{it's back!!!}

Another Happy Dance! You know how I searched high and low for this stuff last year. Well, I saw sweet Julie today in Wal-mart and I just happened to spy this! I gasped! And, I cleared them out. I did give Julie one bottle (they changed it from boxes to bottles this year).

I'm stocking up. When they restock. ;)

{may I have an autograph please?}

*that would be to our hometown celebrity......drum roll.....EB!! Seriously, N and I stopped into the wonderful world of Wal-greens today after school. I had some RR that I knew if I didn't spend, I would let them expire due to the weekend ahead. As I was checking out the cashiers were about as excited as I was at the savings and then I told them about my hero EB, they almost screamed. "The one with baby Beau??" Yep, that's her. EB - you have made quite the impression on those girls! Seriously, not just with how much you save, but they literally gushed about your sweetness overall but to them in general. Apparently, niceness from customers can come few and far between for them. I felt like I personally knew a star!! :) Kudos to you! You've made quite the impression. Which is not shocking at all, just a great reminder to me to actually converse with those around me.

*air conditioner prognosis: not good. Estimate to replace whatever part it is: $1200 v. having a new one made (cost unknown) - he should know by next week!!!!!!!! Thank God for the cold, leaky pool.

*the boys swam in leaky pool tonight. I made them get out when E's lips turned blue. They are in a hot bath right now.

*we had a summer quick off meal on the patio tonight. It was perfect with roasted hot dogs, chips and sweet tea. Well, N went for vanilla rootbeer (yuck). But, what made it even better were the cute fish-y dishes that TH got for me several months ago. Perfect!

*woo-hoo, FUN DAY tomorrow at school!!! Then I have them home! Yippee!

*yay, N! He received two awards today at school for Citizenship (which is the one that makes me the happiest) and the Principal's Honor List. Great job! Very proud of you! You make this motherhood thing quite easy on me. :)

{seriously?}

Tomorrow is my last day as an employee????????

With over a year of agonizing prayer regarding the matter......it is really happening. Strange really. Although all of the pesky details (AKA insurance) are still not worked out. That pre-existing label really stinks! (but, no worries, we do have Cobra).........I am beyond excited.

Truly, incredibly thankful.

I am totally going to inhale!

(my boys that is)

But, the exhaling as I look at all of these boxes of medical records in my office feels pretty great too!

Almost there.........

{customer service}

was actually very nice. Shockingly! They succeeded in the avoidance of making my boys very sad.

We can patch the (teeny-tiny) hole with silicone. They initiated the claim today. We have 90 days to return "hole" and tag from bottom of the pool. That will get us to the very end of August. So, if no further problems with the hole......we will ship necessary items back...they will send new liner... just in time to pack up for fall/winter. :)

Whew!

It really feels good when insignificant things work out like that.

{either laugh or cry}

ha!

*Air conditioner is of course still out since I posted that really late last night.

*Woke up to find the pool filled. All 8,000 gallons of cool, clean water. Only to discover a pinpoint size hole near the top. Spewing water as only a pinpoint hole can do. But, nonetheless, it should be perfect. Customer service does not open for another 45 minutes. I think I am reallllllly dreading this. But, more so than what I'll have to do to get a new liner, the disappointment of the boys. And, that H2O bill.

*I am missing an awards ceremony at school today because of a work mediation. This is a last time sort-of thing, so that itself makes me happy. Noah was fine of course, but I am really sad. However, will be at fun day tomorrow......no matter. The timing of the mediation stinks!

{making it!}

*The air conditioner is still out. Apparently they are searching for a part. I've learned I am very spoiled to cool air. I'm trying to keep it all in perspective and not whine.

*I finished my last session from my marathon list tonight. One got moved to next week, but otherwise it is edit, edit, order, burn.

*Missed my boys alot today as I felt like I was barely home.

*One more day of school.........thank you GOD! Soooooooo ready for the weekend to kick-off summer.

*The pool is filling tonight. (thank you Shawn!) If my air conditoner does not get repaired soon. I'm moving out there.

