Happy Halloween

Another Halloween has come and gone! Cameron went on a weekend youth retreat so he wasn't here to celebrate with us. Colton was a motorcycle driver and Courtnie was a diva. Can you think of anything more fitting for these two? We celebrated with dinner with their three favorite people - Grandmum, Nanie and Aunt B. Of course Jason and I were here too but we amount to nothing when these people are around!

He Made What?

I was sitting in the office at work today and got an email from a teacher. She is so sweet, anytime they are doing something fun she snaps pics of the kids and emails them to the Moms. I really love that! I opened her email to see my sweet baby's face smiling and holding his treat bag that he decorated. I read her email:

"Here is a pic I snapped of Colton. As he was gluing the parts he cut out on the bag, he was telling everyone what they were: these are the eyes, the nose, the boobs, the stomach, and the mouth. I was only half listening and asked him to repeat it to me to make sure I had heard correctly!"

I had to re-read that and then busted out laughing. My son managed to make two things at once - boobs and his mother's face bright red from embarrassment. He never ceases to amaze us at the wonderful things he says and does. God bless his heart (and mine).

Here are the pictures of his party bag (with the boobs) and of him helping carve the class pumpkin. Thanks Ms. Leann for the pictures you take of him. I absolutely love it when I get to see his smiling face throughout the day.

Prayers Please

I'm going to go ahead and throw this out there for two reasons - one, we need prayer and two, I'm hoping that in doing this it will push Jason even further to continue with his efforts for fear of failing everyone who reads my blog. Kinda shady I know =)

Jason has quit smoking! and dipping! (Yes, take a moment to realize he did BOTH.) It has now been 10 days. At this point in time, he has been smoking for more than half of his life. We heard through some friends about this Vapor Cigarette and decided to invest in this product. I've never seen Jason excited about quitting and believing in something to help along the way. He has done really well and I truly believe in this electronic cigarette. My hope is once he gets past the withdrawals and the constant craving we can begin to cut back on this and let it go for good. I do understand he will always have that desire but at current the craving is still there in full swing as are the mood swings. I still love ya babe!

I write all this to ask for prayers, the most important being Jason. He has quit so many times in the past and this time I truly see his desire to finally be done with it. But please don't forget the rest of his family in your prayers. We need patience and understanding.

Jason,

I am very proud of you! As we sat in bed last night and prayed together, tears rolled down my eyes. It is so awesome to see a prayer answered. I honestly have been praying for you to find the strength and desire to quit smoking for years now. Although I knew it would happen in God's time, it's still such a blessing to see a prayer prayed so fervently answered. I knew He would be there for you when you were ready. Lean on Him and be an example to others along the way. You can do this! Please remember when you are feeling discouraged or frustrated that we love you. Our words of comfort and encouragment are only said in desire to help you along the way. We love you!! Be strong, I know in my heart you can do this.

Smoker's Prayer

Heavenly Father, hear my plea,

and grant my lungs serenity.

Give me strength to quit the smoking,

that's been causing all my choking.

Let my breath be fresh and clean,

without a trace of nictotine.

Each cigarette I smoke so often,

adds another nail in my coffin.

Guide me Lord, by your holy means

past all those cigarette machines

It hurts to hear my loved ones say,

'kissing you is like licking an ashtray.'

Please oh Lord, hear my voice,

Give me will power while I have the choice.

I ask your help and it's no wonder,

Because if I don't quit, I'll be six feet under.

I've always wanted to do this to a pack of cigarettes but I never was able to muster up enough courage do endure the wrath of a smoker. I can't see them accepting this too well although it would be extrememly funny! Maybe I could do this to another smoker and leave before they realize it's me. There's an idea....

Pumpkin Patch

I had this grand idea to visit a pumpkin patch with the kids. The weather was absolutely incredible and add that to it being one of the first days of no rain in weeks, we all really just wanted some time outdoors. And yes, I did have photos in mind while we visited =) What we didnt expect was mud. Not just mud though, stinky wet swampy mud. Everywhere. Blah! Although my picture op wasnt successful, we tried and had alot of fun! Too bad my kids were totally oblivious to the fact that I wanted good pictures. I couldn't get ONE of them to cooperate.

Courtnie lost her Slurpee super quick. I think she may have gotten a drink or two before having to hand it over. T really, really liked it and didnt offer one drink to anyone else. Look Mom, I put a bib on her! I kept that white shirt clean!!

Colton was a bit hesitant on the hayride. He wasnt quite sure what we were doing but finally figured out it was pretty fun. T loved it from the begining, so long as she was able to stand up and see for herself.

