KY Lake 2011!!

Last Wednesday we left for our annual Kentucky trip. Megs rode with us and we stayed till Sunday. It was HOT!!! We spent a LOT of time in the pool, the kids made lots of crafts, visited some horses, went fishing, ate great, and just spent a great weekend with the family. I can't believe we have been going for so many years and how many people have stayed the same. I swear some of the waitresses at the lodge have been there the twenty plus years we have been going. And they remember us!!!

Turner was a bit of a handful, but I do think he did better than last year. This kid just has a mind of his own and we did receive a few ugly looks from time to time. It is always from the old people, whom I assume had children of their own at one time. I guess they just did a much better job with theirs than I am doing with mine:) The dirty looks drive me crazy though. Do they think I really enjoy watching my two year old throw a tantrum in public??? I think not....we are a work in progress and he will get there....one day. I will add that Sunday when we got back, I took Turner with me to the grocery store. He was an absolute angel and I was so thankful. I do think he does better alone. He and Maddie feed off each other and either are best friends or driving each other crazy!

Back to Kentucky-we are so thankful to Mimi and Boo Boo for making this trip happen year after year and we had a great time!!! It is always entertaining watching Boo Boo, Bubba, and Kevin in action and they tend to feed off each other as well. Alderman Boo Boo was told by a complete stranger at the pool that he looked like a clown:) He was applying sunblock and was quite a white mess. But we love him anyway and its always good to have a clown on your side, right? Fun times!!!

Play Dates!

Last week was a busy one for us!!! Monday I kept London all day while Kelly went to work. She is the sweetest well mannered two year old ever!!!!! All day long, it was "Miss Missy" and "yes ma'am". We took the kids to the park and then filled up the baby pool for the little ones to get in while Maddie played in the big pool with her daddy. It was a fun day and I am doing it again tomorrow:)

Tuesday, another friend, Courtney came over with her three girls. She has twins that are two and a three year old daughter that has the same birthday as Mo. I am having a Kelly's Kids trunk show in a few weeks and she is the rep. She brought me some stuff, we discussed the show, and then took everyone to the pool. It was WILD!!! Five kids between two momma's is too fun.

I love having friends over for me and the kids and it was a great start to the week!

My strong willed little boy!!

The two's are hard....I had forgotten....Turner has reminded me a lot this week!!! He can be the most lovable, sweet little boy. He can also be the most stubborn. Let me share a few of his favorite phrases this week- "LEAVE ME ALONE", and "You are not being nice, I am telling daddy/mommy", and how about "I said IN A MINUTE". Most of the time these are yelled at the top of his lungs. We have gotten past the biting stage....that is biting people. Now, when he gets mad, he bites objects, and then throws them. I will admit, I have wanted to cry a few times this week. I have also started reading "Bringing up Boys" by Dr. James Dobson and am half-way through with "Grace-Based Parenting" by Dr. Tim Kimmel. I know that we have to show grace and love to our flawed son the way that Christ does for us. At times, it is hard.

So how are we handling it? Today he went to time out three different times for his screaming fits and did get the spanking spoon/hand twice. We make him stay in time out until he is done thowing his fit and can calm down. He has such a strong will, and we are determined not to give in to his tantrums. This morning he simply didn't want to take off his jammies to get dressed. Tonight, he didn't want me to take his old diaper off to put a new one on. He decides he does or doesn't want something, and it takes a lot for him to see things our way. It hurts everyones feelings and I hate it. But we are working through it, and we still love him to pieces. He is our sweet, expressive, stubborn, full of life little boy and we are so glad that he is ours!!! (But pray for us if you think about it:)

VBS 2011!!

This week was our church's Vacation Bible School and my first year to help. I loved it!!! We had a great, but tiring week. Kevin was in charge of Recreation, my mom and I did snack for the 4 and 5 year olds (Maddie's class), and Turner struggled through in the two year old room. I have clingy children. Maddie stayed right by my or Mimi's side the whole week, and Turner screamed bloody murder every time we dropped him off in the morning. But....after we left Turner did fine and ended up having a great week. Mimi and I just had to take different routes throughout the week to avoid him seeing us. I think Maddie would have been better in a different class, just because she was too focused on us and making sure that I was right there. But she learned 4 bible verses and I was so glad to be able to be a part of everything.