*I'm so lost in the work wrap-up I don't even know what to do.

*And for the record.......I am planning on sleeping in on Saturday!!!!! I may even whip up some pancakes once I decide to get up! ;)

Here's to a Happy Thursday!

{happy dance!}

two more days of school! yippee!

Fun day doesn't count. ;)

I honestly think I am more excited than he is. But, he's pretty close.

{washing machine treasures}

Found: 2 shiny quarters, one soggy dollar bill and a shiny silver spoon.

hmmmmm........................

{my devotion from yesterday}

I really wanted to share this. It probably ONLY applies to me. This is a big one for me. Since I actually work on the computer all day long - it is easy to "take a break" on the computer and shut down my MS Word and travel to the www as a way to escape the monotony of what I am reading and/or typing related to work.

Although I knew pretty much all of it - it was a good reminder and came at the perfect time because......come Saturday.....I am sleeping in and unplugging for the weekend! I am hoping my limited hours will be very focused on the task at hand whether completing a report or editing what few pictures from weddings I will be taking and then I can get to the fun stuff and off the computer........my family and friends and basically LIFE!

Woo-hoo!

Sorry.


I got a tad carried away. But, this is what I wanted to share........it's from Girlfriends in God and went hand in hand with our sermon on Sunday. I just LOVE that! :)


May 24, 2010
Set-Apart Living
Part 1
Gwen Smith


Today's Truth "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

Friend To Friend As Christian believers, we're called to live set-apart lives. To be holy as God is holy. To be in the world, but not of the world. God is the source of all holiness, and in order to live a set-apart life, we must spend time with Him so we can be fueled by His Holy Spirit.

I don't know what your days look like, but mine are pretty full. They start early and end late. Once the sun rises, it seems that coffee isn't the only thing brewing in my house. An invisible competition brews daily that vies for my time and attention. The competitors are often "good things" that end up to be "time-robbing things" that keep me from God's best and God's presence.

Today I'd like to put our computer lives under a spiritual microscope. I'm an e-girl. I love my MacBook Pro computer, my iPhone, email, instant messaging, and the World Wide Web. Though I'm admittedly fully immersed in the e-life, I'm also cognizant of the fact that the e-world has become a dangerous addiction and spiritual deterrent to many. I struggle with this personally! These electronic forums host a new and efficient opportunity for us to connect with other people 24/7. While much of the social networking, online surfing, and emailing is innocent, encouraging, and fun, they clearly present us with opportunities to sin and be distracted from set-apart living.
Over the past several years, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, instant messaging, and chat rooms have replaced many face-to-face conversations and, for some, devotion time. They have become a new source of temptation for us, an opportunity to live a fantasy or a momentary escape from the daily grind.

A friend of mine recently said, "My computer whispers to me." Yikes! Mine does, too! Though it's embarrassing to admit, I sometimes don't manage my time efficiently because I've given in to the lure of e-life by responding to the audio alert that indicates "I've got mail" or the notification that someone has left me a message on a social networking page of mine. As a result, I've robbed myself of productive time. Time I have wasted and spent unwisely.
We are warned against this in Scripture. "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV).

Now, hear me clearly on this. I'm not saying that electronic forums or computers are bad or evil in and of themselves. (For goodness sakes, you're reading this devotion because of the amazing electronic world!) I'm simply suggesting that it would be wise for each of us to pray about the amount of time and energy we devote to these things.

How can we be set apart in our e-life? How can we establish healthy e-boundaries that will protect our purity and our time with God? Perhaps we could start by taking an honest look at the amount of time we commit to our social e-lives versus the amount of time we commit to spending in God's Word and in His presence each day. (Did that sting? Rest assured, it stings me too.)
The good news is that we can turn to God for direction and wisdom in all of this. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5, NIV). Our gracious Lord longs for each of us to choose His best and live each day in His strength.

"God, make a fresh start in me.
Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Don't throw me out with the trash,
or fail to breathe holiness in me.
Bring me back from gray exile,
put a fresh wind in my sails!"
Psalm 51:10-12, MSG

Let's Pray Today I thought it would be fitting to pray directly from Scripture. "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Colossians 1:10-12, NIV).