Miley Cyrus Concert

Dampa was good for his date with Courtnie to the Miley Cyrus concert. He bought tickets for himself and Courtnie for her birthday and she has been looking forward to this event since June. She woke up Sunday morning and picked out her own concert outfit, which I must say looks really cute! The anticipation of her date for that evening was killing her. Dampa came over early and they decorated his car, we snapped some pictures, they headed off for dinner and then the concert. She was in awe! I am so excited she was able to go see her. Thank you Dad for making this memory for her. I know this event will be something she cherishes forever and will share with her friends for years to come. We have a ton more pictures on our online photo album.

Dear Family

Dear sweet family of mine,

I write to you from complete exhaustion. Cameron, I am so happy that you got to go to the Fair yesterday with your friend. Courtnie, I am thrilled you got to see Miley Cyrus in concert last night! Colton, the weather was an absolute blessing; you spent almost the entire day yesterday outside playing. And Jason, I'm so happy your favorite teams won their football games yesterday and I am sorry you lost in one of your Fantasy Football leagues by one point.

Let me take this moment to let you know all of the fun things I did yesterday - got up and fed you breakfast, cleaned up your mess from breakfast, bought groceries for us all to eat, helped put those groceries away, fed you lunch, cleaned up your mess from lunch, packed Tynzlie's things away and took her home, re-cleaned the kitchen since my dear family forgot to complete that task, started laundry and completed 4 loads (washed, dried and folded), made dinner, fed you dinner, cleaned up your mess from dinner. This also includes getting my self showered and dressed, getting several of you dressed and presentable, doing hair, reminding you multiple times throughout the day to pick your things up, to stop running in and out of the house, to work together to solve your problems.

Let me clarify... I am not writing all this to say I did everything around the house. Maybe you did something I happened to miss or maybe you just didn't realize all that Mom was doing. But family, I'm tired. It was my Sunday too and it came and went so quickly and my break finally came at 8pm when I finished my shower and crawled into bed.

The mess and crumbs on the kitchen floor, not mine. The food pressed into the grout and stuck to the sides of the baseboards, not mine. The toothpaste smeared all over the bathroom mirror, sink, counter and cabinets, not mine. The socks and shoes, toys, clothes, and blankets scattered throughout the house, not mine. The leaves and twigs pressed into the carpet and crumbled on the tile, not mine.

I write this to let you know, Mom is going to use this week as her Sunday (or Sundays rather). I'm tired of cleaning up your mess. I did go ahead and sweep and mop the kitchen floor this morning. I did not however get on my hands and knees (like I normally do every Monday) and clean the grout and baseboards. I did wash and dry the towels. I also made the bed! But after this, I'm officially off duty for the week. I will continue to make you breakfast and dinner! But you are making your own lunches (I heard that sigh!). You are also going to clean up your own mess and I am not sorry if this means you have to get on your hands and knees to do so.

I also plan to take a nap today. Please don't call me during this precious time, it comes so rarely these days. I'm also going to have a Dr. Pepper today and some chocolate. I know I recently told you I was going to give these things up and I truly do want to lose those 5 lbs. But I think I might splurge and indulge myself in a new pair of jeans, even if they are a size bigger than last year's.

I say all of this because I LOVE YOU! I want you to learn to take care of yourself and maybe in the process to recognize how much you don't have to do. I think sometimes it's hard to see just how much your Mom takes care of you because things are always done - the house is always clean, your clothes are always laundered, the food is always on the table. But family just as much as you appreciate all this, that appreciation needs to be shown. I try to be humble and do that silent service we are called to do and I understand this is my "job" and its what I want to do most in life. (This job is quite rewarding!) There are some days though that just aren't quite fair. It's very discouraging to see all of you have fun and relax while I continue to work around the house. Just as you need a break from your weekly routine and a time to yourself, so does Mom. Please keep this in mind while you watch TV and play outside and you see Mom still cleaning. Please keep this in mind when Mommy escapes to the bathroom for a moment of silence. Hey maybe you could even cook me dinner one night soon?

As I close this letter to you, I'm getting up to put the chairs and bar stools back in the kitchen. I'm going to sign and read all those papers you've left on the kitchen counter for me. I'll also unload the dishwasher. And Colton, I promise to feed you lunch! But that's about it for my Monday to-do list.

I love you all,
Mom

High Maintenance Woman

A dear friend of mine has always joked about me being a bit high maintenance. My first thought always is "No, not me!" But this time my mind quickly shifted to making a perfectly good blog out of this! Why pass the chance to find out a bit more about myself (like if I'm truly high maintenance or not) and blogging it for good reading material?!

