I Can't Believe I'm Saying This....

I actually can NOT wait for school to start!! Not for my kids, but for ME!! Not because I'm excited to get back into my academics, or be under constant stress due to assignments and projects that need to be done - no, because I'm so ready to get out of the house!!

I've said time and time again how much I love being home with my kids as much as I am. That's still true - I do love being home 5 days a week with my kids. This past week, however, I've been dealing with a sick toddler - and for anyone that has never had to deal with that, just try to imagine those times that you go out to eat or go visit a friend that has "that" child that NEVER stops crying....screeching, screaming, nails down a chalk board kind of cry. That's what it's like taking care of a sick toddler.

It started last weekend when I noticed that Jada was running a fever. She wasn't eating very much, and just wanted to be held. That part doesn't bother me at all. As much as I hate for my kids to be sick, I do love the feeling of being able to comfort them and hold them. That lasted for 2 days, and then I noticed that Jada started getting white blisters on her tongue. That was an indication to go straight to the doctors. I found out she had a viral infection - one that can't be treated with antibiotics. The only thing the doctor was able to do was give me the "good" news that it would last about 5-10 days, it was going to get worse, and be prepared for a very cranky baby because the blisters would start to pop after a few days - and that would be painful. YAY!! **INSERT SARCASM**

The next night, it started. I was up until well after midnight, trying everything in my power to console Jada. I was heartbroken because I knew she was in pain - but there was nothing I could do. I finally got her to sleep well after midnight. Then, I was up at 6am the next morning with her. During the day it wasn't so bad - but late afternoon the screaming started. It takes so much out of me when I know she's in pain, I want more than anything to help her and make her feel better, but she just cries and cries and cries.

This morning, I was woken up at 6:30 by Jada screaming. The screaming has come and gone since then - she'll be happy for a little while, and then she'll start screaming again. I'm hoping that this is the worst of it - cause once the blisters are all gone..she'll be better. I'm just so drained and tired. One plus is that I get to go out tonight with Steve. I found a great babysitter, so we're going to get out of the house for a little while. It will be nice to have some alone time, and adult conversation.

Ok, I'm done ranting - back to it. :)

Honest Scrap Blog Award

I really don't like to do stuff like this on my blog - but I thought this was kind of cute, and it helped get some attention for other bloggers out there. My friend, Jen, is an AWESOME blogger - and she gave me this great award for the efforts that I make on keeping up with my blog.

Here it is, my Honest Scrap Award:

There are rules associated with accepting this award:

1. “The Honest Scrap” award is not one to hold all to your self but it must be shared!

2. First, the recipient has to tell 10 true things about themselves in their blog that no one else knows.

3. Second, the recipient has to pass along this prestigious award to 5-10 (I edited this, being that I don't follow 10 blogs) more bloggers.

4. Third, those 5-10 bloggers all have to be notified they have been given this award.

5. Those 5-10 bloggers that receive this award should link back to the blog that awarded them “The Honest Scrap’ award.

So, 10 things about myself, OK here we go:

1. When coming up with inspiration to write blogs, I imagine myself being a "big time" blogger with a deadline...somehow that always works
2. I'm a spoiled brat when it comes to my house - my husband does the majority of the cooking and cleaning
3. I'm somewhat addicted to celebrity gossip - MUST watch TMZ every nite, and quite often surf the web to see what's going on with the current celeb gossip
4. I'm an avid gay rights activist - I'm not gay, but I think that everyone should have the right to be whoever they wish to be
5. I'm very competitive - a lot of my inspiration for doing a lot of things in my life is because someone else has done it, and I want to "one up" them (that's a bad one, I know)
6. I'm a big tom boy - hardly ever get dressed up or wear make-up, and have a lot of "manly" habits..LOL
7. Even though I'm a tom boy - I do enjoy the occasional pampering, like having my nails done
8. I'm a huge procrastinator - I work best under pressure, so I often wait to the last minute to get things done
9. I spend way too much time on Facebook
10. My motivation in life is to one day have plenty of money, and live the "good life"

The blogs that I wish to pass this award on to:

• Diary of a Fat Woman - This is a bit of a cheat. This is my blog that I created for my weight-loss journey
• 344 Pounds - This is a blog about a guy that has lost over 100lbs in 26 weeks..very inspirational!
• These Are the Days of One Gemini - My friend, and such an amazing blogger - a MUST check out!! Also the person that gave me this award ;)
• Embarassed Fatty - She's on the same mission as me - to lose weight.
• All Because Two People Fell in Love - A good friend of mine, and such a sweet story of their every day lives of being a family
• Fat Girl To Fit Girl - Another weightloss blog, but very good.

