My Smart Boy!!

Yay for Brody! Let me just say that he has finally decided that he wants to learn...and he is doing great! It has been such a struggle for me - trying to teach him. He is just so different from my older two children - they were so eager to learn and so easy to teach. Brody, on the other hand, has such a short attention span and had no desire to sit still long enough to let me teach him anything. (But, let me add that he is a ball of fun & energy...24/7 entertainment for our family!)

Anyway, in the last couple of weeks, he has learned to recognize the letters of the alphabet and today, he wrote his whole name...all by himself! And, trust me, I have been trying to work with him for a while now. He is definitely self-motivated....what I mean by that is he learned it when he was good and ready...he just was not ready any earlier and so, when he felt like it was time, he learned all the info in like 2 weeks. I am a proud mommy!

But, trust me, learning is not all he has been doing - yesterday, I found him with a pillow on the floor at the bottom of the bunk beds trying to talk Kassidy into jumping from the top bunk. So, don't think for a minute we have lost our spunky, crazy Brody...he will just be a smarter ball of energy...I can't decide if that will be a good thing or a bad thing????

Happy Valentine's Day to me!!

Woo-hoo!!! I am super excited because I think I have sweet-talked Matt into a couple days at the beach for Valentine's Day!!! I LOVE the beach...I mean, I am passionate about the beach. I just smile when I think about being at the beach, digging my toes in the sand, going for a morning jog, watching my kids run around barefoot in the sand and scream whenever their toes touch the chilly ocean water, just sitting and listening to the sound of those awesome waves breaking....I could go on & on. One of my lifetime goals is to own a little place at the beach so we can go whenever we want...but, I don't know if Matt will go for that because he knows I would probably want to go every weekend. But, right now, I am just so happy that I get to go this weekend!!!! And, believe me, I know Matt is doing this for me because he loves me with all his heart...believe it or not, he does not like the beach - it still hurts me to say that out loud...how can anyone not like the beach??? Especially, my husband, the love of my life - I am bound and determined to bring him over to my side - the beach lovers club....Anyways, all I can say is - Beautiful Beach, Here I come....

There really is no place like home

So, Matt gets a call from the school on Wednesday that we need to come pick Kenzie up because she has been crying on & off for the past hour and she really wants to come home.....totally unlike Kenzie...but, the teacher proceeds to inform him that there was a "tornado drill" and Matt pretty much stopped her mid-sentence and said, "Say no more....I will come pick her up ASAP." You see, Kenzie has an unhealthy fear of anything related to a tornado....whether it be wind, heavy rain, dark clouds, or, as we just recently discovered, a tornado drill. She read a book once about a tornado and it told how many people died during the storm - ever since then, she has been scared to death of being invovled in a tornado.

Anyway, Matt went to the school and picked her up - with her big, swollen eyes and her tear-stained cheeks. She was still crying - very shaken and visibly upset. On the way home, she told Matt that she had missed the "drill" part of the whole announcement - you see, she thought it was an actual tornado & it scared the daylights out of her. I really did not know that there would be a tornado drill - I felt really bad for her - seriously, she was living out her worst nightmare....my poor baby!

So, it may take a few days (or few years) for her to recover from this experience, but at least she actually slept last night and seems to be getting back to her happy-go-lucky self.....And, just in case you were wondering - she WILL not be seeing the Wizard of Oz - EVER!!!!!!!!

What was that noise??

We had a meeting with Kenzie's teacher today....we took Brody & Kassidy with us because we knew we would only be there a few minutes. Remember, we are the only ones in the classroom with the teacher sitting rather closely to each other at a kid's desk in itty, bitty chairs.

Well, Kassidy sat on Matt's lap most of the meeting...which turned out to be quite unfortunate for him. You see, right in the middle of the meeting Kassidy decided to let out a huge poot on Matt's leg. Then she proceeded to laugh so hard....followed by those dreaded words, "I poot...I poot..." It was one of those moments where I heard it but I tried really hard to act like I did not hear it. I knew if I looked at Matt I would bust out laughing - I did see him out of the corner of my eye and his face was so red. The sound, the laughter, and the words that followed were never actually acknowledged by anyone. If the teacher heard it, she did a great job of "acting" like it never happened.

Talk about one of those little embarrassing moments...but, thinking back on it now, it was totally hilarious & only affirms why I love little kids so much - total honesty and no inhibitions at all!!