Father, we ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

Now It's Your Turn Let's get practical today:
o Spend some time in thought and prayer about this subject.
o Ask God to reveal to you any e-habits that are sinful, indulgent, or inappropriate.
o Check your on-line notification settings and consider eliminating unnecessary email alerts.
o Remember that God longs for your time and attention. Be certain that you don't choose mundane activities instead of spending time with Him.
o Read Ephesians 5:1-20.

More From The Girlfriends

Hey, girlfriend! It just occurred to me that one of the biggest time-sucking e-temptations for me came from the homepage I had chosen on my internet browser. I used to have my favorite cable news network set as my home page. Every time I logged on to the internet, the headlines begged me to click their links. Today I went into the settings of my internet browser and chose a blank page for my homepage. I anticipate that though it's not overly exciting to have a blank homepage, it will allow me to be wiser with my time. Hope this spurs you on to similar responses!

{rain, rain go away!}

Seriously, does it just rain at my house? Today we had to scrub bridals that had already been rained out once because I had a lightening laced thunderstorm complete with rain. I drove out of my driveway where it was pouring on to Greenwood - dry as a bell.

I'm beginning to think I'm living in some sideways reality from Lost.

Take 3: next Wednesday. I hope. And, poor girl, this isn't easy with hair and make-up appointments as well as a drive from Fayetteville.

I did hear Bro. Ronnie's voice replaying in my head. I am trying to embrace these interruptions. So, I'm thinking........

I could have stepped on that snake that popped it's ugly head up at me from my last session.

I can't even discuss it.

{avoiding being totally last minute}

I always have the very best intentions and then craziness ensues. I have 4 days left and am almost finished with our teacher gifts. Whew! So cute, I want one myself. Will post pictures at completion. :)

{blurred vision for weekend in review, ha!}

Okay, I survived. It may have been barely, but I did. Now, a few intense days and then I can breath a bit. I will still be crazy-busy, but better.

*Air conditioner is out. Repairman was on vacation this weekend. Have yet to hear from him today. Yep, 90+ degree weather in May. Our luck. ;)

*I suppose I should not have made fun of our swimming pool. It had 3 holes in it. New one purchased, will hopefully be up tomorrow evening with the help of my brother! Thank u!

*Wedding was beautiful.

*Church was awesome. We actually went to both Bro. Ronnie's as well as the Edge Service. Wow! Enjoyed them both. Definitely in need of a double-dose.

*Crashed the Goodwin's lunch. Scott was certain her wave as we passed by really meant....oh, you should join us. I u-turned it around. Glad we did, not sure they were! ha!

*Got Scott to MD appt this morning only to receive a phone call in Fianna that his OT had called in sick. Nice.

*2 more big sessions to get taken care of this week. Several edits and orders. Looking forward to a weekend off with my boys. {all three!}

*I had my quiet time this morning. Wow! Will share it with you all later. Very, very good!

Bye for now! 2 reports to finish!

{nwa}

I will be leaving shortly for a wedding with my sweet Jessica in Fayetteville, so happy to spend time with her. And, it's at my favorite place - Belle's Gable!

It's going to be a busy week: last week of official work, engagements tomorrow after church, tball Monday night, bridals with a Fayetteville bride Tuesday, engagements Wednesday, Fun Day at school Friday, tball Friday night and out of town Saturday!

IF I can make it through this week, I will be on the downhill slide!

Summer, here we come!


Be back soon!

{birthday present: check}

*two little boys that will be beside themselves happy: check

*a mommy that is beyond excited to see their reaction come August 9th: check

*a sweet daddy who does not want them to miss out on the fun because he can't go - so he will be waiting for us back at the hotel :( check

*a super-sweet daddy who overrode mommy and splurged to get them incredible seats: check

*duck tape added to the shopping list to tape my mouth shut: check

{my heart could burst!!!}

Our sweet neice Brittani received a HUGE honor today!! During her awards ceremony at Mansfield her name was called as she was named to the Principal's List!! yea, Britt...