I hope everyone checks these blogs out - they make for great resources, reads, and are truly inspirational. Thanks again, Jen, for the award :)

New Addition to Our Family

Yesterday, I went and picked up a new addition to our family. She is an 8 week old half lab, half Great Pyranese. She is a puppy from a litter from our ex-lab, Alana. My boss was the person who took Alana in after Jada was born, and 8 weeks ago she gave birth to 9 puppies!!

I contemplated for a long time whether or not I wanted one of the puppies. It meant house breaking another dog, training her, wondering what to do if we go away - but it was Jada that made up my mind for me. Jada absolutely LOVES dogs. She adores my silky terrier, Asia, but Asia is a spoilt rotten "momma's girl" and really doesn't give Jada the time of day. Jada tries so hard to play with Asia, and Asia will amuse her on occasion (especially if Jada has food in her hand), but not enough for Jada's liking. I thought, maybe, if we get a new puppy, Jada will have a doggy playmate that will enjoy being played with.

We went and picked her up yesterday, and Jada was SUPER excited. I picked her name which is Bella. I picked Bella for 2 reasons. One, because when Jada says "belly", she says "bella" - and Bella has a big, round belly. The other reason is I'm obsessed with the Twilight series, and I thought that Bella would be a great name to bring over from the books.

Bella did so well on her car ride home. She laid down in the back seat the whole time, and Jada thought it was great. When we got home, Bella got out of the car and peed and pooped immediately - that was great!! We brought her inside to introduce her to Asia, and that went really well. All in all, things have gone really well. I bought a big dog pen to put in the yard for if we have to leave, and I don't like to leave her in the house alone. She seems to like the pen. She's done well as far as sleeping in her crate. I only had to get up once in the middle of the night to let her out to go to the bathroom. I feel like a new mom again...LOL

So, wanted to let everyone know - and share the excitement. :)

I Need Another Vacation!! UGH!!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Of course, my life is crazy busy - isn't it always?? LOL

My weekend away with the gals was AMAZING!! Two days away wasn't near long enough. It was so great to have some adult time. We had a few drinks, went out on the boat - pure heaven!!

Yesterday, I got my hair chopped off. I prefer short hair, but Steve hates it. I've had my hair long for some time now - but I hated it. I wear it the exact same way everyday - in a messy bun, cause it's the only style that keeps me cool. So, I made a rash decision to just get it all chopped off. Now it's just below my chin. It feels lighter, I can actually do something with it now - and I think it looks great. Of course, Steve hates it -but he doesn't have to deal with my hair..so he can get over it..LOL

Things are still going well with the dieting. I'm making healthier choices, and can feel that my clothes are getting baggier. I've decided I'm not going to weigh myself until the 60 days are up - so I can see how much progress I've made through-out the whole time.

Exercise has become my "me" time. This past weekend, I went to the local walking track and walked 2 miles. It was so nice - just me, no interruptions, no kids fighting..just peace and quiet. My older two kids are really working on my last nerve with their constant fighting. I'm trying my hardest to keep them occupied, but no matter what I do - they fight CONSTANLY!!

I'm getting to the point where it's starting to stress me out. This morning, for example, I thought I'd take the opportunity while Jada was napping to work out with my Wii. Well, 5 minutes in, Brayden kicks my cup of water all over me from jumping on the couch..UGH!! I get so frustrated so easily nowadays - which isn't like me. I'm usually a really calm person, but the kids just know how to stretch me to the limit. Payton has been great with helping out with Jada, but she's just as bad when it comes to the fighting. They pick the stupidest stuff to argue over - and it just never stops. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy being able to spend time with the kids during the summer - but I'm getting to the point where I'm ready for school to start again..already! It's not like I make them stay home every day doing nothing. We go swimming, I take them places - I try my best to keep them occupied. It just doesn't do any good.

Ok, enough ranting and raving - I love my kids very much...just need to let off some steam. This stuff (writing in my blog) helps a lot...I feel much better already. Ok, back to it..blah!!

Been Busy - Dieting, Family, GO, GO, GO!!

The past few weeks have been crazy busy. Even though my intentions for the summer were to relax and slow down for my entrance into University in August - so far, that hasn't really been the case.

I'm working two days a week - which gives me 5 days a week to relax...well, should give me 5 days to relax. Instead, my days have been filled with playdates, grocery shopping, appointments, and visits to see my family. I'm not complaining - I'm used to a fast paced life, so in reality I didn't really expect anything different just because it's summer.

