.001-04:00

I know, I already posted one Wordless Wednesday, but I cannot help but post this as well. It is just so cute!

Shall We Dance

2009-08-26T20:38:00.004-04:00

After attending Dance Camp for two weeks this summer, Alexis has offically started Dance Class. She is in the beginners ballet & tap class at Center Stage Dance Company.

I was a little worried at first about how she would do, mainly because she was not fond of my leaving. But boy did I worry for nothing! As soon as she saw her teacher, Ms. Christy, she went running to her as if I was not even there. This week was her second class and now all I hear is "Mommy do I have dance class tonight", "Mommy when do I go to dance class again". She is a completely different child.

I guess it is time for me to face facts, my little girl isn't so little anymore!

Worldess Wednesday - Victory

2009-08-26T20:34:00.002-04:00

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-08-24T19:20:00.004-04:00

Random Thoughts for the day, where shall I start and how many should I list???? Well lets see, I shall type until the kids need me. So this may be short or it may be long!

My soon-to-be 3 year old knows the words to songs on the radio better than I do. She asked me the other day to play the "fire, fire, fire" song. I had no clue what she was talking about. That was until she started singing "shortly fire burning on the dance floor". I could not help but laugh at her, it was sooo cute!

I got on my schools website today to look up some upcoming dates, what a joke, if I were attending school last fall I would have been in business. They still have last years dates posted. And not just on the colleges main site, my on-line course teachers have yet to update their dates for posts! On one of my professors sites she has things dated 2005. Can we please get with the right year!

We leave for the Mountains next weekend and I cannot wait! I love the mountains in the fall.

My son is 16 months old now and is into everything. He climbs like a monkey! I turned my back for a second today and when I turned around he was sitting on top of the kitchen table. Would not worry to much about it, but we have a high-top type of table, guess it is time to move the chairs out to the building!

Why is it that men seem to be able to function just fine in the real world by themselves UNTIL the day you marry them! Then they resort to being toddlers again. If you are hungry, open the fridge - get out some lunch meat - grab the bread - AND MAKE A SANDWICH FOR YOURSELF! Do not call me and tell me that you are starving and ask when I will be home to make it for you. PLEASE, I am your wife, not your mother!

My daughter has started trying to dress herself and while she does pretty good with matching up her outfits (which I try to put outfits together in her drawer to make this easier on her), she never seems to be able to put her pants and/or shirts on right side. And for some strange reason, she never feels the need to put her undies on!

Ok, time to feed the little ones! Enough for me for today, check out Sarah at Mostly BassAckward and The Un Mom for some more randomness!

Monday Madness - Back to School Tomorrow

2009-08-24T19:11:00.002-04:00

Well guys, it's Monday and as always it has been a very crazy day! I had classes from 8 am until 2:30 pm which made for a very long day when I did not get much sleep last night. Oh well, maybe tonight will be better.

Tomorrow morning my 16 year old starts back to school. She is going to be a junior, A JUNIOR, I cannot believe it! It does not seem that long ago since I was walking her into her first day of Kindergarden. So this afternoon, after my classes, we headed out for some last minute back to school shopping! I was shocked, the stores are almost empty! Luckily we only needed a couple more packs of paper and some clothing items. 1 trip to Walmart and 1 trip to Old Navy later and I have very little sanity left!

Peter Rabbit Organics Fruit Puree Pouches Giveaway

2009-08-24T19:06:00.002-04:00

No matter what age your child, check out this giveaway at BassAckwards & Frugal! These can be feed to your infant or you can make fruit smoothies for your toddler!

Power Shelf Giveaway

2009-08-22T22:31:00.003-04:00

What a nifty idea! A power outlet and shelf all in one. Several times over I have sat my phone on my counter to charge and later found it in the floor (between children and/or pets). Why did I not think of something like this???

Enter to win one at BassAckwards & Frugal, I did! Good Luck!

Small Talk Six - 6 Things I'm Gonna Miss

2009-08-22T15:28:00.009-04:00

Todays Small Talk Six - Thing I am going to miss about this summer!

