We're home!

We had a wonderful little vacation! Went to stay with my mom Sunday night, went to Hot Springs early Monday and went to Mid America Museum and spend a few hours looking and playing with everything! The kids liked some of it, didn't like some of it, but all in all a really fun time. Then we went downtown and hiked up to the Tower. Madison complained almost the entire way up there (we were all already tired.. so we ended up having to carry the kids most of the way up.. ugh...) Carter was terrified when we got into the clear elevator that you can watch yourself going up REALLY high and clung to me the entire time... I was clinging the side of the elevator because I too was terrified... I hate heights! We all were fine once we were up to the top. The kids thought it was really neat! Carter found a small puddle at the very top that he enjoyed more than anything else the entire day. :) We went back to my mom's that night, she watched the kids and Clayton and I went to The Outback to eat.. YUM! My favorite place! The next day we spent at Wild River Country.. it was SO much fun! Madison even liked a lot of the slides! She's just like her daddy... I hate most of those! We got home around 4:30pm and just collapsed... after unpacking that is. ;) Clayton has today off as well.. though he's been gone all morning helping his Gma clean a bedroom of hers because a friend from her high school is coming to stay with her! (talk about friends FOREVER! GMA IS 81!!)We've got group tonight so that should be fun! I've got to find out where we're having it.. someone give me a shout out and tell me! :)

Some sad news... I took a pg test this morning and it was negative so once my evil 'friend' shows up we'll be moving onto our 8th month. I'm okay with it... mainly I'm just sick of the rollar coaster ride of emotions, but what can ya do? God has the perfect time in his head...and I can't change it so it's not really worth being upset about I guess. I just pray my body will work correctly this go round like it did last month so I can at least have a shot at it.

Oh.. we should all be praising God for healing Jonah! My last report yesterday was that he's doing much better! Thank you Lord!

all kinds of info for everyone

First off, LeeAnn tagged me so:

Name your favorite...

1. Candy: Hershey Chocolate bar with Almonds

2. Cookie: chocolate chip, soft and gooey!

3. Donut: glazed

4. Cold Drink: Coca ~ Cola

5. Hot Drink: hot chocolate

TAG SUZANNE AND LOU!! :)

Now for updates and info!

IT'S MADISON'S BDAY! She turned 5 today. I am a ball of emotions! I was in tears when we sang Happy Birthday at her party today when I saw that big number 5 candle on her cake. It hit me like a ton of bricks! She was so excited this morning.. she said, "Mommy it's my birthday!! I'm 5 years old and I'm not going to be 4 anymore!" She skipped around the house so happy to finally be 5... and all I could think was how right she was.. she will NEVER be 4 again. Four was a fabulous age for us... I'm extremely sad to see it's already gone. On a great note I feel my prayers for NO RAIN on our party were answered! It rained all around us.. but only sprinkled on and off here at the house so the kids got to run in and out all day.. it really was the best party ever! Madison loved every minute of it! There were no fights between kids, no fussing, no whining, no nothing. It was incredible! (it only could've been improved if poor Jonah would've been well enough to be here and the Parker family!! We missed you guys and I'm worrying for and about you constantly right now with your sick boy!)

On a sad note, I took a pg test this morning.. negative. It's still pretty early... I'm still praying that result will change if I retest in a few days... but it was still pretty depressing. We'll see what happens in the near future! Clayton is super excited because he just figured out that I can buy tests at the Dollar Store... his face lit up when I got one the other day when we went! "You mean that's just ONE dollar?! Really?! Well stock up!" He's so funny! I probably will be stocking up and testing every day until the hag shows! I'm feeling insane about it this month for some reason. (probably because I know i actually ovulated.. that is always helpful when trying to get pg!)

Happy note again! We're going on a mini vacation starting TOMORROW! So if I'm not around.. that's why. We're heading to Little Rock tomorrow to visit with family, staying with my mom that night, going to Hot Springs the next morning and spending the day doing whatever floats our boat. :) That night we're thinking of going back to my mom's and then the next day going to Wild River Country. THe kids will love it and so will we! I'm so excited!

Another huge blessing... Clayton's overtime money is really adding up each pay period now. It has been such a breeze him working it! I really feel that God has smiled down on us so much lately.. except the not being pg yet.. but I know he's working on it!

Longest post ever?!! I had a lot to update on! See you guys after vaca!!

a new "blogthing"

You Have a Choleric Temperament

You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things. Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life. You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation. You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon. Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall. You're an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others. At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults. Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion. A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.