So, for the past week, I've started creating my own diet plan. Things are going EXTREMELY well. I started the diet last Thursday, and on Monday I weighed myself and had already lost 8lbs!! WOO HOO!! I started another blog devoted to my weight loss program - and if you're interested..check it out: http://diaryoffatwoman.blogspot.com I'm trying to do it to gain support from people - as I work best when under the eyes of others.

The kids continue to grow like weeds - and drive me nuts. Payton and Brayden fight all the time, and I'm very close to banging their heads together - but I'm trying to do what I can to keep them occupied. Jada is getting smarter by the day, and she wears me out just watching her..LOL She's a little monkey, always climbing on something, and she LOVES being outside - no matter how friggin' hot it is. Aahh..to have that much energy again!! LOL

This coming weekend, I'm lucky enough to be going away. I'm going to spend the weekend with a few girlfriends in a cabin up by the lake. It's a "women only" weekend - no kids, no husbands. I'm so excited!! We're gonna swim, relax, and have a few drinks - so it's at least one weekend I'll get of relaxation this summer.

Well, that's it for now...till next time. :)

18 Months Gone in a Moment

I can't believe my beautiful baby is already 18 months old. It seemed like only yesterday I brought my bundle of joy home from the hospital - and here she is walking, talking, and being so independant. Even though it's unfathomable for me to have a 9 year old and an 8 year old, Jada's super speedy jump into toddlerhood has had the biggest impact. It may be because I know that she is my last baby, it may be because I'm older and have appreciated more moments with her, it may be because I've been home spending much more time with her - but not enough to get over how quickly time has flown.

With every new day has brought something new and exciting from Jada. At 10 months old, shortly after learning to walk, she was dancing in front of the TV. Now that dancing has turned into remembering song lyrics and actually singing along to songs. From her first jar of baby food at 5 months old to dinner time with us, eating exactly what we eat on a plate just like ours with a "big girl" fork and spoon. Goodbye are bottles and sippy cups, as she drinks from a regular cup now. I don't even get the chance of rocking my baby to sleep, as she would much rather watch "Bob Bob" (Spongebob) in bed and fall asleep on her own.

I am not sad about all the things that my child has learned to do over the past 18 months, for every day is a new adventure for me, but it's a bittersweet time. Her personality has changed, her laugh lights up a room, and I feel proud to watch her try and put on her own shoes to go play outside. I know at the end of the day that I play a huge part in the molding of this beautiful child that amazes all by her smarts and vocabulary.

I don't want this entire post to be completely about Jada. I have two other wonderfully bright and beautiful children, and with every day of Jada's amazements bring on the truths of how big and grown up my other two children are. The other morning, Payton got Jada up by herself, and Brayden amuses Jada by playing outside with her or in his room. They are getting so grown up themselves. There are times that I want to bang their heads together, for they seem to fight with each other constantly - but I'm reminded of how my brother and I were as kids and know that it's my own dose of fate lurking in the wings telling me what my mother had to deal with when I was a child.

I have truly been blessed with so many things in my life, but my children are the meaning of my life. They are what I wake up in the morning for, go to sleep thinking about at night. They are my savior on stressful days and make me realize why I do the things I do. I strive to be a better person for them, so that in their future they will have someone to look up to. Some people find peace in praying to God, I find peace in talking to my children. Their wisdom, even at these young ages, can put perspective on the most difficult of problems. Their questions often boggle my mind, but their discovery for their own answers makes it even more amazing.

I love you, my children, forever!

Payton as a baby:


Payton now:


Brayden as a baby:


Brayden now:


Jada when she was born:


And my big girl now:

Softball Excitement

So, Payton has played softball for the past 3 years. The year she started, her team won all but one game and made it to the district playoffs. The next year, Payton had to stay on the 8 & under team rather than advancing to the 10 & under team with her team mates. Luckily for her, I coached the 8 & under team last year ;) Well, this year, she's on the 10 & under team, but the coach has gone to another team - so she's back with her original team mates, but not the original coach.

Ok, now I'm just plain rambling...ugh...anyways, Payton's team this season has only won 1 game and tied 1 game - they've lost all of the others. Last nite was the first night of the league tournament. The parents all figured, for sure, that it would be the only night that our girls got to play - due to their current standing. Well, we were WRONG!!! Our team played one heck of a game last night. Payton got to play catcher, a spot that she is VERY good at - but for some reason didn't get to play all season...but that's another story all together, don't get me started.

