MY CRAZY LIFE

12/31/07



Ashley's Favorites
















Time of year: Winter
Time of day: 9pm (bedtime)
Food: Peanut butter and syrup sandwich
Color: Blue
Animal: Cats
Subject: Science
Place 2 eat: CiCi's pizza! (cinnamon rolls)
Music: No body's Perfect by Hannah Montana
TV show: Suite Life of Zack and Cody
Movie: Night at the Museum
Clothes: Blue jeans
Vacation: Roddy Tree Ranch with the whole family
Birthday Memory: Making shower gel at Bath Junkie ( The NON- birthday party)
BFF: BethAnn

What do I have to say about Ash? She is so much like me it is scarrrrry!! The only difference is she talks more than me. Wow how she has grown. We celebrated her 10th birthday on December 22. That was a Saturday and I could not take off of work so, we just celebrated in the hotel in Dallas. She said that she had a great day!! I am so glad. We are facing the point in her growing up that every warm blooded parent has anxieties about. She is in between a little girl and a pre-teen. Oh the emotional roller coaster we ride on frequently. But I have to say that she has been a great joy to raise this far. She has a great sense of humor, a dedicated friend, a wonderful piano player, sporty, and loves fashion. I am sure I could go on and on. I love you sweetie and can't wait to see where this year takes us.

12/25/07

Payton's Favorite's












Time of Day: Morning and watching TV
TV show(s): Hannah Montana and Suite Life of Zack & Cody
Song: Life is a Highway
Place 2 go: Museum
Color: Everything, but my favorite, favorite, favorite is brown
Animal: Cats
Place 2 eat: Soup er Salad
Word: "cookienut" (is that a real word?)
Shoes: All of them (not only am I raising my daughter right, but my son also.)
Drink: Chocolate Milk and Orange Juice
Food: Brown beans and chicken nuggets. (We argued about the brown beans, b/c he will not eat them!
Movie: CARS!!!!
Thing to do outside: Jump on the trampoline

We had such a great year watching my sweet boy grow into a wonderful 4 year old. What a blessing it is to have children. He keeps me laughing, worn out, happy, irritated, loved, full of pride, did I mention laughing?

12/7/07

My annoying five.

1. Shoes not being on tiny feet when we arrive at our destination. IT NEVER FAILS!!

2. Loud eating / smacking. This is not just an adult annoyance, it has been with me for as long as I remember. I can not handle hearing someone else eat their food. YUCK!

3. Open cabinets, drawers, or closet doors. I have cultivated this pet peeve from childhood as well. My sister - total opposite. She doesn't care if all the cabinets are open.

4. Parents who only pull half way up the drive when dropping their precious babes off at school. Come on people!! There is enough room for 4 more cars to let out their children if you would just pull up. It will not hurt them to walk several more feet to the front door.

5. Retail clerks who feel the need to ask you every 5 seconds if anything has jumped out at you. No, but if you keep jumping out at me, I'm leaving.

11/27/07

I am THANKFUL...














What a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope yours was awesome as well.

What are you thankful for? (feel free to respond) As I was rushing about trying to get everything I was cooking into the oven on time, this came to me. So often we grumble and complain about what all we have to do or the kids being in the way during "crunch time" of preparation, but when you STOP AND THINK...
...I have been blessed. There is much to be Thankful for.

I AM THANKFUL...
  • that I am able to have children
  • that I have a wonderful family
  • that I have food that I am able to cook
  • that I have dirty dishes to clean up
  • that I am able to work
  • that I have a house to clean
  • that I have dirty clothes
  • that I have a awesome network of friends
  • that I am able to proclaim God as my Savior!


HAVE A THANKFUL DAY!!

11/19/07

PAY'S 4TH

My baby boy has turned 4 years old. In line with the normal birthday events, we let him choose what he wanted to eat for lunch. I asked him early in the week, because sometimes I need to know if I should prepare mentally or eat a large breakfast that morning. Pay choose Souper Salad and stuck with it!! I was go glad. I am sure this decision was based on the possibility of Ice cream and sprinkles, and had very little to do with the fruits and veggies. As you can see from the picture, he didn't just eat his ice cream, but licked the bowl as well. Sure am glad you enjoyed that, punkin'!!





































Present time...Present time....Present time!!! What a ham !!