What Temperment Are You?

sadly I think the last part is for sure true of me at times! yikes!

worn out!

Ugh.. I'm in my 'fun' week where I'm just plain exhausted. I went walking with Leslie around her neighborhood this morning and barely made it! I'm so glad we went though.. it's always nice to chit chat while you burn some calories.

I ended up finding Major (the puppy) down the road at our neighbor's house.. he had followed someone down there and just got stuck. He hasn't left the house AT ALL since we brought him home! Maybe it was a scare that was good for him. The kids and I took him to the vet yesterday. He's about 9 weeks old, 14 pounds, and she said he's a German Shephard/Chow mix. Aren't we good at picking out dog breeds?! That's exactly what we were thinking. :) He got two shots, wormed, and we go back in 3 weeks. It's so much like having a baby! Only his Dr. visit cost more than the kids' ever have! YIKES!

Group is tonight at LeeAnn and Taylor's.. I can't wait! I love our small group! It's hard to find an entire group of people that you really do like, and this is one of them. I just hope our kids don't destroy their house! Apology in advance if they do guys! ;)

Well, the one week countdown is upon me. In about one week... we'll find out if this was 'the' month or not. Lord please let the time go by quickly with POSITIVE results! (tee hee)

Birthday Shopping

Don't you just love to have a good excuse to go shopping?! Madison's birthday party will be June 17 and I HAD to go shopping for her presents! I already know the two toy things she'll be getting from us... but she needs clothes too! So the whole family loaded up and went to the mall and I bought the CUTEST clothes for her. It was such a blast. It's amazing to me that I like shopping for the kids way more than I like shopping for me now. (don't get me wrong, I still really like shopping for me!) I can't wait for her to open all of her stuff... I hope she likes it all.

Our puppy, Major, (yes clayton won the name battle.. Major it is!) has disappeared! Well.. he's probably at our neighbors' house because he and their dog have been spotted playing together a lot lately. I just pray he comes home tonight or tomorrow morning for feeding time! We'll all be so sad if he doesn't come home. :(

Can I say how incredibly impatient I'm feeling? This month cannot end fast enough for me. I am so ready to know if we got our baby or not, it truly might make me crazier than I already am! At least Madison is home to help keep me more busy. Friends out there.. KEEP ME ENTERTAINED THE NEXT TWO WEEKS!

Am I all American?

All American Kid

Popular but not plastic. Athletic but not a jock. Smart but not a brain. You were well rounded and well liked in high school.

Who Were You In High School?

Maybe this is why I never could really pick a crowd to totally put myself into in school!

Stole this from LeeAnn

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it. You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less. You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way. Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test

Frisco! No, Major!

We got a puppy! After almost running it over on our way home the other night, Clayton went back out on the same road in his patrol car to work overtime and heard it whining outside of his car door! So he stuck it in the car and brought him home! :) So we rescued a puppy! He's sooo cute! He appears to be some kind of chow/sheppard mix. His purple spotchy tongue indicates the chow, his long legs and HUGE pointy ears indicates sheppard.. but who knows! He's obviously a mutt but we love him already. Now to decide a name for the new arrival! Madison is determined to name him Frisco. Clayton however says no to that.. he wants to name him Major and won't let madison have her way. I'm trying to convince madison that Major is a good name... she's slowly coming around. But I, somehow, think that "frisco" might be the dog's name in the long run! I personally couldn't care less! He's my new baby until God gives me another human baby. :)

Speaking of human babies... I actually ovulated all by myself this month!! For the first time in about 2/3 months and I just cannot believe it! I was starting to feel hopeless of my body correcting itself anytime soon.. but God heard my cries! Even if I don't get pg this month... it's good to know that my body is still capable of doing this! I can already feel the testing frenzy about to overtake my life. It's going to take everything I have to not take a test every single day for a week at the end of the month! I just have so much hope for this month! Everything was just so pefect... it's hard not to get excited!

We're off to a fun filled night at the Parker's tonight! Thankfully I get the easy job of supplying drinks... Suzanne knows what jobs to give to me in times like these! :) And just an FYI: I LOVE CASTING CROWNS!! I hate to say it but in general I've just never been able to get into Christian music that much. But every single song I've heard from them I love! They're so touching and they all make me cry! I find myself listening to the christian station all of the time in hopes one of their songs will play. My favorite right now is for sure "Praise you in this Storm" b/c I can so directly relate it to our trying to get a baby journey, but "Life Song" is also very close to my top favorites list!

GO ASTROS!