So, not only did they win - but they won 9-5!! The most runs they've scored in a single game all season. Every single girl on the team got at least 1 run. It was so exciting - I just had to share!! The next round of the tournament is on Thursday, but I have to be in Fayetteville all afternoon and don't know if I'm going to make it back in time. I sure hope so - cause I really don't want to miss that game. Will let you all know how it goes. :)

Zoo Trip - 2009

On Thursday, we took our annual zoo trip. I was really excited about it this year because even though Jada went last year - she was only 6 months old, so it wasn't really fun for her. This year, however, she got to walk around and enjoy looking at all the animals.

We went, like we do every year, with my parents - but my cousin and her husband and her new baby also went. This usually wouldn't of bothered me, but this year everything took so long I really wished we had just gone alone. It's not that we didn't have fun, cause we did, but it just seemed like we spent so long at each exhibit that Jada got impatient - and we found ourselves with a very cranky baby by 3pm.

Crankiness aside, Jada absolutely had a blast. She was so fascinated with seeing all the animals. We were really lucky cause it was a beautiful day, not too hot, so most of the animals were outside and visable. Jada's favorite exhibits were the elephants and the petting zoo. In the elephant exhibit, one of the elephants walked right up to the glass and stuck it's trunk up to it. Jada laughed so hard at seeing this huge animal right in front of her face. She got a little pissed when she realized she couldn't touch it though...LOL

Jada has always loved animals - so the petting zoo was great for her. She got to get up close and personal to some goats and sheep. That child had absolutely no fear walking up and petting each of the animals - it was very cute. She also enjoyed riding the carosel and the train. Here are a few pics of our fun day out"

Be Careful When Joking!

Mondays are most usually blah days, anyways, but today takes the biscuit!

This summer, I only have to work 2 days a week - Mondays and Tuesdays. I don't mind too much, but the days are long and the work is slow because not many people take summer classes - which means less work for IT to do around here. My main goal is to get thru the day the best I can without falling asleep, but it really makes for a bad day when someone ruins it for you.

This morning, I received a phone call from someone who was having problems getting into their account. No biggie, very common problem. So, I checked her account and made the very common joke "just need to make sure you haven't been fired". She laughs, I laugh, I help her with the problems - call over. An hour later, my boss comes in to tell me that the V.P. of our department received a written complaint about the joke I made to her!! WTF??

Moral to the story - don't joke around!! What I considered a joke got me into a lot of trouble. I'm totally dumbfounded by the whole thing - but now I'm on edge about who I talk to so that I don't offend anyone. Geez...I'm ready for this day to be over!

Allergies - UGH!!

So, I've always been a winter lover - and the main reasons for that? I hate hot weather, and I HATE allergies!! This year, we've had a large amount of rain - which has caused an even heavier amount of growth - which in turn causes a greater amount of pollen...leading to an unbearable onset of my seasonal allergies.


I've dealt with seasonal allgeries since I was a child, and each year they seem to get a little worse. The past few summers, I've ended up in the emergancy room cause of an allergy asthma attack - and I fear that this year will be no different. I've tried every prescription and OTC drug on the market to help with my symptoms - but with no avail. I wake up every morning like I've been beaten in my sleep - two swollen eyes, a swollen and red nose, and severe throbbing pain all over my face and in my head. To make matters worse, this morning I also woke up with a fat lip - because I've now developed blisters on my top lip from blowing my freakin' nose too much.


It's this time of year that I wonder to myself - why the hell am I living in the middle of the woods?? I'm killing myself living here - but unless I move to the other side of the country, I doubt that moving to town would help any.


This is the time of year that I should be enjoying the nice weather, taking the kids out, and making the most of my 3 months off of school. Instead, I dread going outside. I would love to be able to enjoy things like picnics, hiking, playing at the park - and I do - except for the fact that I spend the whole time sneezing, blowing my nose, and trying to see thru my watered and sore eyes.

Oh, well - I've complained long enough - back to my misery. :(

Graduation Photos - as promised

Here are a few graduation photos that I thought I'd share:

With my parents:

With Jane and Sierra:

With my "little" brother and sister:

Family photo:

Accepting my "diploma":

Summer Lovin'

Well, I did it. I walked across the stage, received my fake diploma (I don't get the real one until after my final grades have all been calculated..should be by the end of the month), and am now a college graduate. I will post pics next time - as I haven't received my photos yet.

