It's Happening....

Rob is my new blog supervisor. I didn't know I needed one but apparently I do. Someone to hold me accountable and tell me when it's been too long since my last blog. HA! So, today I was informed that I was behind on my blogging so here you go....
A lot of GOOD has been happening around here for the past week or so. This is the time of year that I do like the South- cold days mixed with just enough low humidity warm days to make it enjoyable weather. We took advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend by spending all day Saturday on the river (It's actually a lake but for some reason it's called False River). We fished for a few hours and even got minor sunburns. The Vitamin D was refreshing as was the warm air blowing in our faces (Although E may disagree because he didn't like when Daddy's boat went fast!). Saturday night Rob and I went on the first double date we've been on in years! It was so much fun to have dinner and watch a movie with another couple. We laughed, shared stories and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. Oh, how I needed that! When we were getting ready for our date, one of our good family friends from back home called to see what we were doing the rest of the weekend. He was off work in Lake Charles because of weather and wanted a dose of "home". On our way home from our date, we picked him up and brought him to our house. Sunday, after church, he and Rob took the boat out but didn't catch anything. Scott's work was on hold longer than anticipated due to the weather so he's been staying with us since Saturday night. It's been nice having him here. He's been super helpful around the house and today, when we got severe weather, he helped "batten down the hatches" before the storm hit.
After almost 3 years here, I still haven't got used to the weather here! Last night it was predicted that today's storm was going to be the worst one LA has seen in a long time so all the local school districts closed schools for the day. Praise the Lord our immediate area was not terribly affected by the storms. But, just down the freeway, in a small town that I was in yesterday, a tornado touched down and cause quite a bit of damage. Other places, close to where we live, major tornadoes touched down, causing mass destruction and a few deaths. I can't wrap my head around the fact that we were on the boat this weekend and 2 days later there's mass destruction all around us due to storms. And now the next few days it'll be "cold" here and then it'll warm up again this weekend.
All in all, it's been a great last several days. It's nice to have someone from NV visiting, giving me a small taste of home. It's been nice spending QUALITY time as a couple and as a family. And it's super nice (like in miracle nice) that no one we know was hurt or had to deal with major destruction with today's storm!
It's happening and it's happening good around here.....g'night all!!

Feeling the Love

Although Rob and I have never celebrated Valentine's Day since we both see it just as a Hallmark holiday, I wouldn't deny the boys the celebration. Our weekend got a kick start earlier in the week when P painstakingly picked out Valentine cards for his classmates and then picked out candy for the teens at the youth shelter that we've "adopted". Friday Rob had the day off work so he, E and I went to his favorite place for a lunch to celebrate an early (non) Valentine lunch thanks to the gift card my parents had sent us. That night the boys baked cookies for the teens and I put the Valentine packages together for each one. Yesterday we took the packages to the youth shelter. There are only 8 teens there right now so it was a small group for us to visit. One girl asked, "Are you the ones who brought us the stockings at Christmas?" When I confirmed that it was us, she asked if she could hug the boys. Then she told P that she still had the picture he had drawn hanging in her room because it was special to her. Every time we go to the shelter I am blessed. For us, baking cookies and putting together small Valentine packages isn't a big deal. But for the teens who receive them, it's huge! I don't know who is more of a blessing at the youth shelter....them or us.
After leaving the shelter, we met Rob at the pet store where the boys each got to choose a fish for their Valentine gift. P named his "Spot" immediately because of all the black spots on it. E first named his "Big Boy Bike" and then changed it to "Baby Blue Eyes" before finally deciding on "Jacob". I had a baby shower to go to in the afternoon and when I got home I discovered that E had tried to feed the fish peanuts. I don't think he understands the concept of pet fish. Thankfully the peanuts didn't kill the fish and they're still happily swimming in their new home this morning.
Although I want the boys to celebrate Valentine's Day, I don't want it to be an over the top celebration. They had already received candy from my parents and a Valentine card with money inside from a good family friend. So they woke up this morning to a pack of gum and a small box of candy. They were happy to get the treat and appreciated what they were given. Not only did they feel the love, but so did I! Happy Valentine's Day....or Happy Hallmark Holiday. I hope you, too, feel the love today!!