Well here are my favorites:

1. Playing outside with my babies.

2. Eating Ice Cream on a HOT DAY!

3. Going to the beach and playing in the water.

4. Staying in our jammies until lunchtime.

5. Eatting fresh veggies from my garden.

6. Looking at the beautiful flowers in my flower beds.

Wife, Mom to 3 & COLLEGE STUDENT ~ All-In-1

2009-08-20T18:17:00.006-04:00

Yes, to everyone that does not know me personally, I am a college Freshman AGAIN! Along with my other 4 full-time jobs (JOB 1 - Wife, JOB 2 - My 16 yr old, JOB 3 - My soon to be 3 yr old, and JOB 4 - My 16 month old). Can we say "I am asking for punishment"!

This was my first week of school and after being out of the loop from work and society for the past 16 months, I think I adapted pretty well. I managed to get out of bed early enough to get myself and the household moving for the day, drink my coffee (a staple in my life these days), get to class ON TIME, stay awake in each class, take some damn good notes, complete multiple homework assignments, regsiter with my on-line classes and actually figure out what the hell I am suppose to do in them. So I would say that I did pretty good for someone who graduated many, many moons ago.

I have to say, I have been extremely impressed with my professors! They are all HARDCORE, but the are very upfront about it. My English teacher especially. She wants what she wants, when she wants it and the way that she wants it. No if's, and's or buts about it. She does not tolerate being late or absent and if you are absent, well you get a 0 for any quizes and assignments for that day. There is no making things up and there is NO EXTRA CREDIT! Hard, yes, but I like her. I have no problem with her rules and actually appreciate her boldness.

I am really looking forward to the next 2 years and all of the challenges that I am facing. I have always been the type of person to enjoy learning and school and love it when someone or something stimulates my brain. You know, it is a muscle that everyone should use because all to many of the people of the world have lost a portion of theirs (HA HA HA).

To make all this even more humorous, my mother is attending college with me. She is even in the same program, BioTechnology. Hell, we even have 4 classes together! Yet another twist, my brother just started at the same college. Luckily he is in a different program so I do not have to study with him as well. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother ~ but my mother and my brother as study partners ~ just a little to much family fondness for me.

Well, I am off to study my math and see how many of my on-line assignments I can complete before my brain freezes for the week! Wish me luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T21:40:00.001-04:00

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-08-18T09:59:00.002-04:00

I have a lot of Random Thoughts in my head, but not sure I can put them all into words right now! Just finished my 2nd day of college after 17 years of being out of high school. My brain is in overload mode at the moment.

Our school AC has been out for the past 2 days. For me, this is the closest thing to hell I hope to ever endure! I have horrible hot flashes and almost stripped to my undies yesterday. Not sure that would go over very well with my professors.
My little man gets his stiches out in less than an hour. Not really looking forward to this appointment.
My little lady starts dance class tonight. She loves her teacher (she has the same teacher as she did in dance camp). Hope she does ok with me leaving, she is not fond of being away from mommy!
Getting out of the car this morning to go to class was a little weird - my mother, my brother and myself all rode to school together. YES, we are all in college together. This was definately a first for me. Actually, my mother and I have 4 classes together! She and my brother have 1 class together. So I can imagine how it feels for her!

Well, time to take my little man to the doctor. Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

Williamsburg/Yorktown August 2009

2009-08-17T22:55:00.002-04:00

Nicholas Got His First Stiches

2009-08-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

Sorry that I have not been on here for the past 2 days, but my little man had an accident and had to get his first stiches!

I have been trying to spend a little more time babying my baby!

Hopefully tonight I will get some time to upload my pictures to blogger. I did manage to get them on the computer. LOL!

Back From Vacation

2009-08-13T08:29:00.002-04:00

We got back late yesterday evening and after unpacking and getting the little ones fed and to bed, I crashed! So I did not get the rest of my pix uploaded nor did I get any internet time. So I decided to jump on this morning for a quick second before I have to head out and get started on my errands.

We had a great time and there will be LOTS of pictures tonight! So check back to see what all we did and how much fun we had.