It's a very surreal feeling. I am the first of all my parents' six children to receive a college degree and will probably be the last until my youngest sister who is 13 goes to college. My journey is only half over, and in August I will begin the second half at the University of Arkansas. I go next Friday to enroll in my classes and get a rundown of how the next two years are going to go. I'm ready to get that over, so I can devote myself entirely on a summer of no school, no studying, no tests - just fun, relaxation, oh and more fun!!

Even though I really hate hot weather, I'm always excited when summer comes because it means no school, and quality time with the kids. I only work 2 days a week during the summer, so that gives me 5 whole days of doing fun stuff with the kids. Now that Jada is 17 months old (oh my, where did the time go??), she will enjoy a lot more of the activities. We already have our annual zoo trip planned for the beginning of June, and between now and then Jada and I will be doing some fun things with the toddler playgroup I joined. Being that Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until the first week of June, Jada and I have a few weeks to do some activities together - and then we can focus on including the "big kids". This week alone Jada and I are going to "petting zoo day" at Petco and a playdate at the park. Next week there are more fun activities like shopping, "Mom's Night Out" and more playdates. I'm so excited!!

I'm ready for a summer of fun, fun, and more fun - with a sprinkle of relaxation thrown in there. I'm gonna let my hair down, and just go with the flow. I think I'm more excited than my kids are..LOL

Less Than A Week To Go!! WOOHOO!!

In just 6 short days, the day will be here that I have waited for almost 1o years for. I will be graduating for the first time in my life - and with a college degree!!

Last week, I got to go and visit the new campus where I will be attending university next fall. The campus is BEAUTIFUL!! It's very small, as it's just a satellite location to the University of Arkansas but the building is so nice. It really made me put into perspective what I've been working so hard for these past two years.

Thursday was my last day of classes, but I still have finals next week. I'm not really nervous, but it's a "pass or die" scenario so I have to study hard to get the best grades. Even though I've done well in all of my classes up until this point, it is a little scary to be taking a major test over everything I've learned over the whole semester, and that's for each class. So, even though the school part is over - it still means just a couple more nights of very little sleep to be sure that I retain as much information as possible to do well on the finals.

Once this week is over, and I walk across the stage and receive my associates degree, my summer will be spent focused on my kids and just having fun. I joined a couple of "Mommy & Me" groups last week, so I already have some fun activities planned for Jada and I for the month of May. Payton and Brayden don't get out of school until May 28th, so I have almost a whole month to do some fun things with Jada. Then, when they get out of school, we will be going to the zoo, the aquarium, swimming, skating, hiking, and doing some other fun stuff...I'm so excited!

I'm sure the summer will fly by, and then it will be back to hitting the books - so it's important to me to spend as much time with the kids as possible now. They have been so great, as well as Steve, in helping me get this far - so I owe them so much. They have all given me the motivation to keep on, study hard, and make them proud. Even though I'm not done yet - I know that they will continue to give me the love and support I need when I go through University...and I love them so much for it. :)

Taste of Teaching

On Wednesday, I had the privalage of teaching a lesson to a 3rd grade class. As part of a project in my Physics for Elementary Teachers class, I had to teach a physics lesson in a classroom. I chose Payton's class - as she's in 3rd grade, and I thought it would be neat.

The lesson I chose to teach was How to Make A Magnet. The kids had a great time learning how to make their own magnets - and I had a total blast getting to teach it. It was such a great experience and left me really wanting more. I know in my heart that I was born to be a teacher, and having the opportunity (even just a small one) to teach students was such a blessing. I get so excited making lesson plans, and gathering information on lessons that I will teach my students in the future.

Now that there's only 3 weeks left of school, it's the busiest time for me. I have 3 major projects that I have to complete - and they are going to involve a lot of work. Even though I'm excited that I will be done soon for the summer - I also dread the next couple of weeks. I have presentations, lesson plans, and final exams just around the corner - and I have to do good on all of it so that I can wear honor cords at my graduation. I'm currently making a 3.41 GPA - and in order to wear the honor cords, I have to make a 3.5 GPA. I should be able to do it if I make A's in all of my classes.

This weekend is Easter weekend - and even though I don't celebrate the Christian holiday, I do participate in the festivities - which are actually Pagan festivities anyways. Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to a egg hunt at the college. It's Jada's first year of being able to hunt Easter eggs, so I'm excited about that. After that, we're going to a friends house for dinner. The kids will get to play and Steve and I will have a chance to catch up with our friend.