My favorite part of the day...the part where I was crying, nose running, makeup all over my face...attractive, was the part where I was in church, feeling complete! (and bedtime)


















We also had the "Let Your Light Shine" musical at church last night. Ashley had a speaking part for the first time and a part in a dance, but she was feeling terrible. By the time we got home last night she was running fever. I hope she didn't breathe on anyone. She did a great job despite how she was feeling.

11/14/07

So Precious...









There is nothing more precious to me than my sweet children sleeping so peacefully!! I am sure many of you would agree with me. It just seems that all is right in the universe when you see their innocent faces in a far off magical land. This was the scene that awaited me Sunday evening upon my arrival home from an especially busy weekend at work. This is why I sacrifice my every weekend!! Ash and Pay had a very busy weekend of fun camping with Daddy and a couple of friends.








Here is another precious picture memory. What beautiful faces. My bf's children with mine. Because her daughter is the same age as Ash was when Pay was born, I just look at them and it takes me back to 4 years ago. My...how time flies.

11/7/07

Halloween and My Convictions















Hello... Helloooo... Is there anyone left out there... Do you still have me on your list of blogs that you visit? You know, I have to say that things have been so busy and stressful lately that I really have not even wanted to sit down at my computer and do anything. I am sure no one else knows anything about that :)


Let's just start with Halloween and after that just log off and don't read any further because I am sure the rambling will come.

I am not big on spending money for Halloween. I just don't. I know some people will spend a lot of money on costumes for their children. I have no problems with that. It is totally your business and your money. I just don't like doing it. Ash has been a princess with an outfit that she got for Christmas one year, a ballerina because she could still fit in the dance recital outfit, and a pumpkin that Mimi made for her. Actually Mimi made them for all of her grandchildren that year (I think). They all went as the punkin' patch (adorable). Well, I have to say that I did buy costumes this year for my kids. You may look at the pictures and think, OMG how could she spend money on this. I must tell you that I didn't even spend $10 on these outfits. Now you are probably thinking, no wonder. This Halloween was a first for us. It is the first time I have let Ash dress as any kind of "dark sided" figure. This was suppose to be the bride of Frankenstein. However, when looking at her, I don't really know what to call her other than "freaky". She really enjoyed this outfit and people not knowing who she was.
My "Army man" is still sad that we had to give the borrowed gun back to my friend. It was a noise making gun and I have to say that I was more than happy to return it!! He is still talking about the dirt on his face. Every time I get out my eyeliner he is telling me that I can't use that because it is dirt. We had a good time at our church fall festival as well as walking the neighborhood with cousins!! OK, another first for us. I actually made my kids choose their favorite pieces of candy and we threw the rest away. We didn't even wait for Easter to come around before we threw it out.


What else is going on? Payton is doing fine and loving Mothers Day Out this year. Tomorrow is the big field trip to the library. Exciting stuff! Tonight on the way home from church he was making observations about the color traffic lights and what you are suppose to do. He said "mommy, for a red light you have to stop. A green light you go slow. And a orange light you go weel fast! Did I say the wite number mommy?" (meaning is that correct) To which I responded, "it is not an orange light baby, it is a yellow light." He has such an imagination that it just blows me away sometimes. I think that he is the smartest little boy ever. I do realize that those of you who have little boys may think the same. But I am just telling you, Pay is very smart.


Ashley got her report card last week. She is doing well. But, she was sobbing when she told me that she made a B in Social Studies. This is the first B she has ever made on her report card. I did tell her that I will not punish her for a B, considering I made my first F on a report card when I was her age. She has been bringing her S.S. book home almost every day since then. Otherwise, she is doing great. Loves to cook and made spaghetti for us last night.


Mike...I don't even know what to say about him. Everyone who has seen him lately says that he looks totally different. Like another person. Even his Dr. said yesterday how well he is looking. I just don't know how to respond to this. My only response is Thank You God! You have heard my cries and answered. Not in my timing, but in Yours! Work is well, and Mike is getting outside and doing more. This week he has cleaned out the shed and he informed me that he will do the garage next. Yea!! We have a small path from the door to the freezer, and from the door out of the garage. There is so much stuff that needs to go to goodwill and I hope he keeps up the work.