On Vacation

2009-08-10T08:11:00.002-04:00

Sorry everyone but my posts over the next couple of days will be very slim! We have internet access in the hotel but you have to come to the lobby for it or pay by the day. And to be honest with you, I really want to be selfish and spend this time with my babies!

So, I will resume posts when I return. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Small Talk Six - Six Lazy Things

2009-08-10T07:49:00.002-04:00

I know I am a little late here, but come on ~ I AM ON VACATION.

Today’s topic at for Small Talk Six at momdot is “6 things people do that you think are beyond lazy.” You can answer this with a list of 6 words, 6 phrases, 6 sentences, 6 paragraphs, 6 photos, 6 videos, etc . .

1. When people see something laying on the floor and walk by it a half dozen times and do not stop to pick it up.

2. Leaving things pilled up on a kitchen counter until there is a mountain of stuff to be sorted as well as put away.

3. Re-fluffing clothes over and over again. Just go ahead and get it over with ~ fold them, hang them and put them away!

4. Throwing dirty clothes on the floor all over the bedroom when the laundry basket is sitting in the corner. Come on, can you not walk 3 extra steps and put them in the basket???

5. Throwing trash from your car on the ground. You picked it up to get it out of the car, can you not hold on to it until you reach a trash can. The world does not want to see your trash strone all over the place!

6. Parents who think that their older children were given to them to take care of their younger children. PLEASE, you had them, not be MOM enough to take care of them. Don't get me wrong, my 16 year old helps from time to time, BUT IT IS HELPING ~ NOT DOING!!!

Wordless Wednesday II

2009-08-05T22:59:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-05T22:37:00.002-04:00

Wacky Weekend Wind-Up

2009-08-03T08:17:00.002-04:00

WOW, what a weekend! Nothing major happened and we did not do anything really big, but boy am I worn out from it!

Did not get much sleep, my little man was sick and ended up going to see the on-call doctor. He has a sinus infection and a touch of bronchitis. So 1 antibiotic later and he finally slep thru the night again.

I did manage to get my house cleaned and some laundry done. We also weathered the storm or people at Concord Mills Saturday. I picked up a few outfits for my nephew, who I am going to see for the first time on Sunday! He is almsot 2 months old and I have not been able to get to VA to see him. OH YEAH, I also scheduled a vacation to Williamsburg, VA for a few days and scheduled a trip to Maggie Valley, NC.

We are taking my grandmother out to lunch for her 82nd birthday today. She loves Italian so I am thinking OLIVE GARDEN, yum yum! She loves Olive Garden about as much as I do.

Well, enought jiber-jaber for this morning. I need to get moving for the day!

2009-08-02T18:38:00.001-04:00

Tacky Day at Dance Camp

2009-07-31T23:04:00.002-04:00

Meant to upload this and post it yesterday but the day got away from me fast. We have family visiting from Minnesota and my days have been a little bit full.

Build A Bear August Deals

2009-07-29T23:31:00.003-04:00

As my close friends know, I am having Alexis's 3rd birthday party at Build A Bear, so I have been keeping up with their deals. And boy do they have a good one going for the month of August. You get to pick any bear, and hanging outfit and any shoes for $29.99. Considering the fact that most of the bears cost half that, this is an awesome deal!

Click HERE for more details.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-29T10:14:00.004-04:00

Dance Camp - Silly Hat Day

2009-07-28T17:47:00.003-04:00

Ok, as promised, I took some pictures for Silly Hat Day. Sorry, but they are not the best. The subject was not being very cooperative! She was mad at me and would not give me a pretty smile!

SHE PASSED!!!

2009-07-28T11:33:00.001-04:00

My moma passed her State Board Exam!! WAY TO GO MOM!

Random Tuesday Thoughts

2009-07-28T09:52:00.004-04:00

Since this is the first time I have participated in Random Tuesday Thoughts, I am not sure how many thoughts I will be able to put into words. Don't get me wrong, I have ten billion thoughts rolling around in my head 24 hours a day! Just don't always have the ability to write them down without confusing myself. Must be old age (ha ha ha)!

Once you are done checking out some of my crazy thoughts, visit my girl Sarah at Mostly BassAckwards and Julie at MomSpective for a really big fix of Random Thoughts!

