I'm No Fun..

... at theme parks. Unless you need a sitter for your kids, then you'll LOVE taking me along. I realized that i never posted about our weekend trip we took to Hot Springs back in October and our visit to Magic Springs. (which was SO awesome... our first time going!) Here's Clayton, all alone on this ride that shoots you into the air and back down over and over again. Forget that! No way am I getting on something like that! Thankfully he couldn't try to beg or force me to since it was just the two of us and the three kids. Someone had to stay below with the children and I gladly accepted that challenge! I could barely take this picture of him I was so nervous. Yes, even watching him do the rides made me nearly throw up. I kept asking, "Are you sure you want to do this ride? Really? Why?!" He did everything.. all of the fast ones, big ones, loopty-loop ones, back and forth, here-there-and-everywhere ones... all of 'em. I watched in horror at them all. He even got Madison on a pretty scary ride that she was just big enough for. She got off saying how much she hated it and she was "never doing that again!" She is quite the daredevil though.. she did a lot of stuff I thought she'd be afraid on, with Daddy right by her side. Carter is more like me... he kept saying things were "too high" and "too fast" and "too scary." Yes my son, they are. I'm sure we'll go a few times this coming summer... we've yet to see the water park and all of the thrills and chills it holds. I'll be in the wading pool with my two boys in their life jackets while Clayton and Madison go down all of the slides and rides. Amazing how they scream with joy the entire way down, while I'd be screaming my head off just KNOWING I was falling to my demise. Maybe one day I'll understand how feeling your stomach in your throat and having no control over your own body falling and sliding is fun. Until that day comes... you can find me in the lazy river or with my hands over my face peeking through my fingers at the bottom of whatever ride my husband is climbing onto.

Divorce: Thumbs Down

I'll preface this post by saying that I mean no judgement of any of you that have gotten divorced... this is just from the life of someone who grew up with parents divorced and is STILL dealing with life after it. Of all the reasons not to get divorced... as of this week my number one would be b/c it makes your ADULT children's lives INSANE. Instead of Clayton and I having two sets of parents to visit between us.. we have four. FOUR. Add to that that both of our siblings spouse's' parents are also divorced, and you're looking at a virtually impossible feat to get together with "your" family for any holiday all at the same time. We'll be having our fourth round of Christmas tomorrow here at our house with my Dad and stepmother and my sister and brother-in-law and nephews. I am DONE celebrating. I am DONE cooking and cleaning. I am DONE finding places to put the presents that everyone is so thoughtful to buy. I keep worrying that I'm forgetting some part of the family that we still have to find time to go visit or have over that's going to come out of the woodwork any minute now. Don't get me wrong.. I love my family. I love entertaining them and going to visit them. What I don't love is that all of that overshadows the joy that SHOULD be the holiday season. (any holiday season) Thankfully this year we put our foot (feet) down and had Clayton's mom and her family come here to see us and also my dad and his family. This is the first year we've refused to drive to see each of them individually. Thankfully they're very understanding and just want to do what's easiest for us... no big deal for them to drive to us this year. (new tradition in the making!) So, if you decide you just can't stand your spouse anymore... that you would rather stick hot pokers under your fingernails than hear them breathe... just think of all of the gas money you're saving your children in the future by sticking it out!

Merry Christmas!

Finally sat the kids down for some quick Christmas pics. They did really well! I was so happy to get some good ones.

This picture, Clayton and I decided, is so fitting for the three of them. There's Carter, the never-ending goofball. Then Princess Madison perfectly posed and smiling. Last, but not least, little Samuel, the cute and sweet baby. It will be interesting to see if these three posers change their poses as the years go by. Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!

Happy Post

I couldn't think of anything to blog about, but wanted to blog, so here's just a happy post. Some things that have made me happy lately.... because I know you all are dying to know what floats my boat!

* Samuel's 6 month checkup went well today. One shot (I delay vaccinations a bit), a clean bill of health, and confirmation that I'm not crazy, he really is that big. (90% still... no wonder he's outgrowing EVERYTHING.)

*Carter loves to read finally. He brings me books constantly. I was worried he'd never like to read!