Sunday - the weather is supposed to be really nasty. I had bought some Easter eggs for the kids to hunt here, but if the weather is bad it might mean doing an indoor hunt. I'm sure the kids won't mind - and it can still be fun.

Well, that's it for now - I will post pics of the kids doing their Easter stuff next time. :)

University - Here I Come!!

I'm down to the final stretch, the finish line is in sight, just have to grab that checkered flag and I'm on my way....no, I'm not a Nascar driver - I'm a student who is making the big leap from community college to University!

For 2 1/2 years I've been in Community College pursuing my Associates of Arts in teaching. When I enrolled in the college, I signed up for a transfer program that the community college offered which offered students wanting to get their Bachelor's in Elementary Education the chance to take the full program on the campus - but earn the degree from the University of Arkansas. Being that I've wanted to be a teacher for 20+ years, I was so excited to be a part of the program. Well, devastating news came at the beginning of this semester - which also happened to be the last semester before transferring to the University of Arkansas classes. I found out that the University of Arkansas was no longer offering the program at the community college, and current students in the program would have to transfer to the University - which was no big deal EXCEPT for the fact that they were only accepting 40 students!!

I, along with the other 70 or so students in the program who were planning to start the UofA classes next semester were completely devastated. We were all informed that we would have to go through an interview process for the University to determine who was going to be accepted. Well, the interviews were supposed to start this month - but I got a phone call on Friday that made my day, month, and year. The advisor from the UofA called and told me that the University had decided to accept all of the students that had completed the intro program - as that has what had been promised to us from the beginning. I'm so excited - I was really worried about not making it into the program next semester because my whole career depended on it. Thre was no way that I could take a year off from college to wait to see if I'd be accepted next year - so this has taken such a burden off my chest. I still have to go thru the interview process, but it's more an advisory meeting now rather than a formal interview.

April 30th is the last day of classes - so I literally am down to the finish line now. I'm doing really well in all of my classes - so that's a relief. On May 8th, I will walk across the stage and receive my diploma for my associates degree...it will be my first graduation ever and I couldn't be more excited!! All of my family are going to be there to help me celebrate this very important milestone in my life..and I'll make sure I post photos so I can share it with you too. :)

Till next time!

Spring Break - Over Already?

The fastest week of the year is officially over in just a few short hours. This week was Spring Break, and what should of been a week of relaxation turned out to be a week of running around and chaos. It wasn't bad chaos, just not relaxing by any means.

Monday and Wednesday I had to work. My days ended at 2, rather than the 5pm that I'm used to.. but it still didn't allow for those days to spent on anything remotely relaxing. On Tuesday, I ventured to my mom's in Oklahoma. My cousin was there with her new baby girl, and I did the baby's first photos. They came out really well - I will post some when I get them all finished. Wednesday, after work, I went and helped one of my bestfriends take his daughter's senior photos. I'm going to be doing some editing for them, so I will post some of them when I get through with them also. Thursday, it was back to my mom's to spend the night. Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with my family - but I end up coming home from their house drained and exhausted as it's customary for my mom and I to stay up to the wee hours of the morning playing Yahtzee. Friday evening, we all came home and my youngest brother came with me to spend the weekend. I love having my siblings over for the weekend - but this, again, is hardly a recipe for relaxation.

Here are pics of the kids that I took at my mom's on Tuesday:

Saturday morning I woke to the smell of waffles cooking, and looked out the window to see hard snow falling. WTH?? It's the end of March and it looked like a blizzard outside. This wouldn't be so weird, but the day before I was wearing shorts for Christ's sake. Ahhh - gotta love Arkansas. My brother and I ventured to Wal-Mart Saturday afternoon for a few basics, and it was freezing outside. Reminded me more of December than late March. It was kind of cozy to have the fireplace going last night. Today, I spent the day moving Jada out of Brayden's room and putting her into Payton's room. That involved rearranging furniture...hardly relaxing.

The best part is that in a couple of hours (around 9pm tonight) I have to meet my parents in Siloam Springs (about 20 minutes away) so that they can pick up my brother. They are on their way back from Norman, OK where my sister competed in the state Spelling Bee. Unfortunately, she didn't win - but I'm proud of her anyways. So, that's my week...tomorrow life goes back to normal. Back to work, back to school, back to the craziness. Ahh - only a month and a half and it'll be summer!!

Feeling Better!

So, despite the drama that's going in my life with DHS I've chosen just to move on with life as usual and let them do what they need to do.

