Pictures

I'm the Lucky One

I spend portions of my day saying, "No. Stop That. Leave him alone. Give it back. Get down." And so on. Other times I'm cuddling up on the couch. Kissing Boo Boos. Racing cars down the hallway. Roaring like a dinosaur. Singing Doodlebops songs at the top of my lungs. Painting. Coloring. Molding Playdoh. Pushing the swing. Reading a book. Telling stories.

You might say it is an understatement that this last year and a half has been difficult. We've tried to make the best decisions for our family. Those decisions haven't come easy for us. We keep holding onto hope and the realization that things won't be like this for long. When teaching, I struggled with finding the right balance between being a great teacher, a great wife, and most importantly a great mother. I always felt like someone was getting the short end of the stick. The difficult decisions over this past year and a half has helped to eliminate those struggles. I'm the lucky one because I am able to stay home with Marlee and Cooper and focus 100% of my energy on being a great mother. Now is every day wonderful? No, but there are wonderful moments each day. So, yes, I think I am the lucky one.

The blogging community provides wonderful networking, but it also provides outlets for people to tell their stories, good or bad. I read the saddest story the other day. It has stuck with me and everyday day since then I have realized I'm the lucky one. A friend reminded me this past weekend that in the midst of the chaos that I am the lucky one because I have two healthy children at home who love me.

Just this past week Atlanta was struck with what some are calling an "epic flood". Several people lost their lives, including a sweet little 2 year old boy. Hundreds have lost their homes. Even an elementary school is a total loss. I realized I'm the lucky one because I didn't have to get out and drive around and our home didn't suffer any damage.

So no matter what the future holds, I know that I am the lucky one for the family and friends that I have in my life.

How Long Will This Last?

M and C will drop just about whatever they are doing to brush their teeth! I have to hide the toothpaste because someone I know will eat the whole tube!! They love to brush so much that we have brushes and paste downstairs and upstairs.

Missing Mommy

I guess Cooper and Marlee missed me while I was gone for less than 48 hours. Next time I plan a trip, they are going to stow away in my suitcase.

P-A-R-T-Y

I had a wonderful time away from kids this past weekend. I traveled to TN for Jamie's Bachelorette Party. It was an emotional (in a good way) visit, seeing everyone together in nearly 4 years. Of course, we spent lots time sharing stories of our fun adventures over the past 15+ years. I should have rock hard abs from all the laughing I did. Our group of 5 always tends to be the center of attention and dominate the conversations, so I'm sure the other girls there were taken aback. I did remember to take pictures, but I didn't get any group shots. Charlotte was the resident photographer, so once she sends me those pictures, I'll post them for you.


Charlotte and I rode together, and it was a relatively short drive from Atlanta to Cookeville. We all met at the hostess' house before we went to dinner. We had dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant named Mauricio's. If you are ever in Cookeville, you must eat there. It was wonderful!

After dinner, we went back to Leslie's house for a lingerie shower. Jamie was my maid of honor and started a wonderful tradition for our group of friends when I got married. She bought a pearl ankle bracelet with the initials of our group of 5 girls. The anklet is passed to each person who marries. It started with me, then I gave it to Charlotte, she passed it to Wendy, who gave it to Jamie on Saturday. Now Jamie will hold onto it until Brooke gets married. Of course the only picture I took of the anklet is blurry, but I know there is a picture of it somewhere.


Here's a collage of the pictures I took Saturday night.

Puddles

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. We haven't been up to much and the camera battery has been on the charger for a week. So there hasn't been much to blog about around here. Since the weather has cooled off some, we have been able to spend more time outside. I turned the kids small blow-up pool into a sandbox. I wanted one for them all summer but didn't really want to build or buy anything. They have spent a lot of time playing over the last couple of weeks.

We haven't really gone anywhere either. I'm just a little freaked out with H1N1 floating around. I have heard tons of people talking about their children or students that have it. Chad laughs that I'm a little too worried about it. We sanitize before we get out of the car. I carry wipes when we go in somewhere and then sanitize when we get back in the car. My hand washing has rubbed off on Marlee, too. I don't even have to ask her to wash her hands anymore. She pulls a kitchen chair over to the sink and does it all by herself.

We're going to be busy over the next month or so with trips, doctor's check ups, and stuff around the house. This weekend, I am headed to TN for an old friend's bachelorette party. It will be the first time our group of 5 friends from HS will be together in nearly 4 years. I can't wait. I plan on taking the camera to snap some shots of the all the fun. I just hope I remember to take it out.

Marlee's 3rd birthday is right around the corner, too. I've been looking at her pictures from her first couple of months. Seeing newborns, pregger friends, and watching one too many episodes of A Baby Story, kind of makes me have baby fever! HA HA Don't worry. No babies in the near future. I have enough on my plate right now! :)

The rain let up enough today that we were able to get out and stamp around in a few puddles. I remembered the camera, but we only stayed a few minutes because Marlee had to go potty.

Have a great rest of the week. I'll be back next week with some pictures of my weekend away!

Singing a song while she's walking along.

He's bending over to see if the puddle is there.

We have really enjoyed the beautiful weather this past week. We spent lots of time outside playing and went to the park one day. Chad took a few vacation days, so we had five days to hang out as a family. We took full advantage of our time together. Here are some picture collages of the fun we had over the past five days.


Being silly and playing outside.

We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. We went on Thursday for lunch. It was perfect. Only a few other families were there. C wasn't as into the games and rides as M was, although, they both loved the carousel the most.

She was in heaven and asked to go back on Friday.

Of course, this weekend was the start of college football. We love some TENNESSEE FOOTBALL around here. M was so excited. We made rotel to munch on during the day and cupcakes to eat after our yummy burgers. They were not really in the mood to pose for the camera.

C was as excited as M. Notice his new scrunch face and his new boots? He really enjoyed hanging with Chad and watching some "beball".

We hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. Back to the grind next week.