We had 12 children in our class and enjoyed making edible crafts every day. Several of the kids told us we need to teach their parent how to make them:) Yesterday we made a beach scene with blue jello (ocean), graham crackers (sand), cheerios (sand dollars), and gummy fishes and gold fishes. A weird combo but the kids loved it!! We also made sea anenomes, which were haystacks decorated with m&m's, marshmallows, and raisins. Fun Fun!! The children learned about Jesus all week while having a great time!! I am so glad to be a part of EBC and want to thank Mimi for letting me be her sidekick for the week. Our family had a blast!

Dentist Visit times 2!

We took both kids to the dentist on Tuesday. It was Turner's first visit and he did great!!! He sat on my lap while they cleaned his teeth, but he handled it just fine. Maddie, on the other hand.....she has always done fine at the dentist. But Tuesday she just did not want to go. We explained to her that she needed to be a big example for Turner so he wouldn't be nervous. Apparently she isn't a fan on the flouride. The dental hygeniest let her use mouth wash instead and she was much better after that!

Turner's teeth look great and there were no issues. We weren't so lucky for Maddie, and I have several excuses that I am going to give-

1. She has to use flovent twice a day (an inhaler), which isn't good for her teeth but has worked wonders for her asthma.

2. When we potty trained her, we gave her starbursts for pooping, and that is still today her favorite candy.

3. She has a peanut/nut allergy which has eliminated quite a few foods from the whole families diet. We kinda feel sorry for her. I think we make it up to her by letting that child eat way too much non chocolate, chewy, sugary candy!!!!

Not good excuses....but excuses for why my four year old has 3 small cavities. 3 not good excuses on why we are about to put $400 worth of fillings in this four year olds mouth while I don't have a job. I think this momma has learned a lesson about excuses....there will be no more!!!!

Baby Kate

There is a sweet couple at our church that recently adopted a baby. Her name is Kate and she is precious!! Maddie just loves her. Maddie has asked me if we can have a "brown baby", she really wants a brown sister. I have explained "adoption" to her a little bit, but know she doesn't fully understand it. Well Sunday we had a spaghetti dinner at church and one of my parents sweet friends, Mrs. Ware, had a surprise for Maddie. She gave her a brown baby doll, whom Maddie immediately named Kate and took over to the real Kate to show her:) Maddie has taken her baby Kate around the house with her for the past two days. I love her innocent questions, the ease in which she accepts answers, and her love for others.

Gabbey Turns 5!

Saturday we went to Paint A Piece for Gabbey's 5th birthday party! Maddie painted a car and Turner painted a helicopter. The kids always enjoy painting at Paint a Piece and today was no exception. Turner was the youngest that participated and he did great! He listened the whole time directions were being given and was very interested in painting his helicopter:) Gabbey seemed to have a great time and we were so glad to be part of her special day!!

First Week Down!

Well I made it through the first week at home. It has been great, but felt really weird. I have always worked since I graduated college except when on maternity leave. I loved having that time at home but spent all of it exhausted:) This week has been such a relief to me. I had spent past two months being so stressed out, I don't think I enjoyed anything! It was horrible and I know by far, this was the best decision for me and my family. I am happy to start each day and just look forward to being with the kids and Kevin.
That being said....I know this is only temporary. If I start thinking about the future too much, I do get a little anxious. It makes me nervous not knowing what I will be doing next, or how difficult it might be to find anything, much less something that I will enjoy doing. But I know that God is in control and an opportunity will come along in his time. I am trying to just take each day as it comes and appreciate everything that I have.
Last night I had the opportunity to go to a homeless shelter downtown to help serve dinner along with other members of our church. It was so humbling and I enjoyed doing it so much!! That was right down my alley and I realized how much I have missed it. I chose Social Work as my major because I love helping people, whether it be at a nursing home, working with juvenile delinquents, special needs kids, or now I can add feeding the homeless. I have really gotten away from that between my job at Dobbs and family. When searching for jobs I have really only been looking at office jobs since that is what I have done for so long. But I think I would be so much happier getting back into my field. If that doesn't happen though, it definately encouraged me to at least give up some of my time to serving others.
This has been a good, thought provoking week, and I plan on enjoying each day as it comes!! We have a birthday party tomorrow and next week is VBS at church. Kevin and I are both working it so the whole family will spend the week at EBC. I am so excited about being involved this year!! Hopefully lots of children will hear the word and hearts will be moved!!