We have our second to last Tball game tonight. We're so excited! It's the 6:30 game and it's a lot cooler at that hour than at the 5:15 one so Madison enjoys it a lot more. Now that school's out I'm really kind of bummed that Tball is finished! I guess before long it'd be too hot day and night to be outside playing tball, so maybe it's good that we're ending on a nice note!

I had such a great morning! Suzanne and the kids and LeeAnn met my kids and I at the track and we went walking. The kids ran around and played and we got to girl talk. It was such a good time and it felt really good to start the day off with exercise. I hope we can continue that on for at least a few weeks before we start getting tired of the heat. :) It's so much easier to walk WITH friends compared to doing it alone.

Well my mom has saved the day! She went to Party City in Little Rock and they do have unicorn stuff! She bought some things and I told her the other stuff I needed and she offered to go back to get it! (awesome!!) Madison is going to probably cry she'll be so excited. That girl is absolutely obsessed with ponies, unicorns, horses, etc. I hope she doesn't start wanting a real pony or horse.. that is so not going to happen! I barely think we could handle getting a dog right now, much less livestock!

I got my baby fix over the weekend! It was Clayton's gpa's 87th bday so some of the family got together at their house and my neice and nephew were there. My neice (Sarah Grace) is just 3 months old and SOOO CUTE!! She let me hold her for quite a long time and she's in the talking and cooing phase big time. She smiles so big. :) It was great to get to hold a baby. Praise the Lord for the miracles he brings us!

Whew! The week is over!

Well it's finally Friday! My man is done with FTO school and my baby girl is officially out of preK. Can I say that I CRIED all day b/c it was her last day? I'm really going to miss it there. I cannot imagine now driving her there everyday and seeing all of the kids. I just LOVED it and am so sad it's no longer a part of our lives. (at least until Carter is 4 and then he'll go) It's so hard to let go. I'm sure her first day of Kindergarten I'll need Clayton to hold MY hand as we walk her into the school. I'll demand he takes the morning off if he doesn't have it off already. ;) At least today I got to swing by Suzanne's for a pick me up. I felt like a basket case crying to her about it, but that's what friends are for, right? Madison seems fairly unphased by it. She did say she'd miss her best friend, but other than that she doesn't seem to care. I think she's ready to be at home again. It will be a nice change of pace for a little while!

I really don't have a ton to say. I'm just so thankful that Clayton is back home to stay! I should walk myself into the kitchen and stare mindlessly at the fridge in hopes an idea of what to make for supper will pop out at me! Wish me luck!

Is it Friday yet?

Okay... I miss Clayton!!! We got teased with the idea that he was coming home Thursday night to pick up uniforms but then they decided that they don't need those uniforms so he has to stay up there. :( I'm so lonely! So, I'm talking you all. This is my adult conversation for the day!

We have Tball practice tomorrow evening. I was wondering if we would since we haven't had a game in a while and our next one isn't until Monday. I would've been totally fine with no tball for a week.. but I know it'll be best to get Madison back into it before her game. We only have two games left! I thought I'd be happy for it to end but since she FINALLY is enjoying playing, I am enjoying going! Carter is free to run around quite a bit out there too so it's been pretty nice. It's always so weird to me though to see how incredibly small she looks compared to most of the boys on her team. She runs differently than they do, she throws differently than they do, she hits the ball differently than they do. I guess she does those things "like a girl"!

I am so happy that Friday is the end of our school year. Well, sort of. I have to say that when I was walking to Madison's class with Carter this afternoon, it hit me kind of hard to see the hallway walls all empty, the classrooms undecorated, and they're sending several personalized things home with Madison that I've looked at hanging at her cubby hole or taped to her spot at her table for all of these months. I am starting to feel sad that soon our days going to see Mrs. Jane and Mrs. Pam will be gone. She'll never be in preschool again.. it's all 'real' school from here on out. I have a hard time thinking I'll ever be as close to or like another teacher like I've liked her teacher now. I just pray that God puts her in the class that's best for her, with a teacher that won't be annoyed by "that" mom!

Note to all of the women out there: Don't watch the new show that's on : Swimsuit Secretes Revealed. These women are complaining about how no bathing suits look good on them.. and the majority of them are so thin and toned! gag me! I keep thinking "Who gives a crap if a bathing suit doesn't look good on you if you're a size 2 and have a six pack?" It was nice to see the few women that have had kids and had the same problems I have. :) But beware that those women were far and few between!

Okay, how random was this post? Sorry... as I said, you are my adult conversation tonight so I'm just talking about what I'd normally force my poor husband to sit and listen to!