I went to meet with the principal at Decatur, yesterday, to discuss Brayden going back there next year. Being that I'm going to be starting University in the fall, I won't be able to do as much running back and forth between my house and my mom's, and being that Brayden has done so well at Westville it seems a good time to let him go back to Decatur. The principal seemed genuinely ok with Brayden returning, and actually thought it would be a good idea for him to start back after Spring Break as to help him transisition a little easier. I agreed that it would be a good idea - so that's what we're going to do. Tomorrow, I get to take Brayden up to Decatur to meet his new teacher and visit with the principal for a while.

Tomorrow is Brayden's birthday, so we've got a few fun things going on this weekend. Tonight, a friend of the family is taking all of us out for Chinese food - Brayden doesn't know but he's going to be so surprised and happy. Tomorrow evening, my parents are coming over to spend the weekend. We're going to play video games, board games, and possibly make a trip over to Chucky Cheese on Saturday. I think Brayden will like that too.

I'm on Spring Break with Payton next week. I'm going to spend the week relaxing, cleaning, getting caught up on some homework and project work. I need to rejuvenate, that's for sure, so this couldn't of come at a better time. I can't believe that there's only about 4 weeks of classes left - then finals - then graduation!! I'm so excited to get it all over with.

Well, until next time. :)

I Knew It!

So, in my last post, I predicted bad. Well, my predictions were right. Only a week after that post, I received a visit from a DHS worker because they had received a complaint about me. I'm not going to go into specifics, but obviously I pissed someone off - and they thought that the best way to get back at me would be to take it out on my kids. UGH!! It's a very frustrating situation, but I'm trying my best to just move on and let them do what they need to do and be done with it.

So, while I'm on the subject, do people actually realize how much they affect the children involved with they make false accusations to DHS or CPS? The end result is rarely some kind of problem for the adult, and more on the child. If I piss someone off and they want to retaliate against me - fine! But don't do something that involves my kids!! The "grown up" thing to do would be to confront me - but no, that's the decent way out. It's much more satisfying when you go and try and screw me over with DHS, hurt my kids, and stir up my entire life - that's so much better!! I wish people would just grow up. No matter what anyone did to me - I would never make false allegations about them to DHS just to make myself feel better.

Ok, I'm done ranting. I needed to get some things off my chest - and I guess this was the best way to do it.

Life is Goooood!!

The past few weeks have been very interesting. Life has been good, things have gone right, everyone is happy. Is this just the calm before the storm? Being that every time something good happens in my life - there is always some bad to follow.

A few months ago, I started doing some photography work. Things have been going really well with that. I have done several family/kid shoots, but last weekend I got to shoot my first wedding. It was a very long, tiring day - however it went really well and I had a great day. The photos seemed to have come out really well, but there is still a lot of editing to be done.

Because of my recent increase in photo shoots, and the fact that we just got our taxes back - Steve and I have been able to "blow" some money on luxuries that we've been wanting for a while. I finally got to buy him the Playstation 3 he's been wanting for months, I got to buy me a Wii Fit that I've been wanting for months - and we both mutually agreed that we wanted a 42" Flatscreen LCD TV. Even though we've blown some money - I was sure to put some money back.. cause like I said, bad things always seem to follow the good.

Things at school are going really well, also. I graduate from Community College in May, and will hopefully transfer to the University of Arkansas to get my Bachelor's in Elementary Education. I've only wanted to be a teacher for 22 years... so it's about damn time I actually did it!! LOL

The kids are growing like weeds. My little baby, who is now 15 months old, is changing every day. She's running around the house, she's talking, and she's so independant. The little stinker wants to try everything at least once herself - and then if she can't do it, she will ask for help. She feeds herself, cleans up her toys, and tries her hardest to get herself dressed.. which she does with only a little help from me. Payton is getting more beautiful, and dingy..LOL, by the day. She is still doing great in school, but her street smarts are that of a 19 year old blonde...No offense blondes!! LOL Brayden is doing really well in school - I'm so proud of him. He's really grown up a lot since going to school in Westville. Well, until next time - let's just hope it's not to report any bad..LOL :)

My Cold Week in Hell!!

So, everyone has probably heard or seen about the ice storm that hit Oklahoma to Kentucky last week - well, we were lucky enough to be right in the middle of it!

Last Monday, I was at work, and it started raining about noon. The rain was starting to freeze after only a few minutes on being on the vehicles - which caused a small panic to those that had to travel out of town to get home. By 1:30pm, I was ready to head out the door - and all the schools in the area were closing. I got home a little before 2:30, and a few minutes later Payton got home from school. Being that our house is very prone to power outages during ice storms - I decided to head to Oklahoma and stay with my mom with the girls.