One of "those" moments as a mom

Man, I blew it today....that has got to be the worst feeling as a mom. When you are in a "heated" situation and you have a split second to choose whether you will rise to the occassion and be the mom you know you need to be or whether you will go down in flames. Well, today - unfortunately - I chose to burn, baby, burn!! I had a perfect opportunity to set an example of how to react when things don't go your way, how to not let anger get the best of you, how to keep your mouth shut so you don't regret what comes out.... But, I messed up....I let my frustration get the best of me and boy, did I set a bad example for my kiddos.

But, now it is time to learn from my mistake and resolve to make a much wiser decision next time. Because, believe me, there will be a next time...and, all I can hope & pray, is that each time I fail, I learn from the failure and I become a better mother!!

A verse that inspires

"She senses the worth for her work and is in no hurry to call it quits for the day!" Proverbs 31:18

I read this verse in The Message the other night during my quiet time. It really stuck with me. It made me think about my normal days and as a mom....how sometimes I feel like I have done absolutely nothing of any "worth" throughout the day and I am counting down the minutes until the kids are in bed and I can put on my pjs and just lay on the couch and do nothing. This verse made me realize that what I do is important and I need to open my eyes and see that it is worth something - it is worth a lot - especially to 4 little people who rely on me for pretty much everything. I am shaping & molding them each day into the big people that they will eventually become. They depend on me for love, attention, nourishment, discipline, guidance.....And to say what I do each day is worthless is really saying that how my children turn out, how they feel at the end of each day, how their needs were met was totally unimportant to me! Ouch!!!

This verse has kinda become my "motto" for my days as a stay at home mom. I want to see the worth in all I do and I don't want to long for the day to be over....I want to cherish every moment and end up wishing my days were longer so that I could do more for my kids and have more time to help mold them into the people that God wants them to become!

I'm Back (at least for now)

Ok...so it has been a while since I wrote on my blog - I have been drawn over to the dark side - FACEBOOK!! I feel like I am keeping in touch with everyone over there so now I don't really feel the need to update my blog. I am still debating on whether I will just dump the blog or try to get motivated to keep it going....

Anyway, I thought about updating my blog because my kids have been saying some of the funniest things lately. They have been keeping me busy (as usual) but also very entertained! Thought I would share some of their memorable "words of wisdom"...

1. We were sitting at the table as a family and we got on the topic of Heaven....Brody was saying how he was going to like Heaven but Kenzie shouted out, "No, Brody, you are going to hell...." Of course, we were shocked, and told her that was not a nice thing to say....Well, she went on to explain that Brody was not saved and he had not asked Jesus into his heart so he was going to hell. She was actually stating what she knew to be the truth (of course, she did not factor in that he is only 4)...but we got a kick out of her going ahead and sending Brody to hell!!

2. I went to eat at Ichiban's with some friends and Kenzie could not believe that I went to eat at "Itchy Bobs"....so just thought that was gross!!

3. Brody is obsessed with Barack Obama...he told me he wants a Barack Obama doll - he said he saw one for sale on tv.

4. Brody just learned the term "dating" so he has been telling us who he is "dating" lately....I guess I won't share his secret loves but he is currently "dating" 3 or 4 girls at once!!

5. Micah said the sweetest thing yesterday - We prayed for Kenzie while she was at the dentist getting her tooth pulled and after we finished praying, he said "Well, we have done our part (prayed) and I guess we will have to trust God and let him do the rest..." Pretty wise for a 9 year old!!

6. And, finally, yesterday in the car....I heard Brody singing, "Its too late to order fries..." I died laughing because the real song lyrics are "Its too late to apologize...." He says Micah taught him those words...but it was so funny to hear my four year old singing that loud and proud!

October Fun

We have had an awesome October. It has been very busy, but most of the time it has been a "fun" kind of busy. Of course, we started with an awesome trip to Disney....Don't really need to elaborate, but I will say it was one of the best vacations we have ever had. I am convinced that nothing beats a trip to Disneyworld.

We also had the fall festival at our church - -which is a highlight of the year for our kiddos. They have at least 10 huge blow-up play thingies for the kids and there are tons of carnival type games to play. It was freezing cold this year, which is highly unusual for this neck of the woods, but it was still awesome and the kids had an absolute blast!!

Then, it was time for Kenzie's 7th birthday party. She wanted to do a luau at her grandparent's heated swimming pool, which normally would be a great idea, but as I mentioned before, it was freezing this year. So, we still had a luau. They jumped in the pool for about 15 minutes (which was impressive), but then decided to enjoy the rest of the party on the patio!!