We are so incredibly proud of you!

Britt LOVES to shop. I'm thinking she's really mine because Aunt Shannon LOVES to shop. She definitely got my genes in loving a little bling. Or, alot, depending on the subject matter. Her favorite place is Claire's. So Brittani and I have a date in a little over a week. I need to start saving now because I have a big weak spot for pretty much anything the girl wants. Remember me going home in flip-flops in the winter because she liked my new shoes? yep, I'm in trouble!

Love you girly girl!!!! We are so proud of you!!!

{wedding}

I have a few pictures of my brother's wedding up on the AMC blog for those of you who had asked. :)

{to stacy c}

Will you please pass this on to Mr. C that I apparently left my car running outside the garage {THANK YOU GOD} for about oh, I'd say 2.5 hours minimum this morning unbeknownst to me.

I say apparently because I don't remember doing it of course.

Now, I'm off to get gas. I'm on E!

{boys}

Noah is having a day to recoup from yesterday being so long. So, when I snapped this he politely asked me not to disturb him as he was really concentrating. Let' just say he was quickly scooted outside to play with E and Gma Pat and of course...Molly.



This is how E presented himself in my office ready to go outside on this warm, beautiful day. A fleece hat, a fleece pull-over, shorts and flip-flops. All camo of course.

And, back to the camo - E has devastated my brother in the fact that he will not go hunting with him. As he tries to save every critter he comes into contact with - he is too tenderhearted to actually hunt something. Last night we were talking about it and I asked him (knowing already of course) what about hunting exactly would he not like. His response, "the killing part." He's definitely going to be a tree hugger. :)

{a hit!}

Last night I left Scott and the boys at his parents house while I made a marathon run for groceries. While in Sam's I had to stroll through the books - my favorite spot - and I spied this. I knew Noah would love it and did he ever! He has barely put it down since we got home. So fun! But, considering the little guy did not even complain when he had to roll out of bed at 5:30 am for LR - he more than deserved it. It was a long day!

Can't wait to see what he comes up with, so far, so good!

{update on N:}

We got great news.....the scans showed no worsening, no improvement just pretty much status quo. Which is very good.

The new doctor got a definite thumbs up. He is very, very detailed and optimistic but at the same time was quite serious when it came to the fact that although we had a great year, no obstructions, etc......we have to stay very diligent with this. He reminded us of the fact there is no cure....then, corrected himself and said the cure was the surgery - but, we don't want to go there (he included). And, although I know all of that...it just made me a little sad. We went over the fact that we can be having an noneventful day and then boom....be in surgery that afternoon. How critical it is to get to ACH asap, even if it is just suspected. How we will always have to deal with this, even later in life when he is 30, 40, 50 and beyond. The older he gets, the more difficult the surgery recovery. But, it may never happen again. So, that's what I am hoping and praying for.

I didn't want this to be a downer at all, because we really did get great news and for that I am VERY thankful. I think I had just become a little lax thinking we were getting past it. And, that's the thing, maybe we are. So, I will still be diligent with his emptying of the bladder routine. He was pulled aside and spoken to directly (in a sweet way) by the doctor with an explaination of the importance, how he knows it gets old for N when his friends don't have to go the restroom as often as he, how we have to keep these kidneys as healthy as possible, and how his mom and dad are truly not bugging him about it....that we are just taking care of him, etc....Noah responded well. Now if we can implement it better at school as it has been SUCH a challenge. Every year really.

But, great news and thanks to everyone for their calls, texts, voice mails, emails, etc. It means so much!!!

{the cupcake confessional}

Completely pathetic. I have eaten my way through enough cupcakes to supply the entire population in the state of Delaware with the recommended caloric intake FOR A WEEK! I think I ate one for every man, woman and child. You could throw in a family pet or two as well.

Lack of willpower revealed.

{another prayer request}

For Noah as we will be at Arkansas Children's tomorrow at 9:15 for his ultrasound and then we will have a gap until we meet with the physician. It is his yearly follow-up, no issues have occurred AT ALL during this past year, thank YOU God! We will also be meeting with his new specialist, but we've heard really good things - so that makes me feel better.