Me...I have had 3 very good friends have babies. Brooke had Matthew 3 weeks ago. She has to be superwoman! She had a C-section and has been up moving around, driving, cooking, etc since the week after she had him. Angel had Loren the same day. She is a beautiful baby. And Becky had Madelyn on Halloween. I have not gotten to see her yet, because she lives in Dallas. But, her pics are beautiful. My sister just moved about 2 miles from me. They have been living on campus at TSTC for almost 4 years. Now, they are over here by me and I can keep an eye on them and make sure she is doing her laundry. (I'm watching you sis!) Other than that, I have been through extended-family grief that has shaken my foundation. Really something that I never even thought about facing. But with God's guidance, it will be ok. It is amazing what we can learn about our Heavenly Father when we let Him teach us. I have been in a Precepts class and we have been studying about the Kings of Israel and Judah as well as prophets. As you all know, there are tons of stories in the Old Testament. Great stories that can apply to life today. You all are probably smarter that I am when it comes to this, but I had no idea that these stories could apply to me. They are so much deeper than what they seem to be. So, I challenge you to read deeper into them.

10/1/07

KICKBOXING!!!!!








Just want to say that you all need to watch out. Soon, I will be the kickboxing champion of....my house.?.
Yes, I went to a kickboxing class today. One of my friends at work does kickboxing and loves it so I thought I would give it a try. It was a lot of fun and a great total body workout. But I do have to say that it kicked my booty. And, is it really necessary to look at yourself in the mirror while you are working out?

9/23/07

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!


My friend Adrielle tagged me. What is that? Read on.

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.


So my 8 random facts:

1. I LOVE motorcycles!! (especially Harley's) There is something about them that make my adrenaline pump. When I was in high school my dad bought a Harley. Where he was, there you would find me sitting on the back of the bike. We took many road trips and was a special time for us. After Mike and I got married, we bought a motorcycles also. It was just amazing to pack a bag and go up to Arkansas for the weekend. However, when Ashley came along, Mike decided it was time to sell it and be at home. I was not happy about this decision, but would I have been happy stuck at home with a small baby while he was off riding every weekend. NO. So in hindsight, not only was Mike being a good daddy, he prevented us from having some arguments. Smart thinking Mike.

2. I am scared of steep declines when I am in a car, either driver or passenger. There is no reason that I should be, UNLESS my parent rolled me down a hill when I was little and never told me. I have always felt that I would loose control of my vehicle and roll down. STUPID...I know.

3. I've wanted to be a doctor for years. What kind of doctor? Anesthesiologist or Forensic Pathologist. There is only a couple of issues that I have with this now. Mainly having small children, the money, and time commitment it would take. Otherwise...

4. I need someone to show me how to organize my house. As I sit here in my sun room/office right now, I would totally be embarrassed if someone were to show up. My goal within the next two weeks is to get rid of some of this "stuff" and buy organizer boxes or whatever you are suppose to buy to make this room not so cluttered. If you have any tips that work well for you, let me know about them.

5. I would love to have the courage to sing in front of a large group of people and "rock the house". There are so many singers in my family on all sides. Music has been such a wonderful part of my life. Therefore, I change the radio / CD to fit the mood that I am in. The majority of the time I do listen to Christian music. I feel my voice is average at best and have never taken the opportunity to take voice lessons. So, occasionally my voice is not under control. Maybe one day.

6. I am currently doing a precepts Bible study and it is just amazing the stuff that is in this best selling book of all times. There are funny stories, sad stories, stories to make you feel good, stories to tell your friends, etc. I mean, everything you need is RIGHT THERE! If you are like me, I love people with a sense of humor. Let me tell you, God has a sense of humor. If you don't believe me, Read it. Find out for yourselves.

7. Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Shoes, purses, jewelry! Are y'all catching my drift?

8. I am a proud new blog spot parent to my cousin Gretta and my sister Sabrina. It is about time you girls get up to speed with the rest of us cars on the information super highway. Now you two are tagged. HA! and much love.