Finally, we did our annual trick or treating on the big golfcart (it holds like 12 people). We always hook up with some friends and ride around the neighboorhood and let the kids rack up the candy. I am still waiting on my friend to send me some pics from our Freaky Friday Halloween Night...maybe I can post a few later.....But, we had a lot of fun. October is always a great month...and, once again, this one proved to be filled with fun and lots of great memories!!

He said what????

Brody just had one of his "classic" moments and I had to share it with you guys. I am trying to teach him his verses for Cubbies (Awana) and he was having a little trouble understanding the words. The verse was "and Jesus grew in wisdom..." But, Brody was repeating..."And Jesus was dumb." At first, I was upset and getting ready to correct him for saying that, but Micah said, "You know, mom, wisdom really does sound like "was dumb"....and, he was right. Poor Brody - I hope he gets it right tonight at class. I don't think his teacher will think it is very cute if he keeps saying the Jesus was dumb!

Sleeping Beauty

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the chance to get to go back to bed in the morning...it is one of my favorite things to do. In high school, I would actually get up a little bit earlier so that I would be able to get back in the bed after I took my shower. It is the best when it is nice & chilly and I can climb back under the blankets and doze off. This morning was absolutely the perfect morning for this. I had to get up at 6:30am because Kassidy was crying...well, after like 5 or 10 minutes, she went back to sleep. I did not really have much luck trying to get back to sleep. I got up & made the kids lunches, got them all dressed, and Matt took them to school (he let Brody ride along, too). As soon as he left, I ran to my room, snuggled up under my favorite, brown, fuzzy blanket and went back to sleep for a whole extra hour. It was the best!!!

So, this has been an awesome start to what will hopefully be an awesome day....Isn't it funny how the little things in life can make us so happy sometimes!!!

Customer Service, yeah right.....

Ok, so I went to the store Tuesday Mornings today with Brody & Kassidy. I decided to take the stroller in since Kassidy loves to stand up in the shopping cart (and most of you know my history with kids & shopping carts!) Anyway, I saw a few things that I wanted to pick up for the kids for Christmas, so I had like 5 or 6 items in my hands and I was trying to push a cheap umbrella stroller that was just not cooperating. One worker saw me struggling big time to even get my stroller to move, but no offer to help...not a big deal, just pushed my way passed her. I went to the front register to ask the lady if I could sit my items up front until I finished shopping. Her response, "No, you will have to get a cart and push it." I proceeded to tell her that I was trying to push a baby stroller, so I would not be able to push a cart too. Sorry Charlie! She said, "Well, this is where people check out, so you can't leave your stuff here." This is where my blood began boiling...I mean, come on, really - you are not even going to let me sit my stuff up here for a couple minutes...because the store was just soooo busy (2 other customers in the whole place!). And, if you are familiar with Tuesday Mornings at all, you know it is like a flea market/discount store - it is by no means clean & organized - no one would have even noticed that I had set anything up front.

I decided to just walk away - mad as fire, but what are you going to do - probably not shop there again anytime soon...but, I really think they could care less! Seriously, I have had some bad experiences with customer service...but this one just really bugged me - a struggling mom, 2 kids, bum stroller, hand full of your products, but sorry we can't help you out at all?!?! Oh well, in the end, I kept my cool & did not say things that I regret now (might have thought them, but did not say them) - which to me was a huge accomplishment!!

Kassidy The Climber

So, I went to my bedroom for like 2 seconds and I walked back into the living room to find Kassidy standing on our computer desk. I think my heart stopped for a minute ...but this is an all too familiar scene. Brody used to do the same thing - except he was only like 10 months....Kassidy gave me a few more months of peace. Matt found her standing in the middle of the kitchen table a few days ago. So, I guess she is officially in her "explorer" stage. This should be a fun few months, don't ya think??

My Accomplishments List

Ok, so I am tired of always focusing on what I did not get done during the day and all the stuff I have to get done the next day....so, I thought I would take a minute and make a list of all the things that I did get done today (no matter how trivial they may be....they were "accomplishments" - things that probably would not have gotten done if I did not do them!!)

1. Packed kid's lunches this morning - making a turkey sandwich at 7:30am is just not fun

2. Went to the bank - gotta have money to pay those bills

3. Got a friend's b-day card all ready to mail - only a month late!!

4. Changed two dirty diapers - fun, fun

5. Cleaned out the Yukon - wonder how old those fries really were??

6. Pulled weeds in the yard - so Matt would not feel like he had to mow the lawn tonight

7. Fed my kiddos - mini frozen pancakes do count as a meal, right?

8. Went running - gotta look good for my man

9. Did my Bible Study - and it was just what I needed..."Be still, and know that I am God!"

10. Updated my blog - and aren't you so glad I did :) :) :)

So, these things may not seem like huge accomplishments, but sometimes I think that we as wives/mothers forget that even the trivial, annoying, time-consuming things we do are very important to our families...just stop and think what would happen if you did not do some of the things on your list ...it would make a big difference in how smooth your day went for both you and those you take care of. In fact, if you have time, why don't you share your list of "accomplishments" for today....I think it would be encouraging to us all to see how great we are as moms and wives - time for a little pat on the back, don't ya think??