* Christmas is right around the corner! We start celebrating this weekend with my mom and sister and family... yippie!

* I lost another pound... WOOT!

* My husband is back home!

* He did dishes, swept the kitchen, did laundry, and put away random things in our room while I was with Samuel at the doctor's this morning. Told ya he's the best!

* I have Parent Group tonight. It's like free therapy. My kids and husband have no idea how happy they should be that I've attended this all of these years.

* I got to see "silly me" and her kids for the first time in FOREVER last week. Makes me miss them more... got to get back there soon.

* Football season will be over soon... Praise the Lord I won't have to watch NFL anymore SOON!

* I met two other moms with three small children at the dr's office this morning and they seemed to love and enjoy their children.

* I feel like, for the first time in a long time, I might actually be almost to the place God wants me to be. I say "almost" b/c we can never really be "there"... but I'm trying and feeling good about life and myself again. I found the Joy again!

* Madison's Christmas party at school is this Thursday and she's so thrilled that I'm coming. Her friends all know me and seem to think we're all just neat. (some of the kids are always freaked out by Clayton.. if he shows up to eat lunch with her in uniform some of the kids look like they want to hide under the table) I love being able to go to all of her school stuff. Makes me feel so "mom-ish."

* I got to see a picture of Maury and her family hanging on 'silly me's' fridge while visiting and it was funny b/c it made me really realize that she's a real person... not just a name on the internet. (beautiful family those Drapers' are!)

* I'm letting go of all of my baby clothes. Okay, so I'm not necessarily happy about this, it down right breaks my heart, but i'm TRYING to get happy about it so here it is on the happy post!

*I gave a ton of Madison's clothes to a good friend and it made me happy to see how happy it made her. (and her kids! dress up time!)

* You people read my blog even though I don't know why. I don't think I'm interesting at all so thanks for always showing up to see what random rambling post I've put up. Your comments make my day. (and I don't know why that is either... lol)

More free advertising

Here is Sam in the Ergo... now almost stable enough to ride on my back. He definitely likes being facing me tummy to tummy better (closer to the groceries) but I can see that this back hold is going to be great in the future! The one disadvantage to the back hold with an infant is they have total access to your hair... even if you pull it up those little hands grab it! This is something we'll work out when toddlerhood is here. All of you Ergo users, what age did you start using the back hold more than the front hold? And, does anyone like the hip hold? Samuel isn't quite big enough for that yet, but I tried it anyway and it wasn't all that comfortable.. maybe when he's bigger?

Look at me!

My little Samuel is 6 months old today. He's starting to sit up with some help from the beloved Boppy and his favorite past time is eating. Eating ANYTHING.. milk, baby food, bits of my food... whatever he's allowed to put into his mouth basically. Amazingly he's just getting longer right now, not fatter. I think he's growing faster than his weight can keep up with! He's closing in on a size 9-12 month, which I don't own in winter clothes so that's what he's getting for Christmas. You really shouldn't have to buy new baby clothes your third time around!

He's such a talented baby... he says scooting forwards is for the birds.. he's all about pushing himself backwards, and then screaming at the toy that he's trying to get to, but keeps getting farther away from. Poor thing. Being a baby must be so stressful. No teeth yet... but with a ton of drool, biting, and crying here and there I'm guessing any day now he'll pop one or two out.

He's still content and happy most of the time. He's the most social of all of my babies... loves anyone that will hold him, usually. He laughs, and laughs, and laughs all day long. Just saying the words "Peek-a-boo!" to him gets a laugh. No hiding required. Madison is sure to spoil him rotten as he grows up. She says to me more and more, "Samuel is such a cute baby! I don't want him to get any bigger!" *sigh* Yes, I know.. me either. I thought that about each of the kids. Good thing they've gotten to be so much fun in their older ages to make up for the other stuff that comes along with having an older child.

So here's the littlest Moss... half a year old already. Time goes too quickly.