{thankful for}

*A day at home. I won't think about how busy it will be. But, I'm thankful for getting to stay in my comfies and that I have no where to go. No where to be other than than the car pool shuttle today.

*My little guy who is clad in shorts, a long sleeve winter shirt and flip-flops who just raced and hopped through my office, put on his flip-flops and bolted out the door to join Molly and Grandma Pat.

*For sweet Scott who arranged to have the LC detailed for me. He knew it was driving me (no pun intended) insane. He does take very good care of me. Very good care of us. And, manages to indulge me in ways I never would.

*My mom who is saving my life today by taking care of little guy. And, taking care of him well. I am glued to the seat of this chair today and had better get after it! :)

See ya!

{sweet treats}

While driving home from the wedding Saturday night {in a very fatigued state, I might add} I began reading signs, looking at shops, etc. You know, being very safe in keeping my eyes on the road in front of me.

I noticed a donut shop in Roland which had "something sweet" as a subscript on the store sign. Something sweet. How fun would it be to have an actual cupcake shop??? Seriously, so from Roland to Fort Smith my mind raced with how cute cupcakes could be, the packaging etc...as I hit the Garrison Avenue bridge it was then I remembered that I really do not enjoy baking. I've never figured it out - the why, not how. I love eating it, but do not enjoy making it. And, I detest the clean-up as I am an extremely messy cook. So, my thoughts of cupcakes ended there as I dodged people running across Garrison from every direction.

Have you guys been down there on a Saturday night? UNBELIEVABLE! Sorry, got sidetracked a tad....

But, I did fire up the mixer tonight and made the boys some strawberry and cream cheese cupcakes.

Yeah, right.


I ate four. THAT is why I do not bake.


But, it did give me leverage to get the boys to eat their meals. ;)

p.s. trust me, I was not thinking about having a cupcake shop of my own. I was merely trying to stay awake. And, I know that NWA has a cute cupcake shop as does LR - I guess I was basically thinking of just the cutesyness (a word?) of all that would be involved. Cupcakes are just cute.

No worries at all! Just wanted to clarify, ha!

{sickness in motion}

Just in case you ever wondered about the etymology of the phrase "sick as a dog" - I lived it today. After a fresh bath and while riding to pick up Noah from school - Molly got car sick. I'll leave it at that.

Poor thing and poor me.

{sad day}

The oil spill has hit the beach. There is not much else to say. :(

{something sweet}

My little cheap handmixer that Scott and I have had since we got married died the other day. I was so thankful. I had wanted a new one forever, but wanted mine to die first. Although the death was slow and painful, I did a happy dance in my kitchen when it gave me its last hum...then silence. FINALLY!

This is my new friend. I'm sure I'll name her eventually. I think I am the only person who doesn't have a stand mixer. For whatever strange reason, I prefer these.



I think I am also the only person who could never find my blades in the same place or my mixer for that matter. This has a case! An organized mixer. Ahhhh.......

I just pulled something sweet out of the oven......we will see how she did!

As always, it really doesn't take much. ;)

{just a few}

I'll be back once my brain is actually actively firing again. But, here are a few from last night. I was literally jumping to get some shots as it was mass chaos.......and everyone seemed to be taller than me.



He didn't respond to her "Jerry!", "Jerry!" But, the minute she screamed "Honey" - they were wrapped. Beautiful!

Two very happy people!

Absolutely amazing!

{lunch dates}

No pictures! {gasp}

But, we had our last official MDO lunch today with the girls. We as in me and little man as he accompanied me as my "date." He wasn't too terribly disruptive. {i hope!}

I can't tell you how much I love these girls and I am thinking SC is on to something. Play dates at her pool this summer. We will definitely be in - me in my turtleneck!

Here's to summer!

{blurry eyes}

Last night was more incredible than I even imagined. Everyone should experience a deployed units return at least once in their lifetime. It just makes you so proud! I have pictures to post and stories to gush about.....but, for now must get busy with work. So much to do today! Will definitely be back with more on this one. :)

{Thank You!}

We are home, the boys are picked up and settled, and we're tired! ha!