My daughter is in Dance Camp this week and todays theme was Silly Hat Day. Simple enough, NOT. I use to have a ton of funny hats around the house, but my new declutter plan I have gotten rid of so many things. My silly hats being one of those things! So, why is it that you never need things when you have them, but get rid of them and boy do you realize why you held on to them.
My 16 year old can remember every word to ever song she hears, but cannot seem to remember anything important. TEENAGERS!
My husband left the window down in his truck all night last night ~ boy is his seat soaked. HA HA HA!
My car needs to be washed, has not been cleaned in months. Since March to be exact.
I cleaned for hours on Saturday and my house already looks like a pig pen! And I promise I have done several quick cleans since.
My mother is taking her State Board Certification for Pharmacy Tech this morning and I am praying she passes, at $129 a pop, boy I hope she passes.
I start college at 34 years old in 3 weeks, cannot wait but nervous as HELL at the same time.
My babies are pretty darn cute. I know, every mom thinks their kids are cute, but right now my son is playing and does not realize that I am watching him. The expressions on his face are priceless. Now why can't he make those faces when I have my camera in hand?????

Well that is enough randomness for 1 week, see you again next week ~ same place ~ same time!

Tiara Art Project

2009-07-27T21:38:00.003-04:00

We went lookinng for a silly hat for Alexis to wear to Dance Camp tomorrow and had very little luck, but we were fortunate that a friend had a hat we could borrow.

While we were on the hat hunt, I came accross a tiara art set and decided to bring it home for a quick and easy art project for today. We made 6 tiara's and the kids had a great time decorating them.

And the best part about this art project, I spent less than $5 for everything we used!

Dance Camp Time Again

2009-07-27T21:26:00.003-04:00

We are in the second round of Dance Camp for the summer. Alexis was a little hesitant at first as I am a stay at home mom and she does not spend a lot of time away from me. But once she was in the class room, I peaked thru the doors and she was happy as can be!

This weeks schedule at Dance Camp:

Tuesday - Silly Hat Day

Wednesday - Camp Shirt Day

Thursday - Tacky Day

Friday - WATERSLIDE DAY

I will post pictures of each day. I look forward to Tacky Day! Still have not decided what she will wear.

Great Cosmetics at a Great Price

2009-07-26T23:16:00.004-04:00

I have purchased a couple of ELF.com projects and they are great for the price! Pretty much everything they offer is only $1.

And as if that was not a good enough deal, when you order you'll automatically get a free subscription to Shape magazine with any $20 order (a $10 value).

Then to top off an already GREAT DEAL, you can add one of these offers:

~2SHIP - $2 shipping on orders of $25

~EGBRONZA - free bronzer wristlet, studio line bronzer, blushing, bronzing and blending brush with $10+ order

~EGBANGLE - 3 free bangles with any $20+ purchase

~SHADES - free aviator sunglasses with any $25+ purchase

Addition to the Family

2009-07-26T16:33:00.003-04:00

Today we welcomed a new family member, Hannah Miley Montana!

Sunday Savings

2009-07-26T09:12:00.003-04:00

We played sleepy heads this morning, no one stirring, no even a mouse until after 9 am this morning. And boy was it nice!

Once we got up and moving we headed out for breakfast and then off to Concord Mills to window shop. I actually like to go and just walk around with the babies. It gets us out of the house and gets me some exercise. And the little ones like it because they get to go and play in the veggies.

Anyway, while we were there, I stopped and talked to a gentleman from The Charlotte Observer about subscribing to the Sunday paper (for the coupons). I was shocked when he told me the price difference between getting just weekend deliveries and getting a 7-day a week deliver.

So let me break down the costs from purchasing on Sundays at a vending machine, getting weeekend deliveries and full week deliveries:

Sunday Paper Only (vending machine): $2.00 (total monthly cost $8)
Weekend Only (delivered): $13.00 monthly
7-Days a Week (delivered): $11.00 monthly

Now, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out which is cheaper. But there are a few things that I did not know:

First, the Sunday papers that are delivered have more coupon inserts than the ones that are in the vending machines; and

Second, there are coupons in the Wednesday paper!