9/12/07

THIS & THAT












Well, the new school year is off to a great start. I am so glad we are back into a routine and getting things done. Since school has started, I have cleaned behind my washer, dryer, and refrigerator. What a disgusting mess!!!! On the agenda for today...I have already cleaned up some stuff outside and I think I am going to do the touch up work in my bathroom. I am tired of that hanging over my head.
Pay had a great day at MDO yesterday. He normally is crying and throwing a fit because he wants to stay with me. I can't blame the kid. I would want to stay with me also ;-) What keeps him from loving it? Keaten is not there (cousin). He says that he doesn't want any other friends. Only Keaten!! But, yesterday he walked right in and looked for his cubby, put his lunch in, and went and played!! Is this a one time thing, or will it be like this every T&Th? I hope the latter.
After I dropped him off, I had several errands to run and was going to get some donuts. For some reason, I swung by WeightWatchers to see when the next meeting was. It just so happened that one was about to start. So what did I do?? Got donuts after I joined. LOL! You who are reading this are the only ones who know that I joined so far. Why? because my family will be watching my every move (mainly one named Ashley)!! Plus, I want to see how much I can loose without all of the pressure.
OK, so now I need some help from you all. Monday the 17th Mike and I will be married for 13 years. Oh My Gosh!! What would be a good gift for Mike? I always buy him clothes or a watch etc... because that is what I would like to have. Besides that, he is always in need of new clothes or a watch. Maybe I should buy him some more glasses. The ones we bought after his wreck have been lost. (How do you lose glasses?) Y'all give me some ideas for gifts.

8/30/07

A TRIBUTE TO CHRIS HENDERSON
DECEMBER 29, 1971 AUGUST 25, 2007



Chris on the drums at
Mike's house.









Chris, Kip, and John











Chris escorting Cecile












Ronny, Mike, and Chris








Dona, Ronny, and Chris






What a Motley Crew!!
Daylen, Mike, Chris, and Kip
in Arlington


As I have been thinking about Chris over the past couple of days my mind has "classified" him as Mike's friend. On the way home from Mt Pleasant it dawned on me that Chris was my friend as well. I have known him since my high school years. He was one of those guys that was always there. When we would go back to east Texas we would always see him.

The best summer of my life was right after my friend Denise and I graduated from high school. Mike and Chris were always together and Denise and I were inseparable. It was only fitting that when I started dating Mike that Denise would date Chris. Not hard to do because he was such a cutie and his attitude and arrogance were so entertaining. We were devoted friends and where one or two were on the weekend, there you would find all four of us.

My first job was at Pizza Inn in Kilgore and they would come eat almost every Friday night. Then they would go across the street to Sonic, where Denise worked and get something there. When the two of us got off of work, we would meet up with them. The majority of the time we would find them at Mike's house "jamming".

The last time I seen him, he came to Waco to stay with us for a week. It was so nice to have him here making me laugh. He was in several accidents the previous year and having some ongoing issues with that. Just letting him hang out while we were working did good things for him. During that week he went and bought a Bible and some Christian Music. When he got back home, he continued to study and started going to church on a regular basis.

I'll see you in Heaven Chris.
Love Ya!!

8/28/07

First day of Fourth Grade!!






















Wow, how my baby has grown into a beautiful girl. I can not believe that she is already in fourth grade!! Ashley had a great day at school today. She says that her teacher is nice and loves Mickey Mouse. She has an A+ in my book already. This year the kids start to change classes and I remember how "grown-up" I felt when I got to change classes. It is amazing how much change happened over the summer.

Pay and I had a good day together, but he wanted to go get sissy. I insisted that she needed to stay at school to learn her letters and numbers. He was ok with that, but still wanted to call her and did not understand why we could not call and disturb her.

Mothers Day Out will start after the holiday and I am ready, but just don't know what I will do with my time. Don't get me wrong. It is not because I don't have plenty to do. Quite the contrary. I just don't know where to start.

Y'all keep Mike (and me) in your prayers over the next couple of days. We will be traveling to Mt. Pleasant to attend a funeral of a long time friend who died on Saturday. His name was Chris and in his mid 30's. Please lift his family up as well as I am sure the pain the are feeling is a heavy burden to carry. Mike is having an extremely hard time dealing with the reality of the death of his friend. He did ask Chris some time ago if he was a Christian, and Chris said that he did invite Christ into his life. But you know, most of the time people still think about what they could have done differently, and if they would have done it their loved one "might" still be alive.

8/20/07

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2








Our small HSM2 party was a hit. Bethann and Candice came over and the whole spread of everything you don't want your child to eat prior to going to bed was set before them. Even Payton joined in on the fun. They were so hyper that I couldn't hear the movie!!! With every song and dance number, the girls and Pay were up dancing, jumping, and posing. It was a lot of fun for us all!
Mike was commenting on how big the premier of this movie was and that there were probably more parties on Friday night than there was for the Super bowl. For those of you who have children old enough or young enough to be excited about this movie, how many of them were at a party or had a party at home?