You NEED a vacation, right?

Since my last post was kind of a bummer and it talked about how money is so tight these days, I thought I would post about a great way for you to go and spend some of that hard earned cash....Well, I have come upon some useful information for any of you guys that might be planning a Disney trip anytime in the next year. I just found out yesterday that the Magic Kingdom is offering everyone a great birthday present this coming year - free admission to the park on your actual birthday! I think that is a pretty sweet offer, considering that the ticket price is around $70. Of course, you still have to foot the bill for the rest of your family.

But, I have another great deal to share with you that can help you save even more money. The Nickeoldeon Suites in Orlando (www.nickhotel.com) will let you stay there free for the night on any one of your children's birthdays (you do have to agree to stay at least 3 nights - basically buy two get one free)...But that hotel is awesome. I have friends that have stayed there and they said there kids never wanted to leave the hotel because of the water park, pools, arcades.... And most likely, you would be in Orlando for at least three nights anyway, so it is a great deal to only pay for two!!

So, if you plan it just right, you can get one of your kids a free ticket and get one night free at the Nick Hotel. Seriously, you will be saving somewhere around $300....That is a pretty good chunk of change. So, go now and beg your hubby for a Disney vacation and tell him ALL the money you will be saving - hopefully, he won't want to discuss all the money you will be spending on a Disney vacation no matter how many great deals I can find you !!

Money, Shmoney

So, is anyone stressed about the "finiancial crisis" that America seems to be in? I would say that I am concerned but not stressed. I mean, I really don't understand all the details and even what all the consequences are that we may face from the problems with the economy....but, I do understand that I am paying WAY TOO much for gas and WAY TOO much for some of my basic groceries and necessities. And, I know that pretty much every other news story is about another bank closing, the stock market crashing, or some person's house being forclosed on...but I guess I feel like the situation is somewhat out of my hands and there is not a whole lot I can do about it. I am trying to make better choices with my money and for the first time in a long time, I am really watching what I spend and stopping before I spend any money to ask myself if I really need whatever it is I am thinking of buying.

Sometimes I do catch myself worrying about the future, specifically sending four kids to college, but that is when Matt reminds me that all our kids will either have an academic scholarship or an athletic scholarship (can you tell he has big dreams for all our kids!!) Of course, I have peace in knowing that God is in control and He is most definitely going to take care of my family. I always try to remember that if he takes care of the little sparrow, he is always going to take care of me!! And, really, who wants to waste their day worrying about money....I sure don't....I would rather enjoy all that I do have and when I stop to think about it, I am so blessed and have plenty to be thankful for!

Stating the Obvious

So, I knew it was coming sooner or later, but I had to have the "fat" conversation with Brody. We were at Target and there was a very obese lady and so, of course, Brody comments on how fat she is. Well, I proceed to tell him that it is not nice to call someone fat. He then says - like any 3 year old would - "But, she is fat, mom." I tell him that I realize this but it is still not nice to comment on how big other people may be. He goes on the tell me, "Just look at her tummy, it is so big...." Ok, so I realize I am fighting a losing battle and decide to continue this "lesson" another time....Hopefully, in the privacy of our own home and not when he shouts out that someone has a huge tummy or even worse, a huge booty (cause we all know that is a favorite word of most normal 3 year olds)!!!

So, I was trying to get ready in my bathroom this morning and I kept getting really frustrated....all because of a really cute (but really curious) one year old. That's right, Kassidy was getting into everything!! First, it was the toliet bowl cleaner brush thingie....she kept grabbing it, then I would yell, "No, that is yucky!" I would proceed to do what all the experts tell me to do - remove her from the situation & distract her BUT she would go right back to the toliet brush and we would start back at square one. I always knew those so called experts did not have a clue :) :)

Then, she moved on to the trash can. She dumped the whole thing out on the floor before I could get to her. Once again, I informed her how disgusting that was and politely asked her to please leave everything that she is not supposed to mess with alone! Well, that approach did not work either. Because she simply moved onto the cabinets. She pulled out all my hand soaps and then starting throwing random stuff on the floor. By this point I found myself raising my voice and getting really flustered. Finally, when she grabbed my hot flat iron and threw it on the floor, I decided I was done getting ready (no matter what I looked like) and we got out of there.