But, the frantic pace of the day was so worth it as we got great news. That pesky tumor is still sitting there even though Scott kept telling Dr. Al Mefty that he knows it is going to disappear. He really does not know how to take Scott. Nor do any of the rest of us for that matter! JK, Honey! And, honestly, it can just continue to sit there...as it grew very little. We were very happy with the news.

Bad news: Dr. Al Mefty is leaving Little Rock and relocating to Boston. He has a surgery there TOMORROW. But, his final move will be in a month. It is a HUGE loss for Arkansas, and we were very saddened to hear that. He stressed to us the importance of the continual follow-ups of the progression either with him or another one of his LR Associates. We will very likely be traveling to Boston yearly due to the involvement of the head injury issues. Otherwise, we may have considered follow-ups in LR until (IF) surgery is needed and then transfer to Boston. But, for now we feel most comfortable staying with Dr. A.

And, a very sincere thank you to everyone for their texts today! It was amazing. It was another reminder to me, myself and I to call our church prayer pagers as often as I think about it. It was such a HUGE uplift to us all the way there and all the way back. They didn't all hit at once, but every few miles we would receive another one. It meant the world! Scott teared up several times as I would read them as they came in. So a big, big thanks!

I am very, very happy that I've made it home in time for the 188th although the landing time has changed throughout the day. I'm going to jump in the shower and head up shortly with camera (and, kleenex) in hand.

{MD consult}

Dearest Dr. Jen:

I looked at the MRI - I'm pretty sure I didn't see a tumor. Not sure what I saw, but I diagnosed several things. Very unclear about that gap between the brain and the skull - know why it's there, but thinking it's way too big. Looks like some things are missing. Some things are there that shouldn't be. I'm not sure if I was even looking at them right side up.

Okay, seriously girl............how do you read those stinkin' things?? I was giving you accolades in my kitchen 15 minutes ago. I sang your praises loudly. I am certain you heard them in Texas!!

Okay, I'm off to bed - only a few hours to sleep....

{no apology necessary}

Okay, since I spent Mother's Day on the couch in a total daze trying to recover from the previous day - I kind-of missed any pomp and circumstance of Mother's Day. Except for the fact I couldn't get those pesky IHOP stackers out of my head that MW put there. That led to a 7 pm trip to IHOP.


Okay, back to the topic at hand. My daze led to not one single picture with my boys on Mother's Day. So, yesterday after I posted that frightening picture that apparently scared my son - I did finish getting ready. Just prior going out the door I asked Scott to take a picture of the boys and me. Just a snapshot, nothing major. To be honest, E only had his underwear on. Is one picture too much to ask for? Apparently so, see below.



Don't they look beyond thrilled? Seriously, ONE picture. That is all I asked.

Evan is still not totally into it.

Then I start tickling. I knew better. They never regained their composure.

We all three look like we are about to be electrocuted.

I am so happy they are soooooooo thrilled to take a sweet picture with their mom. Such sweet smiles. NOT. ha!

More tickles. They asked for it. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

Okay, now they just look like they're in pain. Severe pain.

LOVE Noah's eyes. A photographer's dream. ;)

If I could have had this one........just a simple shot, all the other drama could have been avoided. But, Scott kept clicking. He thinks he's a professional now.

Oh! The eyes are back. It's a very good thing they are so pretty!

Sweet. Thank you Noah. Finally. I had to separate the two.

And, very sweet of you too E! Lack of clothing and all! Love your sweet little {skinny} body!

And, notice my "pearls" - E had me buy them for myself from him for Mother's Day. They are on elastic. My favorite.

At least this time we were all in laughs instead of tears. Thanks boys! And, to all the moms out there who apologize to me during a session if the kiddos are not cooperative. Trust me, when I tell you not to worry, I understand. I TRULY understand!!!

{prayer request}

If you guys could remember Scott tomorrow as we see the neurosurgeon in Little Rock with MRI scans in hand for the big check up. I haven't even looked at them this time as I just hate seeing it. Not that I could tell anything anyway other than see "it" as it glows. Can't miss it.