Weekend Get Away

Here you go, Rob- an overdue blog. As much as I've wanted to blog, the only reason I'm making the time to write this one is because I really want to sit down and take a break from mounds of laundry. HA!

I've always told Rob that actions speak louder than words. Listening to what I say I want means more to me than a lot of things. So I was surprised....no, FLOORED...when I opened my Christmas present this past December. Rob had listened back in October when we had originally visited the Bass Pro Pyramid and I had said I'd love to splurge and stay there sometime. For my Christmas present he had arranged for us to stay at our friends' awesome condo in Oxford for one night and then at Bass Pro's lodge the second night. I guess he figured it was overdue since we hadn't been away together for a weekend, just the 2 of us, in over a year.
Friday we both worked in the morning then got the boys and headed out of town. I wondered what kind of trip it was going to be when we got a flat tire a half hour out of town. Luckily, Rob is great with that kind of stuff so we were on the road again in no time. We dropped the boys off at my inlaws and headed North (That's the correct direction, right Rob?). We stopped at a little hole in the wall steak house and I enjoyed the best shrimp and grits I've ever eaten (Although I've only eaten them a handful of times). When we got to Oxford we were too tired to do anything so we went to the condo, turned on the fireplace and relaxed. The next morning we went to breakfast at a place our friends recommended and...OMGosh...it was the best breakfast I've ever had!!! I really, really wanted to eat all of it but it was just too much. We walked off our breakfast at Ole Miss before heading to Memphis.
I didn't know what to expect out of the lodge as I've never really stayed in a fancy hotel, much less a lodge. But, wow! When you spend money you're treated like royalty! There was a gift basket full of goodies in our room and the staff kept asking if they could escort us to our room or what they could do to make our visit the best possible. We also got VIP tix for the top of the Pyramid, where we enjoyed watching the sun set Saturday night. After the sun went down we hit Beale St for dinner and music. By 9pm we were tired (Boy, I make us sound like senior citizens) so we called it an early night. Sunday the restaurant opened early for hotel guests so that's where we ate (Our only less than par meal the entire trip). We walked around the store then headed back to my inlaws because we were missing the boys. We spent the night there, enjoying a delicious steak dinner my FIL grilled and then watching the Superbowl (Let's be real- I read and just watched the commercials and halftime show).

It was such a great, relaxing, much needed weekend! Every time we go away, just the two of us, we realize how much that is lacking in our lives and that we really need to do it more often. It's always nice to have a weekend full of laughter and creating fun memories!

Our hotel balcony, overlooking BP

Sunset over the Mighty Mississippi, looking into Arkansas, 280 feet up

Memphis as viewed from top of the Pyramid

Inside The Lookout (bar/grill at top of Pyramid)

View of store, coming down the elevator

Sunrise

Bowling alley in BP

Largest alligator gar I've seen (not stuffed)

If all gators were this happy I wouldn't fear them.

The elevator that goes to the stop

View of one of the many swamps inside the store

Playing an interactive duck hunting game

Duck hunting museum in the store

Imaging USA

I had the honor and privilege of attending Imaging USA in Atlanta this past weekend. For those of you not aware of what this is, it's a worldwide photography convention. So, basically, I was rubbing shoulders (so to speak) with some of the most famous photographers in the industry. What an experience it was! I learned I wasn't a fan of traveling alone nor was I a fan of Atlanta traffic. I also learned that ATL has a huge homeless population. Other than that I cannot begin to tell you how phenomenal the experience was. I met Amy Purdy. If you don't know who she is then Google her. Sadly, I didn't know about her until she was the keynote speaker. She has got to be one of the most positive, inspirational people I've met. I also got to get business, photography and editing tips from some of the best photographers in the world. Talk about awesome! I was sitting in one of the seminars, thinking, "I don't think I ever got this excited about teaching conferences." I wished for more photography seminars, something I've NEVER done as a teacher. That, my friends, is a sign that I'm in a career in which I'm passionate. I am excited about all I learned and how it will impact my business in the future. But for right now, enjoy some of the pictures I took while at IUSA.