My man is gone!

Not for good.. but until Friday. ;) He's being trained to be a Field Training Officer in Little Rock at Troop A Headquarters. Meaning he'll be training one of the new guys we'll get down here when he's out of Troop School. So far I'm fine.. but I know once the kids are in bed tonight I'll be missing him. I guess the good news is, with him working shift work, I'm basically used to him being gone at all kinds of times of the day and night so I think it'll be okay. (as long as Carter hangs in there. Lately Daddy rules the world to him!)

Madison has let me breathe a sigh of relief over the unicorn cake. She told me she does NOT want a cake, she wants cupcakes! AWESOME! I can so buy or make cupcakes... now I'm excited about this party!

I get to go to parenting group at church tonight. I love it so much! To be honest, a lot of the time I sit and listen in horror at the things the parents of older kids have to tell and ask opinions on. I try to do what I used to do, (when I was the parent of ONE child that made me think I was a perfect parent), and think to myself, "my kids won't be that way." HA HA! Have all parents not eaten these words at one time or another? I swear, God gave me Carter for the purpose of showing me that I don't know nearly as much about how to MAKE a child behave as I once prided myself on. he's a great little boy... he really is starting to mind quite well actually, but other things that I always thought you could train out of a child if you did it "right" just don't work with him. Sleeping through the night? No... no way! SLeeping in his own bed all night? Big time NO. Eating with utensils perfectly by age 2? Don't make me laugh! The crazy thing is how little I care about any of these once so important things now. I've accepted my baby boy for the baby boy he is. Is it so bad that he wants to cuddle with Mommy and Dadd in the middle of the night? No.. it's actually pretty darn sweet. And the reality is, I now know he won't do these things forever. He will outgrow them, in his own time. Heck, I don't like sleeping alone yet... so I guess my parents never did properly train those feelings out of me! My only wish is I would have had this wisdom the FIRST time around. Ah well, Madison has turned out quite well so far so I guess it's just the way of life. The first gets treated a certain way, which makes them turn out, in general, responcible and thoughtful... the second turns out differently, and is treated differently. Should I feel sorry for the third baby we're trying to create now? ;) Poor thing... who knows what I'll be like as a mother by the time we get there!

Loving the heat!

I just LOVE summer time! The kids and I played out in the pool this afternoon and I just loved it! I look forward to playing in the water every single summer. And now that God has blessed us with a house that has great a/c... I can actually love summer again. The first 4 years we were married we lived in a little trailor that had a teeny tiny window unit that was supposed to cool the entire place... oh my, it was miserable. I am SO greatful for the fact that Madison will now come to me and ask me to turn the air off because she is too cold. :) I always wonder, "How can it be too cold?" Everyone that knows me knows that "I'm so hot!" is a constant phrase coming out of my mouth. But, this summer will be so much nicer! I'm really really looking forward to it!

Does anyone know how to make a unicorn cake? Yes, Madison's birthday is next month and she is requesting a unicorn party. I can get the plates and such with unicorns but how on earth am I supposed to turn up a cake? If nothing else I'll send the party napkin to a big grocery store and they can put that picture on the cake! My baby girl is really turning 5. Oh no, wait, I think my heart stopped beating for a few seconds after I typed that! I'm sure no matter how old your "babies" get, each year you look at them and wonder how in the world the time went by so quickly.

Can I say that I'm having one of those "I love being a mommy" days? I mean, not that I don't typically enjoy it, but you know when you just have an exceptionally nice day with the kids? Maybe that's because I got to go to Walmart with Suzanne with ZERO kids and have some girl time earlier in the day. It's always refreshing to get out for a while kid free. Maybe it's because I was trying, again, to play Simon Says with Madison and I could not stop laughing at how she just cannot get the rules of if you don't say "Simon says..." that you don't do what's told. She kept giggling after I'd say, "oh, I didn't say Simon says!" and smacking her forehead and saying, "I keep forgetting the rules! Those are tricky!" Oh to be 5 again!

That's good news... isn't it?

Do you ever get news and at first you feel like, "yeah, that's good to hear!" but as it sinks in you think, "maybe it isn't.."? I'm having a day like that today. I called my Dr. to talk about getting hormone levels checked and after an in depth conversation about all kinds of womanly stuff that I will not be sharing with the World Wide Web, my doctor and nurse are pretty sure I am not ovulating every month. (which I've been wondering myself) They want me to do ovulation tests ALL month and see if they ever show + (because they have only shown positive two of the months we've been trying.. none since then) If they do, GREAT! If they don't, then they've got a course of action to take. At first I was relieved. FINALLY SOMEONE IS LISTENING TO ME!! And it was nice to know that there is help if I need it.. but then I started researching stuff and now I am not so sure how I'm feeling. I will be doing a ton of praying over this issue and ask all of you to please pray constantly for Clayton, our doctor, and me to have wisdom and peace about the RIGHT decision should i not ovulate again this month.