Why exactly does "high maintenance" mean? I generally apply the term to women rather than automobiles, housekeeping, good health, upkeep of the computer and websites, or yard work. Right or wrong, I think of high maintenance women as those who think they need to look good on a daily basis, one who doesn't know how to kick back in a pair of jeans and a T with no makeup on, someone who has to have their nails done, tans and has routine Mani's and Pedi's, who spends more time grooming themselves than any other member of their family, one who is hard to please and needs extra time and effort put into her, and someone who is particular yet troublesome.

To be fair, I thought I'd get a man's opinion on what he views as high maintenance. Here is what my dearest had to say: a person who wants more things than can be provided, needs someone to take care of them, has to be the center of attention.

Next question for him was, "Do you think I'm high maintenance?" His answer was a simple, "no." I think he's getting bored with me now and doesn't really care about this subject. Truth be known, I don't find all his subjects of discussion all that entertaining, but I partake most times. Okay, sometimes. But I ALWAYS appear to be listening! (Oh dear, does that very thing make me high maintenance?!)

I digress, with honesty though!

So the questions is.... Am I high maintenance? Depends on who you ask I guess. I took the liberty of posting this very question on my Facebook page and received varying answers. A few people said they wouldn't exactly describe me as high maintenance but that I "do know what I want, when I want it and how it needs to get done" or that I "like things a certain way". A few friends said "YES!" while others completely disagreed. Which goes to show that the term high maintenance varies from one person's viewpoint to another.

Do I think I'm high maintenance by my definition? I don't really. But can I understand why others might view me as such? Heck ya! I'll start, nothing like a little more honesty huh!? I do like things the way I like them, I do know what I want and I do know how to accomplish them, I will call someone out when they are wrong, I do have high expectations of others, some even may find me hard to please, I can be fussy and particular, I do own quite a few pairs of shoes even if I don't wear them all, my closet does contain some items with tags on them still, and I could not possibly travel with just one piece of luggage.

What doesn't make me high maintenance - I don't get my nails done, I don't have Mani's and Pedi's, I don't tan, I spend little time on my hair and makeup, my clothing is not always that fashionable, and I don't particularly care for expensive things or showy items.

While googling, I found this funny quiz online and according to my answers, it calls me "low maintenance". This term is not near as fun as high maintenance but maybe we should use it more often.

Low maintenance - I'll take it! I actually like that term! Nobody really wants to be maintenance-free; that just makes you appear like a pushover who has no opinion or backbone. But low maintenance gives character. Those are the very things that make you special, they're the things your friends and family love about you. So after this time of soul-searching, I've come to learn I do have some high maintenance issues but I'm also very practical. I have likes and dislikes just like everyone else.

Love me or hate me - I am who I am, a little low maintenance and all =)

Joe Willy's Night

Courtnie had her dance fundraiser last night at Joe Willy's in Rockwall. She and the other dancers served the customers their food, refilled the drinks and bussed the tables. They had a ton of fun!! She had quite a few guests that came out to support her. Thanks for all of you!!

Five a Day

Ever try to get your kiddo to eat five fruits and veggies a day? It's not an easy task sometimes! Courtnie is my healthy eater - she'll eat anything at least once. Cameron will complain but fears the wrath of driving his parents to a maddened state and will eventually eat them but not without protesting. Colton straight refuses and holds out to the very end - through tears, cleaning up from dinner, lights out and threats to end the evening with early bedtime. In Colton's defense he will eat fruit all day long! And dinner wasn't bad - it was stew with potatoes, greens beans and carrots. He liked the cornbread! This is what dinner often times looks like at our house:

Mischievous Brother

Ever wonder what happens when you leave your clothes on the floor, a permanent marker in your room and your door wide open for your little brother to sneak in when you aren't looking?

Front:

Back:

Cameron was none too happy. Can't say I blame him really. But maybe this will teach him a lesson - pick up your things! And maybe use the lock Mom and Dad bought you for your door. It also taught me a lesson - put all things worth creating damage away from the reach of a michievous four year old.

BTW, he didn't do this on my watch. He was in his Daddy's care! In Jason's defense, Colton was super sick and on the couch near asleep when I left. At some point he had a sudden burst of energy to do this. Thank the good Lord his energy ran out before he wanted to decorate anything else in the house. Needless to say he sat in timeout and went to bed early. All this when you're sick! I'm not sure who to comfort? Poor Daddy? Poor Cameron? or Poor Colton? Good thing Courtnie and I were at dance!