  

The Start of 2016

I don't know why but I can't wrap my head around the fact that it's 2016! Not that I'm not excited for this year but 2020 no longer seems far away...a year I've never been able to fathom.
Our year is off to, well, a start. It's not busy. It's not bad. It's not crazy. It's just smooth sailing for the most part.
I can say that 2016 has started out LOUD. In my *ahem* older age I have learned that I cherish quiet. With today being the first day P is back to school all is quiet in the house...except for our obnoxiously loud washing machine. No TV blaring (Hallelujah!). No door slamming. No boys bickering. Nothing except a small little voice asking when we're picking his Bubba up from school and the belly laughs that proceed when I start tickling him, telling him "In a little while." I'm digressing so let me start at the beginning.
Speaking of noise, since moving to LA I am become a curmudgeon (Yes, I had to look up how to spell it) on New Years Eve. I can't stand the fireworks going off HOURS after the boys are in bed. So I asked Rob if we could go to deer camp, where it'd be quiet. We took a few fireworks and let them off....around 6pm....and were in bed by around 9. A perfect New Year's Eve in my opinion.
We raced home the next day to prepare for E's birthday party (and to watch the Ole Miss bowl game of course). E has never really understood birthday parties so he's never been particular about one. Until this year. All he wanted was a bounce house party and all his favorites (including his favorite friends...ha!). It was an eclectic party but he loved every minute of it! I left after the party to run a couple errands, only to come home to find him asleep in Daddy's arms. He was so worn out from all the fun!
I am prefacing this paragraph by letting you know that I am NOT a bad mom. This week concluded P's long Christmas break. I have never understood when moms have said they are excited for their kids to go back to school. But, sadly, now I kind of understand. Don't get me wrong. We had fun on his break and I missed him today. But it has also been a very productive, quiet day around the house. P likes to be entertained every waking moment, which is not hard to do....in small doses. E is fine playing along side of me while I work or clean. Occasionally we'll stop to cuddle or tickle or play. But today I didn't feel guilty about getting caught up on work or cleaning. P doesn't take naps but E still needs them. But E also loves his Bubba and has a hard time napping when P is home. I didn't have to feel guilty today when it took an hour of me lying with E to get him to fall asleep (for 30 mins). P has been making a lot of bad choices over his break and since I've been parenting alone more days than not this week the disciplining is taxing. I've lost my cool on more than one occasion. So today it was nice not to listen to bickering, refereeing arguments or having to give Time Outs/spankings for bad choices.
So there you have it. The first official week of 2016 is in the books. Only 51 more to go......

3 years ago.....

Funny how one event can bring about different memories. My mom emailed me tonight with her recollection of E's birth day 3 years ago....

"Just wanted to share a few precious memories from three years ago.  I remember it being a stormy night on the 30th of December. We were in the family room watching a football game (Packers) when Rob called. I thought he was calling to give me a bad time about the game when, instead, he called to say you were in the hospital and they were going to do a c-section. It was so hard to be here and not be able to make it there because of the storm and equally difficult to know that Preston was going to be cared for at Scott and Natalie's instead of us watching him but we were so happy to hear the news and see the first photos of little Easton.

The next morning we got up and braved the storm to get there. I remember the text you sent me as though Easton was writing it to me stating, "Gee, I can hardly wait to me you". Then when we got to the hospital I stopped off in the bathroom and your dad was sitting out by one of the bay windows. I heard Natalie come down the hall with her girls and Preston and when Preston saw your dad, I heard his excitement when he called out, "Bob Bob!".

We came into your room and met our newest grandson and, of course, he was beautiful. I remember introducing Preston to his baby brother and showing him his tiny fingers and toes and he was in awe. You gifted me with the necklace with the pendent Preston and Easton engraved on it. It has always been a favorite of mine.