WHew! Enough serious talk! Sheesh! We have another tball game tonight. Madison is already griping about having to go. She hates tball.. I don't blame her with the heat wave! June 8 is our last game, so not much more to go and she never has to play again if she doesn't want to! She keeps saying, "I want to do dance, not tball!" FINE WITH ME! :)

Thanks again Matt and Suzanne for breakfast for supper. ;) (okay, just Suzanne cooked so really thanks Suzy for the food, thanks Matt for the entertainment!) It was a nice way to end a kinda down day!

Month 7

Ugh... the hag showed so we're now on our 7th month trying to have another baby. I would have never imagined I would not be pg yet. I called the Dr. to schedule the HSG like they asked me to, but the day they want to do it is a seriously bad day. (clayton will be gone, Madison's last day of school, it's a no go!) She said that we'd have to wait until NEXT MONTH to do it if I cannot do it that day, so I'll just have to wait. I am going to see if they will do some blood work to check my hormones though. I just want to know what's going on, and if everything comes out clear I can stop worrying about it! *sigh* I don't know what to say... just frustrated and disappointed. I'm sure Kindergarten Round up and a Tball game tonight will take my mind off of this!

GO MADISON!

Okay... I know, every mom thinks their kid is the greatest... but in my case it just happens to be the truth. ;) (just do NOT ask Matt or Suzanne how my perfect child acted the other night when they were over...) Last night's tball game was awesome!! Madison didn't complain, fuss, cry, or anything the ENTIRE game! (once she said "I'm hot... is it over?" but the game was almost over so that's a pretty good hold out!) She hit well, ran well, and had an all around good time. I'm just so happy she enjoyed it for once! She's even excited about tonight's game as well! And so am I! Clayton got suddenly switched to the DAY SHIFT so he's going to get to go to the rest of her games!!! Yippie! Thank you Lord! Okay, I'll stop squeeling about my baby girl!

So, I did finally get brave and pee on a stick, negative. Ah well, who likes those pg tests anyway?! :P Phewy on them! I'll get that positive test.. just wait and see!

An exciting note on me... since we started trying for #3 I had gained about 10 pounds.. maybe more.. I stopped weighing at 10! Well, I've been eating well and exercising again and about 4 pounds are GONE! I am SO proud of me. :) It is also nice to focus my 'free' time on something other than thinking of how much I want a baby. I guess eventually I realized that thinking about it wasn't helping... so I figure that now, when I do get pg, I"ll be one fit pg lady!

Okay, if I don't start getting kids ready for Tball we'll be late! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

GO MADISON!

Okay... I know, every mom thinks their kid is the greatest... but in my case it just happens to be the truth. ;) (just do NOT ask Matt or Suzanne how my perfect child acted the other night when they were over...) Last night's tball game was awesome!! Madison didn't complain, fuss, cry, or anything the ENTIRE game! (once she said "I'm hot... is it over?" but the game was almost over so that's a pretty good hold out!) She hit well, ran well, and had an all around good time. I'm just so happy she enjoyed it for once! She's even excited about tonight's game as well! And so am I! Clayton got suddenly switched to the DAY SHIFT so he's going to get to go to the rest of her games!!! Yippie! Thank you Lord! Okay, I'll stop squeeling about my baby girl!

So, I did finally get brave and pee on a stick, negative. Ah well, who likes those pg tests anyway?! :P Phewy on them! I'll get that positive test.. just wait and see!

An exciting note on me... since we started trying for #3 I had gained about 10 pounds.. maybe more.. I stopped weighing at 10! Well, I've been eating well and exercising again and about 4 pounds are GONE! I am SO proud of me. :) It is also nice to focus my 'free' time on something other than thinking of how much I want a baby. I guess eventually I realized that thinking about it wasn't helping... so I figure that now, when I do get pg, I"ll be one fit pg lady!

Okay, if I don't start getting kids ready for Tball we'll be late! Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

I'm such a chicken!