So, while purchasing from a machine on Sunday is the cheapest per month cost, when you factor in your time to go and get it, the gas you use driving there and all the coupons you miss out on! No surprise, I signed up for the 7-Day a Week delivery!

I also received a $10 gift card to A.C. Moore (which I shop at pretty frequently for arts & crafts supplies) and I received todays paper for FREE!

If you are a couponer like myself, check with your local paper and see what kind of deals they have. You might just find that it is easier to kick back at home on Sunday mornings and read the paper in your jammies!

Wordless Wednesdays

2009-07-26T00:30:00.003-04:00

Ok, I am going to be new to this starting this week!

So check back and see what amazing pictures I can take of my family being crazy as usual.

Small Talk Six Saturdays - Skills I Wish I Had

2009-07-25T10:48:00.006-04:00

OK this is the first time I have participated in Small Talk Six, especially on a Saturday. Got the idea thru a friend, but if you would like to participate check out MomDot.

1. I wish I could Sing. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Don't get me wrong, it does not stop me from trying. I go down the road singing like I'm Mariah Carey!

2. I wish I could play piano. I took lessons for a while and can play basic songs, but I wish I could play like Mozart.

3. I wish I could clean like Samantha, just wiggle my nose and BAM its done!

4. I wish I could make things out of wood, like book shelves, tables, dressers, etc. I do good now to cut a straight line.

5. I wish I could draw. I can come up with some cool art projects but cannot draw much better than a 1st grader.

6. I wish I could decorate a cake. I can bake it, I can icing it, but that is it. No further skills than that!

My New Photos

2009-07-24T23:19:00.001-04:00

I have been playing with some photo editing software to see what I can do, and while I am no where near as good as my friend Sarah @ Mostly Bass Ackwards, I am learning a little at a time!

Here are a couple of pictures that I was playing with tonight. Let me know what you think!

Great Photo Editing by A Great Friend

2009-07-24T10:55:00.001-04:00

Thanks Sarah!

Heart Wrenching Movies That Hit Close To Home

2009-07-24T09:12:00.004-04:00

Last night my oldest daughter and I went to see "My Sister's Keeper." When we decided to see it I had no idea the effect it would have over me. I cried and cried and cried!

This movie really hit home. Even though it is about losing a child, I could not help but think about Susan, Tom and Katie (friends thru a friend who are facing serious health problems for both mom and dad and Katie is only 3). I also thought about Sarah, Jonathon, Ezra and Jesse (a life long friend and her husband who both have health problems and their young boys). It really made me think about my family.

We have lost 4 family members and 1 really close friend in the past 6 years. And while the Christian side of me knows they are in a better place, the human side of me still misses each of them. And while the Christian side of me knows that death is a part of life, I have found myself questioning God and how he could let these kind of things happen.

The other day, I hit my lowest point in a long time and had been questioning my faith. I just happened to turn the radio to 91.9 and this woman was sharing some thoughts and one thing she said really made me stop and realize that she is right. I have questioned my faith and questioned how God could stand by and not stop all the bad things from happening, but what she said opened my eyes and answered my questions. She said "God created a perfect world and gave it to us that way, he also gave us free will, and we are the ones that turned that perfect world into the world we know today, not God!" It is funny how that one sentence changed my way of thinking!

I do not understand why we loose loved ones or why young children have to suffer such horrible diseases. What I do know is that God is not the one who did this to our world and I do know that God is the only one who can give us back that perfect world. But he is not going to give that to us until we prove to him that we are worthy.

Watching this movie last night made me think about even more things. I know that I am going through a lot of family drama and I know that I have been feeling down because of it. But I realized last night that my family has been blessed. I have 3 wonderful and healthy children. And no amount of family drama can take that away from me. And my 3 wonderful children need me and my emotions at their best. So they are going to get it!

Like I told a friend last night, I am drained from my family drama. I am not giving up, but I am stopping it! I will be glad to say "YOU WIN" and move on with my life. Because, in reality, I am the one who really wins! It is no longer about trying to prove that I am right or that my children and I deserve to be treated better, it is about knowing that I am doing the right thing and that I am the bigger person.

