Seeing GREEN!

I decided that since I am going
to be stuck in my house for the
next few days, that I should
paint Matthew's room. I liked
the color at the store, but now
seeing it on the wall, I am a
little scared! I will post pics
when I am finished! Wish
me luck! :)

My Date With Matthew

I try to make it a point to do some fun things
with just Matthew. I love the alone time with
him. I love our conversations about absolutely
nothing important. They are always full of silly
stories and laughter. I want to make these days
all about him. I usually try to think of something
new, exciting, and different for our "dates", in
hopes that these will be memorable experiences
for him, too! This past Saturday, we went to the
circus.

Matthew with a clown...not sure what to think!

My favorite part - the elephants!

An Elephant Painting
(I must admit, I love seeing the elephants, but I am not sure how I feel about them
being in a circus...that's a whole other post!)

I got a smile!!! :)

The day did not quite go as planned.
Matthew was quite whiny and tired, and did not
seem to get too excited about anything we saw.
I was completely shocked and a little saddened.
He was recovering from an ear infection, so I tried
not to take it too personally. He speaks fondly of it
when asked, so I guess he did have a good time.
Oh, well. I tried!

Of Tubs,TARGET, and Trying to Be Healthy...

***********************************************************************

Bath time is always so much fun at our house. Both
of my babies absolutely LOVE the water! Here are
a few pics from last night...I thought they were just
too cute!

Logann

Matthew at the same age!!! I threw this in just for fun!

********************************************************************

I don't think that you will ever find anyone that loves
that magical store with the bullseye more than me!
Just today, I bought over $100.00 worth of clothes
for the kids for next year for only $31.00!!! These
cute clothes will be able to be put in a consignment
sale after they have been worn, and I will make back
all the money I spent on them. I must be a genius!?!?!
*******************************************************************

Weight loss update: 8 lbs gone, 54 to go! It really helps
that Chris is working on getting healthy with me. He
is doing a great job, too! I think he has lost about 8lbs
as well. We are continuing...full steam ahead!

***********************************************************

Snow Days!

My state is NOT in the Frozen Tundra, but we have
had some snow over the past few days. We
were originally scheduled for 4-6 inches,
but received a whopping 1 inch (or so.) It was
enough to keep us out of school on Thursday
and Friday. Here are a few pictures from Matthew
and Daddy playing in the snow.

Daddy...not very bundled up

Matthew was not quite sure if he wanted to be out in the cold at first.

He decided he LOVED it!

I thought for sure we would go back to school
tomorrow, but WE ARE NOT!!! This means
that I, a mother who is struggling to keep
her sanity, gets a day to herself! I just
LOVE snow days! :)

My Little Octo-Mom

Logann With All 8 of Her Babies

Logann LOVES babies! Nobody had to teach
her...she just does. She received many babies for
her birthday and Christmas. She loves them all. She
has babies that crawl, laugh, drink from a bottle,
burp, snore, say "momma", and sing songs. Her
Aunt Shea Shea and Uncle Mark got her a
stroller/walker for Christmas, too. Logann thought she
was so big today pushing around her babies. She is
so sweet with them. She rocks them, kisses them,
and gives them lots of hugs! How did she learn
to be so loving? I pray that one day
(a VERY LONG time from now) that she will be a
wonderful mother. Watching her with her babies just
melts my heart! Here are a few pictures ...

(**Please note: The following pictures contain a 12 month old
little girl. I apologize for the massive amount of drool that you
may notice on her shirt. She is currently cutting 3 molars!!!)

Logann hugs this baby every time it sings!

Logann practicing putting her baby in the stroller...

We're still working on that!!!

Pushing the stroller (into the wall :)...

Talking so sweetly to the baby...

Feeding the baby...

Loving the baby...

Kissing the baby...

Poking the baby's eyes...we are working on this, too!

Have You Noticed My New Ticker???

Okay...so I made several new year's resolutions! Said I wasn't going to do it, but...I did!!! I LOVE fresh starts and newness. I love second chances, third chances, and hundredth chances!!! I love the idea that I can start over! I love the feeling that things are never too far gone, even though sometimes I feel like they are.

Resolution #1-
I am determined to lose about 60lbs!!! I am determined to eat less food and get up and move my rather large rear end more often!!!

Resolution #2-
I am determined to show God's love to everyone and make them wonder about my God! I am determined to do as many kind deeds as I possibly can!

Resolution #3-
I am determined to be a better mother, wife, and friend. I want to be more selfless.

Resolution #4-
I want to be more frugal, more thrifty, more money conscious.

Resolution #5-
I want to get (and stay) more organized! I am a good organizer, I just have a hard time keeping it that way!

Resolution #6-
We will eat dinner at the TABLE every night together.

Resolution #7-
I will not buy bottled water.


I know these are great expectations, but I am going to give it a shot! Please pray for me that I am successful, in some way, in all of these areas!

On another note, new beginnings can be great, and sometimes a bit painful! One of my most dear friends has been chosen to be an assistant principal, starting immediately. I am so proud and happy for her. She will do a wonderful job! This is a great opportunity for her. I am crushed though. I feel like I have been kicked in the gut. I feel like something so precious has been taken from me so suddenly. She is my best friend at school. She is the one person at school I really trust. She is my right hand. She is my partner in crime. She is the one I go to when I am upset, excited, worried, confused, stumped, or just want to chat. What will I do without her??? I'm not quite sure, but I will practice being selfless. I will not let her know how badly I am hurting, I will not let her know how devastated I truly am. Tomorrow, I go back to work. I will smile, be friendly and helpful to her replacement, I will laugh with my other girls at school, but it will not be the same. It is going to be a hard day. I love you, Terry.

Christmas 2009

My Birthday (Dec. 20th) - Getting ready for church

(Excuse me for not wearing make-up in the picture!)

Christmas #1 - Our House (Christmas morning)

Look at her standing all by herself!

Baby # 3 of 9 for her birthday and Christmas!!!

Matthew was showing Logann how to NOT hold a baby.

Logann and Mommy

Matthew was really good at opening presents.

Hungry Hippos - the most important Santa gift

Matthew had to help open all of Logann's presents.

Christmas #2 - Matthew and Logann's great-grandparents house...no pictures were taken :( (Christmas afternoon)

Christmas # 3 - My parents house (Christmas night)

See how big she is...


This was little Logann last year.

My dad, sister, and mom :)

Matthew making plans for the bucket...

Logann was not so sure about his plan!

Christmas #4 - JuJu and Grandpa's house (A few days later)

We are so blessed to live close to all of our immediate
family. It was a very busy time, but it was all worth it!
The children had a great time and we made many
special memories!