I am praying we get great news....remember: like it vanished! But, hoping for good news and the fact we can get out of the hospital quickly in time for me to get back to FS to photograph my cousin coming home with the 188th. It would really mean alot to all of us, so I am so hoping I can make it.

{keepin' it real}

As E crawled up in my lap between periods of time when I was getting ready for the game earlier. Well, you know, the game I didn't get us to. I'm still feeling terrible!

Anyway, as he crawled, he looked up and said before he could stop it.........

Wow. you look really scary.

Uh....but, pretty too.

An attempt at a save. ;)




Brutal honesty. I witch maybe?

I guess I should go finish straighening my hair and putting my make-up on. I'm off to an Oklahoma wedding!

{my.head.hurts}

E (and, N, when you played) I hope you know HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU when it comes to t-ball. I do like it and totally enjoy watching the boys play. It's crazy mornings like this one that make me want to pull out my hair. And, truly - no offense toward anyone, it's just crazy ball.

* received a text yesterday afternoon that today's game had been moved to 9 am. I wasn't even aware we had a make-up game this morning, let alone it had previously been scheduled for another time.
* you read my attempt to get us there this morning after we chased too many cows to count and 10 minutes away received the text that it had been moved to 11 "for now." I guess that for now was not what I thought it was - I thought it meant it could possibly be moved back, cancelled, etc. It never once crossed my mind that it could be moved to an earlier spot?
* 10 am - go out to car to load up and look at my phone that I left in the car, had received another test at 9:18 am that game had been moved to 10 am. Big oops! I start getting heart palpitations, dizzy, etc - texted the coach, texted a friend, called the coaches wife - found out the game had been forfeited as there were not enough players. I felt terrible. She was very sweet. Then found out the game had been moved to 10:30 - by now it is 10:06 - still not enough time to make it.
* 10:12ish - talk to MW - they were on the field praying. The game was about to start. With 9 players.

I feel terrible! Evan is still in his uniform as I haven't had the heart to tell him just yet. Going to take some Motrin first.

{heart freeze moment}

Today is a busy, busy day. My alarm went off before there were any glimmers of light outside. There is something very wrong with that on a Saturday morning.

I would like to say I buzzed around here and accomplished alot. But, unfortunately I moved in very slow motion. Then, with just enough time to get ready and out the door for our 9 am t-ball game. There is water standing in my yard but the text said the game was still planned as they were attempting to dry out the fields. Okay.

Major interruption: the cows broke out of the pasture into a hay pasture. Not a good thing. So, Scott and I head out to wrangle them back to pasture A. Much easier said than done! I was in my pink polka-dot pjs with wet hair and no make-up. Let's just say it took a while and I was in a panic as I knew I had a very high chance of going to the ball fields in that very same condition.

Scary.

I rush to get boys ready and load them up with a breakfast of granola bars and capri-suns. My hair was wet and FRIZZY. No makeup on and we peeled out of our driveway in a race to the fields.

Oh, about 10 minutes away, we got the text that the games were pushed back to 11 am "for now".

I won't say a word about that. And, no irritation to our coach at all - I just don't understand some of these attempts as we have more rain on the way. That text did likely save the day due to my appearance alone! It's hard to wear sunglasses to cover the no make-up eyes when it's cloudy outside.

Okay, to the heart-freeze moment. A sweet little boy in a baseball cap that had unbrushed hair that parted straight down the middle with very sleepy eyes looked at his big brother in the backseat with the sweetest smile. This was all per rear view mirror. But, Evan said, "Noah, I'm going to give you three wishes, what do you want them to be?" Well, Noah was thrilled and I won't go into his wishes because the wishes themselves somewhat killed the moment. But, there was such sweetness between them and as I type this I hear them squabbling over the PSP.

Short-lived, but sweet nonetheless!

{weekend where are you?}

T-ball game tonight at 5:30 pm - about to rush out the door to get my mom home enroute.