Do not get me wrong, I am not writing off my family. I am not that kind of person. But instead of beating myself up over the family drama, I am going to pray for them and let God take the drivers seat in my life. After all, I have speed out of control and had my share of bump-ups. With him at the wheel, my life cannot go wrong!

Great Photo, Great Editing, Great Friend

2009-07-18T23:01:00.003-04:00

Lexi Lou

Britt Bratt

Nick Nack

I have a friend, well she has been like my little sister for about 25 years now, who does an awesome job with photo taking as well as editing! She asked me tonight to send her some pix of the little ones so that she could show me some new photo editing techniques that she had learned and boy are the amazing.

So, I feel the need to show them off and give her a big "GREAT JOB!" Thanks Sarah!!

Family Ties That Break Little Hearts

2009-07-17T23:21:00.001-04:00

I have been going thru some things with my in-laws for the past 3 years now and just when I thought that things were getting better, boy did I get slapped in the face all over again.

My sister-in-law has a daughter that is 10 months older than my daughter. While I worked (before my son was born last April), my mother-in-law kept both the girls. Now, I am a stay at home mom, my mother-in-law acts like she only has 1 grandchild. At first I did not let it bother me. But here lately my daughter has started asking me questions about why Mawmaw and Pawpaw take Savannah with them all the time and she cannot go.

I told my husband that I would not say anything or blow up with his mother until it became an issue with my children noticing things. And even though I have tried to hide as much as possible from them, we live 3 houses down from them and it is painfully obvious to my children (more so my daughter than my son as he is only 15 months old).

To make things even worse, now they have started to lie to us about taking her on vacations. I called my mother-in-law this morning to ask her about something and she informed me that they were on their way to the beach to get away for a couple of days. I was shocked since we were suppose to yard sale together this weekend, but figured she had been working hard and needed to get away. Not 15 minutes later I find out that my neice is accompanying them. This is about the 6th or 7th beach trip they have taken with her and several trips to the mountains as well. Never has my daughter been asked to go! And this time my daughter found out because we stopped by my sister-in-laws to pick up my older neice and the cat was let out of the bag.

So now I am faced with a dilema. How do I handle this. My mother-in-law is a very ALL ABOUT ME person. It is her way or no way. She even treats her husband as though he is a dog on a leash. And while I want to stand up for my children, I do not want to cause a family feud. I just want them to treat the grandchildren fairly. And if they cannot treat them fairly, I do not want them to be a part of my childrens lives!

My husband has always been second best to his sister with his parents, his grandfather always picked up the slack because it was soooo obvious. Now his grandfather is gone and it has been hard on him the past 3 years because he feels like he has no one there for him except for me. And I understand exactally how he feels, my mother has always been all about my brother and then I got what was left, only difference is that I did not have anyone to pick up the slack. But I have dealt with it my entire life so I am a little more use to it.

I do not want my children to go thru life feeling second best to anyone, especially other family members. I treat each of my 3 children the same! They are all special in their own way and I cannot for the life of me understand anyone seeing their children or grandchildren in any other way.

As a mother, it kills me to see my child crying over something they should not ever experience. And of course, when I get sad for my child, I get mad as well! I am already a person who finds it very hard to bite my tongue, I usually speak my mind and speak it very boldly. So this situation is really stressing me out. Like I said earlier on in the post, I do not want to start a family war, but at the same time I know that I need to address the situation.

I am going to pray about this for the next couple of days and avoid seeing or speaking with them until I calm down a little and feel I can handle the situation in the most effect manner. I would appreciate any prayers from others to help me maintain my cool and be the bigger person in all this!

Back to Basics - A Little Reality Check

2009-07-14T10:12:00.003-04:00

I have an old and dear friend and her family staying with me this week and it has really made me think about a lot of things. She and her new husband were trucking along in life and doing very well for themselves when he was laid off from work. He lost a high paying job and has been unable to find something paying anywhere near what he was making. He has taken a job, with a huge pay cut!