The trip to my mom's was a scary one. Not even a mile from my house, a car had flipped upside down coming around a corner - and the backroads were just sheets of ice. Luckily, I only had 1 backroad to contend with before getting on to the highway. After a very scary car ride, we finally made it to my mom's. That evening we kept power, although it flickered several times. Tuesday, we were also lucky enough to keep power, although there was about 2 inches of ice on all the trees and power lines. Tuesday night it snowed - and being that none of the ice had melted, it put the accumulation up to about 4 inches. By Wednesday morning, the powerlines around my mom's house just couldn't stand the weight - and we lost power. The ironic thing was that Steve stayed home - and he had kept power the whole time, and had power after mom lost hers. Mom is lucky enough to have a gas stove, but has an electric water pump - so without power we were able to cook, but no running water. Also, she has a fireplace and a kerosene heater that kept the house warm despite of the below freezing temps outside.

Thursday was the first day that temperatures were going to be high enough to melt some of the snow and ice, so my family decided that being as Steve had power at my house - we would all head to him. Well, we waited until about 1pm before leaving so that there had been some melting - and just as we were heading out the door, Steve called to tell me that he had lost power. :( Because of that - we had no choice but to stay at mom's. We still ventured out to the store, because we were in serious need of bottled water and basic supplies. The weather was so bad, that it took my dad 30 minutes to be able to get out of the driveway, and he got stuck on the way to the store. I had problems getting up a hill, as I just kept sliding backwards. After a while, we finally all made it.

Power didn't come on all weekend, and yesterday Steve and I decided that we needed to find somewhere else to stay - as we still needed to get to work, and my parent's house is a 2 hour drive from where Steve and I work. A friend of ours told us that we could stay with her for a few days, as she lived in town and had power. So, that's what we did yesterday. It was so nice being in a home that had a running shower and power!! We got a phone call at 7pm last night that our power had finally been restored at our house!! YEA!!! Being that it was so late, we decided to stay with my friend - but that's where I'm going as soon as I get done with work and school today. It will so nice to get home - it sux being away for so long - and sux even more when you have no power or water. Something like this has really made me appreciate the little things in life, that's for sure!!

Oh My - Over a Year Later!!

I cant' believe that it's been over a year since I've updated this thing. I've gone from miserably pregnant to having a 1 year old in what seems no time at all.

My beautiful Jada Kindle was born on December 5th, 2007 around 5am. It was a less bumpy road that I expected. My doctor arranged to admit me at 4pm on December 4th to start a 12 hour induction process. Well, luckily enough, when I got to the hospital I found out that I had dialated to 4cm and so they could hook me straight up to some pitocin. The pitocin kicked in pretty fast and by 2am, I was in some pretty severe pain. I managed to keep going with no drugs - and after yelling and screaming for about an hour - I delivered a very healthy bundle of joy weighing in at 8lbs 14ozs!!!

This past year has been such a wonderful time. By 2 months old she was sleeping thru the night, at 4 months old she was starting baby food, at 6 months old she started eating "real people" food, she had cut 6 teeth by then too!! She was crawling around at 8 months old, and taking her first few steps around 9 months. By 10 months old, she was a walking pro - and we tossed out the baby food and made the complete transistion to "real people" food.

Jada's first birthday was spent surrounded by family. My mom, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, Steve's parents, brother and sister, Jane, and Sierra all came over to celebrate the big event. We had food, Jada opened up all of her presents, and then Jada enjoyed her cake. It was a long day for my baby girl - she didn't sleep all day long, so by 6pm that night she was out for the count.

Jada's first real Christmas was an exciting one too. She loved opening all of her presents, and unlike most babies - she wasn't only interested in the paper and boxes. After the first couple of presents, she seemed to realize that there was toys under all of the wrapping paper - and started tearing up the presents to see what was inside. She even had a go at trying to open her brother's and sister's gifts too..LOL

New Year started just that - a new year. Jada decided she wasn't going to miss out on the festitivites, and woke up at exactly midnight!! It was wonderful to have her awake so that I could kiss her just like I did with Payton and Brayden.

So - everyone else is fine and great!! There has been some changes, but nothing too major. I am in my last semester before getting my associates degree - and next semester I leave community college and go onto University. I'm excited about graduating. I'm working hard, studying lots, but still making time for all of my kids - and that's the most important thing to me.

My New Year's resolution is to keep this thing updated better - but I've said that before. Hopefully I can be better at it this year.