We took Preston to "Old Mc Donald's" for lunch and then checked in at the Hampton. We stayed there two days and Preston was such a good little boy. In fact, one time we passed through the lobby, the young man at the desk called him over to tell him what a good boy he was and gave him a candy bar. Need I add that he was thrilled!

We drove home in a snow storm and James texted several times to drive carefully and be safe. I would do it all over again for those precious moments."



Getting her email brought back memories that I had forgotten. Needless to say, it also brought tears to my eyes as I, too, took a walk down Memory Lane. This is what I remember:
I had had a couple times of pre-term labor and my doctor had put me on bed rest to make it to 37 weeks. Christmas is always a favorite time of the year for me and that year I felt I hadn't been able to give P 110% of the memories that I had wanted to because of my pregnancy. I was comparable in size to a beached whale and couldn't wait for my lil man to make his debut. The day I went into labor (for real) was a Sunday. It had been snowing and I told Rob I didn't want to go to church that morning because I had been up with contractions most of the previous night. As the day wore on I started getting the feeling that I would end it in the hospital. I told Rob and he said, "Please don't go into labor during the Packers game. This is a huge game for them." Almost as soon as the game started so did my contractions. With P I had had back labor but with E it was completely different. I looked outside and the snow was really coming down so I laid down, hoping that would slow everything a bit. It didn't and right before halftime, P looked at me and said, "Mommy, why are you crying?" Rob went into panic mode when I told him I thought I was in labor for real and that I was having pretty steady contractions. On the way to the hospital I found out that the 2 friends I had lined up to watch P for the night were unavailable because they had no idea I'd be going into labor so early (I was due mid January). So we called our good friends, Scott and Natalie, to ask if they would be willing to keep P for the night. They live an hour away from the hospital in good weather but it was downright snowing that night.
When we got to the hospital, Rob was upset that he couldn't watch the game and said he'd be really upset if he had driven in the snow and missed the game only to find out that I had had false labor AGAIN. But the nurse assured him I'd be having a baby soon so they prepped me as we waited for Scott and Natalie to get to the hospital. Rob probably called Scott 10 times, wondering where they were because my doctor was ready to deliver E via C-section (It had been pre-planned). Within minutes of P getting picked up, E was born. It was such a completely different experience for so many reasons. I almost felt a disconnect because everything seemed surreal. As soon as he was born he was whisked off with Rob following quickly behind. So I just laid there, wondering what was happening and if my baby was ok. Once they brought him in and reassured me that he was fine, I was able to bond with him. He was almost the exact same measurements as his big brother and just as precious as could be!
I remember being so cold once I was transferred to my hospital room. I put E on my belly after I nursed him so I could use his body heat to warm up. The nurse came in a few hours later to check us and said I couldn't do that because I had gotten him way too warm. Instead she brought me a few more blankets....to no avail. My room was so small but Rob insisted on sleeping on the hard, lumpy mattress that he put on the floor next to my bed. I remember looking up at the whiteboard in my room and finding it comical that it said "FALL RISK" across it. I proved the message correct and passed out in my favorite hospital place....the bathroom. But such is life and I've learned to just go with it (as has Rob but he may freak out about it a little more than me).
The day after E was born, P was brought to the hospital to meet his little brother. He beamed with pride as he looked E over, making sure he had all his fingers and toes. E "gifted" his big brother with a stuffed camo bear that says "I love you". (P sleeps with it to this day!). My dad took one of my all time favorite pictures of P sitting on Rob's lap, looking down at his baby brother.
Natalie was our first friend to hold E and I was so appreciative that, not only did she keep P for us, but that they came on last minute notice through a snow storm to get him. P was all excited that he had made a hot pad with Scott and Natalie's girls to give to E. I recently tried to throw it away as it's unraveled but E got very upset with me and told me it was from his Bubba. So I guess we'll keep it because of the memories it holds.
One of the other special things I remember vividly is my sweet friend, Jill, coming to visit me. She had told me before I had had E that I shouldn't get my feelings hurt but that she just couldn't visit me at St Mary's. That's where she had had to say goodbye to her little Matthew several months earlier. She told me she couldn't step foot in that hospital again and I respected that. So I was shocked beyond belief when I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway of my hospital room. We immediately started crying because of all her visit encompassed. Not only had she come into the hospital that held horrible memories for her but she came onto the Labor and Delivery floor where her life had tragically changed. At that moment I knew that, no matter where life took us, we'd be forever friends!
It's amazing the memories we hold dear. It's fun to take a walk down Memory Lane. I know there were some not so pleasant memories but those aren't the ones I think about. I think about the love that surrounded our lil man from the minute he was born. I think about our friends who came to see him and spoil P. I think of my parents, who graciously drove through feet of snow to make sure they could help out in any way, shape or form. I think about the bond E and I had from the start.
And now, 3 years later, I think about his first year of life. Where we packed up life as we knew it to move 2500 away. Where, on his first birthday, he was sicker than a dog and slept through most of his party. Where he took his first steps and said his first words. It all seems so long ago. As you know, time flies so I love reminiscing on his young life and all the joys (and frustration) he has brought into our lives. He and P are like peas and carrots in looks and personalities but I'm equally thankful for what they add to our lives. 3 years ago today I didn't think I could love another child as much as I did P. And 3 years later, I realize how wrong that thinking was. Happy 3rd birthday my lil firecracker!