Received a text that we have a preseason tourney make-up game tomorrow. At 9 am. On Saturday morning. :(

Hours getting equipment, cards, files backed-up, etc for a weekend wedding.

Wedding in Muskogee with the vows being at 6 pm.

Sunday..church.

2 huge galleries that have to be completed.

A supplemental report that is due.

A full-fledged report that is due for a client meeting next week.

An engagement session.




My weekend is spent.

{bff}

My best friend came over today and we played in my closet. It would have been fun with the exception of us talking about our in need of toned up arms, laugh lines, crows feet, gray hair, bigger bums, lack of tanning.......you know all things that come along with age. ha!

Proverbs 31, Proverbs 31, Proverbs 31

I'll just laugh.......

AND....pitiful is the fact I have no picture on this computer to upload of us.

we'll work on that too!

{so girly!}

The blog update is finished! I absolutely love it! So pink and girly. Believe, girly is good in a house with three boys. ;)

Thank you Tenille! An awesome job as always.

You are way tooooo good~

{under construction}

I love it!!!! Thanks so much sweet Tenille! You are amazing!

fyi - you can contact her at designsbytenille@gmail.com I simply chose one of her premade designs just YESTERDAY EVENING and she's already at it! Very inexpensive and fun! Love her!

{countdown: 9, 8, 7, 6}

We officially have 9 days of school left (we miss next Thursday as we will be at ACH). I.AM.SO.EXCITED! I am beyond thrilled. I love having my boys home all the time. I love the laid-back days and everything that summer brings.

I did have to put my brakes on when I was updating a few things in my planner yesterday. Just with church activities, baseball, vacations, etc - the summer can get zapped away so quickly. I am very thankful I actually had the foresight to block major periods of time off my calendar this year with nothing to do but play with them! And, now that the job changes will be occurring - it couldn't be better. I'm not going to even allow myself to think about fall.

I'm going to savor!

p.s. sweet tenille is giving me a blog overall

{smashed}

That cute little vintage trike that I loved so dearly. That E loved even more. Well, after he ran it into the SUV last night I guess he decided to leave it behind the Land Cruiser. This morning when I threw it in reverse, I knew immediately what I had hit. For a few seconds I was so sad as it was a gift to Noah from my mom when he was little. But, then I was quickly thankful that no one was on it. E is still asleep. He will be shedding some big tears when he wakes up.

But, the tricycle can be replaced. So, I will hug him up and just love on him. A very teachable moment is coming his way..........

Addendum: he took the news very well. He pondered for a while and said "well, I need to move up to a bike anyway. Besides EW is already riding a bike. E (aka Speck) already knows how, but he's not that interested."

Everything revolves around EW these days. :)

{oh, how i prayed for this}

this mess. this precious little boy. these dirty feet mixed with water creating mud. in my kitchen. yep! i can't complain. i vividly recall praying for all of the not so perfect things that would come along with being a mommy.

First, to provide you with a little insight. My house has imploded on itself. Between the wedding, wrapping things up, portrait edits, deadlines, orders......and the fact Scott is not doing well with this weather at all (he has been up about 20 minutes total today and is back in bed) and the fact my mom has been out sick all week...my house is a wreck.

Well......

I heard some grunting? I went to figure out what in the world? And, this is what I found.....

He was "mopping" the tile with a dishtowel and oh...about a lake of water.....

the camera did not distract him at all. He had work to do!

In this one, he needed to "wash it out"...


However, he does not know the fine art of "wringing out" which equates to another lake....

No fear!!!! Molly-Dog to the rescue. Yuck!

And, he's off again! He was like a little race car. Well, a slipping n' sliding race car. ;)

He didn't bother moving any furniture. Why move it when you can fit under it right?

All that laundry I had at least got dried? Well, it had to mop up the standing water.

The best part......he came to me after I convinced (begged and pleaded with) him to stop. He was very concerned because for some reason he couldn't get the water to stop pulling off the dirt on his feet which kept leading to muddy footprints on his newly mopped floor.

I'll be back soon to inform you of his new role as our Energy Czar.

Lights Out!!!!