I had decided a few days ago that today, Sunday, I would break out a pregnancy test. So I wake up this morning.. take it out of the drawer.. stare at it.. get a feeling of dread.. and put it back. Nope.. just could NOT face it today. It's a gorgeous day... Clayton is home and doesn't go back to work until Tuesday, why ruin it? Maybe I'll break down and test in two or three days.. maybe not! I don't know! I just swear I cannot handle seeing another negative test. Let's see.. averaging two tests a month, over the past 6 months, I've seen 12+ negative tests. No more!

So, we finally got the bring out the kiddie pool this afternoon!! The kids had a blast! To be honest they enjoyed spraying each other with the water hose much more than sitting and playing in the pool.. but I did get to lay out for a bit and that was nice. (I know.. I'll get skin cancer...)

Tball next week anyone? We have games Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday nights! What's the deal?! Who the heck made this schedule and decided, "Hey guys, wouldn't it be HILARIOUS if we make the Astro's play more than any other team in the league?!" "Great idea, let's do it!" The good news is Madison is getting really good! not at being in the outfield..she's totally clueless there.. but she made two points at our last game.. I was soooo proud! I'm so "that" mom. You know, the one that gets OVERLY excited about every single thing her kids do? I scream and cheer the entire game. (which makes madison giggle) Carter cheers too, which is so cute! So, if anyone wants to see us this week.. Wednesday night it will be! :)

I don't know

Okay, the title "I don't know" was created b/c the blogg asked: Title... and I answered "I don't know." I'm tired.. I couldn't think of one! I haven't posted in a while and felt I should... so this might not be a great read, but you never know what my brilliant mind will spit out once it gets warmed up! ;)

For those wondering, no baby yet, we'll know if this month was the month in about a week. I suspect I will lose my brain by then. If this month wasn't it.. we'll be going forward with the HSG. I feel at peace with it. Why not? I highly doubt it will show anything to be wrong, but it will make me feel better to hear it, "nothing is wrong here." Pahleeeeeze let month 6 be the month. I cannot believe how much time has gone by since we started trying. I assumed I'd be several months along by this point of the year.. but God has other plans and I know they'll be great. (great if he'll give me a peanut THIS month that is... but that's an entirely different blogg entry)

So, my two year old boy has turned into quite the bully lately. He loves to hit anyone he can.. for any reason his little mind thinks up. Madison is his favorite target.. she screams and cries and yells at him.. but never fights back. Perfect! He gets the awesome reaction he wants, with no pain! So time outs have started at the house as a regular thing again. madison hasn't gotten a time out in months.. and before that one it was months before that. It's so weird to be starting over here again. I'm confident.. sort of.. that he'll just come out of this insane phase soon. I, of course, will be totally convinced that my amazing disciplinary actions were what caused the changed.. but in reality, I highly doubt you can change a two year old! They either are GOING to do something, or they're NOT. It's all up to them! I'm just glad he's still so darn cute.. otherwise he might really upset me. ;)

yippie... the night shift, again!

Yes, this is the fourth month that Clayton 'gets' to work the night shift. This is the REAL night shift though... the earliest he gets to come home is 11pm.. tonight he'll be out until at least 1am, but he said it's time to work overtime, so I won't expect him until daylight if traffic is out. If you read this tonight, pray I will sleep! What's my deal.. why can't I sleep without Clayton? After all this time, all of the nights he's spent away from us, and I STILL don't sleep well without him. To be honest it seems like I've spent more nights alone than with him.. so what gives there? One day I might turn into a real grown up and be able to brave the house alone comfortably.

So I took Carter for his 2 year checkup this morning. Ugh... he's 2.. really. No longer a baby boy.. he's a big two year old. :( Time flies doesn't it?! His checkup went really well. He's 28 pounds (70% for weight) and 36 inches (90% for height) I just cannot believe he's still as big as he is. I just assumed because of how incredibly tiny Madison is that all of my children would be small. I was so very wrong! He is in great health and that's always so nice to hear. They did prick his finger to do some routine blood tests... he barely fussed but I could tell he was scared and uncomfortable. Poor thing. He HATED having the bandaid on his finger afterwards. He wore it okay until I put him in his carseat in the van.. he stuck his hand up and started to cry, "my hand! my hand! off!" Once i took it off he flipped out when he saw his blood stained finger. He kept trying to wipe it off, which hurt, and made him cry more. Needless to say he finally just fell asleep after the trauma of it all. :)

Oh, for Suzy, we got a cute bookshelf for Carter's room today! FINALLY! Clayton brought it home and I am thrilled! You are requested to come back to my house to help me figure out where the heck to put the thing!