Ain't No Other Man

For more reasons than I'll bore you with today, I just wanted to say how proud I am of my husband. He's always being recognized at his job for being outstanding, always being picked for "special assignments", and it seems like everyone he works with, and even arrests, just really respect him and think he's such a nice guy. (which he is) He's going to be gone on a special assignment this week.. and though I'm really going to miss him, I'm so excited for this oppertunity for him and so proud that he got chosen to do it. How did I get so lucky? How did I get to be the woman God chose to be with him? To have three beautiful children with him? I tell him all of the time that he needs to ask his parents what they did to raise him to be who he is today, and DO THAT with our boys! It seems all too rare to find boys and men today that are respectful, have good manners, hold their tongues, and actually enjoy being with their families. His little girl looks at him like he's the sun and the moon. He looks at her with fear of what's to come... a daddy's love can hardly handle knowing what the future might hold! Our boys look up to him and are hopefully learning how you can be both tough and loving. I look to him as my rock, my always consistent stability. If he says things are okay, I'm like a child believing that they really are. So, enough of the mushiness I guess... I'm just thinking of these things knowing I'm about to be without him for a while and knowing I'm going to miss him like crazy. Pray for my peace while he's away!

by the way, for you unhip folks, the title of my post comes from a newer Christina Aguilara (sp?) song with that title that I've labled "my song" for Clayton.

So grown up

When did my baby girl turn into a big girl? When did running and giggling with her girlfriends become more fun than running and giggling with me? When did the little boys in her class start to think she was just as beautiful as I do? More importantly, where did she learn to say "Not until I'm a teenager" when a boy tried to kiss her in school? (that's my girl!) She skips around totally unaware of what a stunningly beautiful child she is. She has no idea that she's one of the smartest kids on earth. She doesn't realize that when I see her with many of her friends from school, I just notice "something" amazingly different about her. She's still too young to understand why she gets in trouble for pouting in public, but she's old enough now to think it odd when she sees other children do the same. I get sad as I watch her grow, her sweet innocence slowly fading away. One day she'll understand things about boys, war, friends, and life that I never wanted to her understand. But, for now, I'm so happy to have my little girl just be little. I'm holding on to bedtime stories, drawing books together, having to tell her to put clothes on because she still lacks modesty most of the time, picking out her clothes, pulling up her hair, laughing at "that part" in her favorite kid movie, and her thinking that I am the best person on the planet. She still misses me when she's at school during the day, she still gets excited every single day when she sees me pulling up to get her. One day she'll drive herself and probably won't want to come home until she must... her friends will be the only thing on her mind. Her outfit that SHE picked out will be ruling her thoughts. She'll go through phases of thinking she hates me because I won't let her go "here" or wear "that".... but she'll grow up and realize, like we all do from time to time, that I was right. (one can hope) So, here's to my little girl.. that's slowly slipping into a realm of big girlness that I'm not sure I'm ready for. I'm just clinging to this phase of life with her as long as I can.

*Madison and two friends at her 6th bday party... madison on the left

Yes, I am... still

Doesn't it always happen right around the 6 month mark? The oh so dreaded, "Are you still nursing him?" Okay people... this isn't directed to ANYONE that reads my blog, so don't feel attacked lol.. but I'm getting this more and more from some family and even STRANGERS! Sheesh! Mind ya biz-nez! I just don't get it... the AAP says babies should be breastfed for one year... The WHO (World Health Organization) says TWO years is the minimum to shoot for... so what's up America?! And what am I supposed to do... wean him from the breast to buy formula for the next 6 and 1/2 months? Seriously? Why? (yes, this is what people think you are SUPPOSED to do.. weird) I found a shirt online that says in big bold print "Yes, I'm still nursing" for babies.. I'm so gonna buy it in the next few months! lol Just a heads up you all... don't be shocked if I'm still nursing a while from now. I shoot for about two years... yeah, I'm in serious "pervert" "weirdo" "sicko" land there aren't I? I figure it goes well with my cosleeping, organic buying, no spanking, baby wearing, no crying it out self... might as well throw as much 'weird' stuff together in my parenting bag as i can, right? I think my new responce to anyone who thinks it's strange that I'm still breastfeeding now is going to be, "wow, if you think it's weird now, you're really going to be freaked out to see this when he's 5!"