They have recently been a motorcycle accident that took him out of work for a couple more weeks. They are both recovering as the wreck was no where near as bad as it could have been! And they had God on their side!

Due to all this, they lost their home. This has had a huge impact on not only them, but their 4 children. Layoffs and home loss are hard on adults, but image the children who do not understand any of it!

They have found another home to move into but it having a little remodeling done before the landlord will allow them to move in.

Seeing their family and what they are going through has really made me think about a lot of things. I have tried sooo hard for the past few years to give my children any and everything within my power, I have showered them with gifts, bought so high dollar brand name items for them and even though I have been frugal about it by buying things at consignment stores and on craigslist, I have really come to realize that my children do not need anywhere near as much I have given them.

I watched my children playing last night and they were having a blast, not with the toys that I have bought but with simple things like the boxes from the rice we ate, my measuring cups, and other basic household things. My son gets more pleasure from riding on my vaccum cleaner than anything else in the world (other than being outside of course)!

I have played the "Keeping up with the Jones's" for all too long now and I am done! I am happy with living a little more basic. Besides, we live in an area where there are so many things for my kids to enjoy outside without having to start the car. We have chickens, goats, cows and dogs to play with. We have a Kawasaki Mule and a 4 Wheeler to ride around on. We have 4 pools to splash in, 4 swing sets to swing on, 9 children to play with (mine included) and lots more! There is a childrens paradise right outside my door! And it is all FREE!

You know, we all live above our means even if it is just a little bit, and why? Who are we pleasing by doing so? We had already cut back a lot over the past year and a half due to me deciding to stay home after my son was born, but I realized this week that there is still a lot more we can cut out that will really not affect our lives in any way other than saving some money. So, sorry everyone, this is one less family that will be spending money on things we do not need.

Thanks for listening as I bring my life back to basics!

2009-07-09T17:10:00.001-04:00

2009-07-09T09:44:00.001-04:00

2009-07-07T15:49:00.001-04:00

Dropping Inches by the Day

2009-07-04T21:48:00.000-04:00

Ok, as some of you know my daughter and I have been seeing a weight loss specialist for 10 days now and while it has been a big change getting use to the new eating habits and daily exercise,

IT IS WORKING!

I have already lost 15 pounds and my daughter has lost 17 pounds!!!

If you are truly interested in losing weight, check out Dr. Girouard's website and make and appointment. If you are not in the area, check out his program on line and find a doctor in your area that follows the same or a similar program.

I promise you will not be disappointed!

June Wrap Up

2009-06-28T22:05:00.002-04:00

OK, I have updated the site with some of our Summer Highlights.

Some other things have been going on, but no pictures so I will just post them here!

Brittany got her permit and is now driving, badly, but driving.

Alexis is not registered at Grace Bible for a K3 program this fall.

Nicholas is going to be spending some time with Doug's Mom on Mondays - Thursdays till around 3 each day.

And Mommy is heading back to school! I register tomorrow morning for the Biotech Program at RCCC. I took my entrance exam last week and after 17 years of being out of school, I actually aced the dang thing!

Doug has been doing a lot of hunting and fishing, they are on a 3 week shut down so he has a lot of free time on his hands right now.

We also had a unique trip to the coast, but I will have to elaborate on that in another blog (will also have to upload some pix of the reason for the trip). So come back later for the next update!

Hope everyone else is having a great summer and spending more time outside enjoying the summer instead of sitting inside hanging out on the computer!

Dance Camp

2009-06-28T21:52:00.005-04:00

Alexis attended dance camp this past week at Center Stage Dance Studio (where she will be taking ballet classes this fall). Alexis has had a ball. Each day they had a different activity (arts & crafts) as well as 2 dance classes.

Tuesday - Show & Tell

Wednesday - Camp Shirt Day

Thursday - Rock Star Day

Friday - Water Slide Day

I think Friday was everyones favorite day! But the kids looked awesome on Rock Star Day!!

Story Time

2009-06-28T21:47:00.003-04:00

I signed Nicholas and Alexis both up for story time at our local library this year. Alexis has really enjoyed it, Nicholas is still not sure about the story time part of it but loves running around looking at the books.