What is funny about this whole scenario is that it was only like 5 minutes from start to finish. She came into that bathroom like a raging tornado and left the same kind of destruction that a tornado would leave. But she is so cute and so much fun right now. I love my Curious Little Kassidy!!

Food for thought

I was watching a little promo for the upcoming season of Dr. Phil and there was a segment that totally caught my attention. They are going to do a show about a typical "soccer mom" who left her kids in the car for a couple minutes while she ran into a store. She says she could see the vehicle the whole time and she was constantly checking to make sure the kids were fine. But, when she came out of the store, there was a cop car behind her vehicle and the police officer proceeded to arrest her for child endangerment. I was stunned by the fact that they arrested her...but let me give you a little background as to why I am stunned.

A couple years ago, I was parking my car at Walmart and I looked at the vehicle beside me, and there was a toddler sound asleep in his car seat - no parents anywhere in sight. So, of course I was shocked and scared for the little boy so I proceeded to yell at some lady walking in the parking lot and I asked her if she would go get a manager or call the police or something (I did not own a cell phone at this point) while I waited with the little boy. Well, the manager came out and said they were paging the mom over the intercom system - meanwhile, a fire truck had pulled up and they were using some device to check the temp inside the car (it was locked and thankfully she left the air running). Anyway, she eventually came outside and they did absolutely nothing to her - not even a slap on the wrist. She got in her car and left - end of story. I was shocked and angry that nothing was done to her....I mean, she was shopping in Walmart while her kid was left alone in a vehicle in that huge Walmart parking lot. What in the world could she have possibly been thinking??

So, I am now very curious as to what the actual law is about leaving your child in the car...I doubt there is one of us that can say we have never ever left our kids in the car - even for a few seconds while we drop something off at the Post Office or the Dry Cleaners and yes, most of us would only do it if the vehicle is in our sight and we can keep an eye on the kids....But, this lady was arrested and they considered taking her kids away from her - can you imagine?? It is definitely food for thought....believe me, I will think twice before I ever even consider leaving my kids in the car, even if it is just for a minute or two!!

You will get fat, boy!!!

Micah is my oldest child...he is such an awesome boy - so obedient, smart, and caring. We have been dealing with some "health" issues with the last few weeks. He has pretty bad asthma and we also just realized that he is way too skinny and not gaining much at all. So, when we went to his asthma doc a few weeks ago, he saw where Micah had not gained at all in the past 8 months and he had actually lost 1/2 pound. This seemed to concern the doc and he told me to come back in 2 weeks for some tests and we would talk about sending him to a specialist about his weight.

Well, taking him to a specialist for some random, invasive testing was my LAST resort so I decided to fatten that boy up myself! (First, as you can tell from the above pic, I had to tell him to quit working out so much - no more of that intense weight training boy!!) We decided to make him eat as much as possible for the 2 weeks while we waited to return to the doc for a recheck. His Grammy bought him a blender so that we could make him eat a milkshake every night....he thought that was awesome. I decided to start taking him a hot lunch and drop it off so that he would get more calories during the day. And we basically let him eat whatever, whenever for 2 weeks straight.

Well, I am proud to announce that it worked. He gained 3 pounds in that 2 week period. That is an awesome accomplishment for him...that is more than he had gained in the last year. At least now, I think he registers on the growth chart (probably 5% percentile, but he's on it now!!) We go back in 6 weeks for another check and so we are still going to stuff his face and hopefully we will at least maintain the weight, if not gain an additional pound or two. Micah thinks all these snacks and drinks are cool - I mean, can you imagine if you were actually obsessed with gaining more weight instead of trying so hard to lose it?? Just imagine - all the shakes, brownies, chips, sodas....without an ounce of guilt....ah, to live in that perfect world :) :) :) :)

We're In!!

Yay!! Calling everyday (sometimes twice a day) paid off...we get to go to Chef Mickeys. I found out last night so I went in the kids room to tell them the good news. They were super excited. Micah started singing in his "opera" voice and Kenzie jumped up to hug me. She said I was the best mom ever and then she made the funniest statement....she said, "Mom, I have never been prouder of you!" And Brody just jumped up and down on the bed. Being able to share that good news with them put a huge smile on my face....there is nothing better than knowing that you just brought some serious joy to your kids. I love being a mom!!!!