Crazy Boys!

Sometimes I feel like I use this blog to make my boys sound perfect. They are not. I am not a perfect parent by any means, nor is Rob. We are an imperfect family trying to figure it out as we go. Some days are fantastic while others are barely survivable. Yesterday was barely survivable. In fact, it goes down as the worst day I've ever had with the boys. I'm blogging about the day simply so I can look back at it some day and laugh. At this point I'm still nowhere close to finding the humor in the day.
The day started out like any other. I poured some coffee, the boys and I cuddled for awhile then I went off to take a bath so we could start our day. When I got out of the bath that's when things went downhill...fast!
I walked into the hall to find 4 bottles of acrylic paint opened and spilled on the carpet, wall and door. I walked into the living to find a couple bottles of spices dumped on the carpet. I walked into the kitchen to find the crafts that I had bought for the boys (to last a couple weeks mind you) opened and destroyed. I went in the boys' bathroom to find more paint and spices spilled everywhere. I went in their room to find a different container of spices spilled on the carpet and E's bed. I was livid! After much scrubbing, I was able to clean up most of the mess. On a side note, the spices countered the smell of the wet carpet from earlier this week when E flooded part of the master bathroom.
After running a couple errands, I told the boys to clean out my car because they had trashed the backseat. When they said they were done, I went out there to find what was in the backseat all over our front yard. I know some of you may be thinking that I should've been specific in telling them how to clean out the car but I had been. I was very detailed in telling them where everything should go. Plus they know it already. After they assured me the yard was cleaned up, I went out to find that one (or both) of the boys snapped all of the lighted candy cane decorations aligning our walkway, making them impossible to salvage. For the rest of the day, it was little things....the boys fighting, lying, etc. It was a day I didn't want to repeat. This morning I found one more act of destruction that took place yesterday to top it all off. P SCRAPED 13-17 into the back of my car! One day it'll have to be buffed out but this morning I wasn't about to get mad all over again. I wasn't about to have the same day today. I couldn't. I had cried enough tears yesterday, as had the boys. There were spankings, time outs, raised voices, the gnashing of teeth, letters from Santa about the Naughty List and much more.
Today is a new day and, thankfully, 1000x times better!! I'm so thankful that those bad days are rare. I'm not naïve to think we won't have more of them in our future but if they can be spread out so I can recoup a little in between I'll manage. I'll learn as I go as to what works and what doesn't on days like yesterday.
And maybe, just maybe, some day I'll look back at this blog, remembering this day with laughter instead of tears. My crazy boys!