They also have a play center in the childrens section with all the Doug & Melissa puzzles, which Nicholas loves.

The theme this year is "Be Creative At Your Library". Alexis's group is called the Dancers and Nicholas's group is called the Tumblers!

Splish Splash

2009-06-28T21:45:00.002-04:00

After dinner at Doug's moms we pulled out her little pool for the kids to play in. Nicholas had a ball. He loves the water sooooo much!

Alexis and Savannah joined him for a little while but he ruled the pool!

The Rabbit

2009-06-28T21:42:00.002-04:00

My sister-in-law bought her husband a beautiful rabbit for his birthday this year! So during one of our family get togethers we got to be entertained by the rabbit! HA HA HA!

All the rabbit did was lay around! I have never seen a rabbit out of a cage just lay there this calmly!

Build A Bear

2009-06-28T21:37:00.002-04:00

We went to Concord Mills one day and ended up on the wrong side of the mall! Once my girls saw the Build-A-Bear store, that was it! We walked out with 3 new bears! A Hello Kitty for Brittany, a Hanna Montana for Alexis and a Monkey for Nicholas! And of course, they all had to have outfits and acccessories!

Brittany even got a bear for her Daddy for Father's Day!

ONCE AGAIN, THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN WITH MY PHONE!

Dan Nicholas Park

2009-06-28T21:30:00.003-04:00

Every spring my husbands company has their family picnic at Dan Nicholas Park. This year was quite the adventure! We had been there less than an hour when Nicholas had a rash (about the size of a fifty cent piece) come up on his leg, then another one on the opposite leg. It kept getting worse and worse and after several calls to the doctors office and a million people looking at it, we ended up putting neosporin on it and giving him benadryl.

We stayed for a little longer so that Doug would not have to miss out on all the company events.

Before the craziness began, we did get a couple of pictures, so here they are...PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN WITH MY PHONE! So the quality is not the best.

Busy Bees

2009-06-28T21:10:00.003-04:00

Have not updated the Blog in a while, been busy spending the summer on the go with the little ones. So, I am going to quickly post a few updates showing a little about what we have been doing and where we have been.

Tickle My Tummy Tuesdays

2009-06-09T08:06:00.003-04:00

My children never cease to amaze me! Just when I think I have seen it all, they do something that sends me rolling laughing!

My 16 year old started drivers education (the driving portion) yesterday. She came home this morning and informed me that the teacher only fussed at her 8 or 9 times, but she feels like she is doing a great job! She does not understand the concept of letting the steering wheel glide thru your hands when turning. She puts a death grip on the steering wheel and trys to turn it while holding her hands in the typical 10 and 2 position. It is the funniest driving I have ever seen and even funnier that she really does not understand why this does not work!

I have been trying to allow my 2 1/2 year old to play a role in her decision making. So instead of telling her what she is going to or not do, I give her 2 choices. When she offers a 3rd choice, I tell her "That is not an option". Never did I think she would turn that around on me. But she did. I was getting her ready to go and I told her to sit down so that I could fix her hair. She spun around and looked at me with the most serious face ever and said "That is just not an option Mommie". I laughed soo hard the I almost wet my pants!

My 13 month old has a nack for starring people down. My brother swears he is going to be one heck of a card player! But the funny part is how he does it. I drops his chin to his neck and cuts his eyes back up and does not blink for anything in this world! It is soo cute, I cannot help but laugh at him everytime he does it.

My children, they keep me on my toes! But I would not change them for the world.

Blogger Slump

2009-06-07T21:13:00.001-04:00

Sorry I have not been blogging alot lately, been spending more time outside with the babies rather than inside with the computer!

Hope to get back into the swing of things this week and take the computer outside with me a little bit!

Hope everyone had a great weekend and I will be back soon!

2009-06-02T22:42:00.001-04:00

I'm an Aunt Again!

2009-06-02T22:33:00.003-04:00

Welcome Aiden Ryan!

Born May 24th at 8:06 a.m.
7 Pounds 5 Ounces
20 Inches long!

CONGRATS SIS! You did a great job, he is absolutely beautiful!