Sprinkler Park!

Wednesday we met Kelly, Mrs. Martha, and her kiddo's at the Sprinkler Park in Collierville. I love this park and the kids always have so much fun. Both Turner and Maddie just ran around like crazy and have no fear of the water. London had a great time as well. Cade was a little more hesitant, but I think he had a pretty good time too:) The kids played for about an hour and then we headed to lunch at Zaxby's. Lunch with a 4 year old, 2 2 year olds, and a 1 year old is a mess for sure. They did pretty well, but a few of them didn't stay in their seats for long! Both of mine included:) Its always fun getting out with our kids and friends though. It was a fun play date and I plan on doing the sprinkler park a few more times before the summer ends!!

July 4th!

Last weekend was lots of fun with plenty to do! Saturday night we took the kids to see the Bartlett fireworks and met lots of friends there. My family was there, friends from church, and friends from high school. We all had a good time visiting and watching the kids run around. The fireworks were great!! Turner cried when they first started but quickly stopped and enjoyed them. It was a fun night for everyone!

Monday we had Megs and Bubba over for a swim and then headed to Mimi and Boo Boo's for a cookout. We had burgers and hotdogs, a few appetizers, and the kids and I made cupcakes. It was an enjoyable weekend and a great way to start off my time at home!

Sunday School Friends!

A few weeks ago we went to our friends house, Scott and Tina, for a Sunday school cookout. The people in our class have become some of our closest friends over the years. We love doing stuff with them and we are such a great support to each other. I can't count the number of times I have called some of them over the past few months to vent about my job and what I should do. I received a card in the mail, emails with scripture that were uplifting, and thank God for their friendships everyday.

An added bonus is that we all have children the same ages. They all get along well and I am thrilled that they have such a good core group of friends from church. I just wanted to share a few pictures of the kiddo's from the night.

BIG CHANGES!!!

This has been a roller coaster week. It has been very emotional and ended on a great note!!!! After a lot of prayer, discussions with many people, and several breakdowns, yesterday was my last day at Dobbs Ford. I don't think I am cut out for the corporate world, and it proved to be more than I can handle. The past two months have been a nightmare at work and there has just been change after change. I could spend two hours writing it all down, but I am just ready to get on with it......I am so excited to say that I was given a package that is going to allow me to spend a little bit of time at home with the kids before I return to work. Money will be a little tight, but I have one year left before Maddie goes to Kindergarten. I can't think of anything I would rather do than stay at home and love on my kids.
It makes me nervous when I start thinking too hard about looking for another job and wondering what I will be doing next. But...I know the good Lord has gotten us to this point, and we are going to be just fine! I am so thankful and appreciative of all my coworkers. Saying goodbye was bittersweet yesterday, but I will be seeing them again. I will have to get an oil change once in a while:)
So there are no more excuses for slacking on the blogging and I am already planning lots of things for us to do over the next few weeks. There are TONS of free things that we can do with the kids that are fun. I have already become an extreme couponer in my head:) I have all kinds of plans on ways for us to save money and am just going to have to tighten the hatchet in the clothes buying department for the kiddo's. That is ok-having that time means so much more!!
I am excited and looking forward to sharing my adventures on being a stay at home mom with the kiddo's-no matter how short lived it might be!!