8/16/07

GALVESTON














































Well, to set the tone for the vacation, I should tell you that I goofed on the day we were to leave. We rented a house on the beach and were to check in on Saturday the 11th, but I thought Sunday was the 11th. Only when we called the guy to set up the time to pick up the keys was I enlightened to what day it was. Since we paid for Saturday night, we were going to sleep there Saturday night (Sunday morning was more like it). The property manager was kind enough to meet us at the house at 12:30 am. It was nice and clean, with plenty of bedrooms for everyone. The kids were so excited to be there that we couldn't get them settled down for bed until 3 am.

Sunday, my dad got into town. He was expecting a piece of equipment to be delivered and was not sure if he was even going to come. Also, his car broke down, and was going to have to ride his motorcycle down and didn't want to do that. My grandmother graciously let him take her car. For those of you who know me well, you probably know that my dad is always working and rarely takes time out to enjoy his grandchildren (and daughters). He realised how talkative Payton is and had good time teasing the kids. Of course, seafood is a must when you are at the ocean. We found shrimp and dad fried it up for us. yummy!! But sadness came when he left on Monday. He missed his bed, dogs, work, and his own car!

Tuesday, we decided we would take time out from the beach and drive over to Houston to NASA. My nephew, Chris, loves science and wanted to go, as did the rest of us. It was wonderful to take my kids somewhere my mom use to take Sabrina and I when we were small. But, OMG how it has changed. Back to Galveston for dinner at The Rainforest Cafe. The ambiance and desert were great. The food....so so.

We were having to keep an eye on the weather due to the tropical storm, but Wednesday was the day to play in the ocean. I must say, and I have before on my blogspot, Payton does not like the water. Kind of hard to play in the water when he refused to go in. I tried to take him in earlier in the week just to wash the sand off of his body (and thinking he might have fun once he got in) and he freaked out and was squeezing my neck so hard I had to get out before I passed out. He is perfectly content to play in the sand.

Thursday, Happy 13th Birthday Chris!!
The time has come to leave. We were able to load the cars between storms being caused by tropical storm ERIN. Getting out of Galveston and Houston proved to be difficult at times because of the rain. But, we made it and I am very happy to be home!!

Maybe we can plan a vacation with dad again next year and have him stay 2 days!! Love ya Daddy! Glad you came.



8/9/07

What have I been up to ????






















































So, now I know, for the first time in my life, how it feels to be a (part-time) "stay at home mom" during the summer months. First of all, I must confess that I have not been that great at it! It is really hard to get chores, shopping, relaxing, re-modeling, etc... done with children. And I know many of you out there have more kids that I do!! Some of you have 3 times as many kids as me and do a much better job. My problem lies in the fact that my sweethearts do not play real well together. I always thought the 6 year age gap would be great. Maybe when they go to college. So, Ashley is constantly trying to tell Pay what to do, and I am trying to remind her that she is not his mother. And Payton whining because of _________. You feel in the blank.

Since this is confession time, I have to say that time management here at home needs some work. A lot of frustration could be alleviated if I would schedule my day better. Now, give me a specific task or my job and I am all over it!! But at home, not so good. Any of you moms with some inside information on what works for you, Please let me know and I will give it a try. My last confession is that I play on my kids webkinz website. It is very amusing and quite entertaining.

Let me think back as to what has happened since the beginning of the summer, which was my last blog entry. :(

I turned 34 and had a great birthday. I was with my kids all day and then Mike and I went shopping. We all went to Shogun and greatly enjoyed watching Payton as the cook lit the hibachi grill and put on a show.

Payton has been all about mommy. Most of the time, where ever I am, there he is!! He is starting to hang with dad more and ask for him during the day. But, he doesn't want me to go anywhere.

Ashley has been a busy girl this summer. She went to jazz dance camp and had a great time. Her dancing amazes me and I hope she will continue to presue dance. Another passion is singing and music. She went to music camp at our church in July. Although there was some tears, pep talk, hugs, and tickles, about not getting a solo or speaking part, she was chosen for a dancing part and we were happy with that. After dance camp started, she found out that she was going to do a dance with ribbons. Come to find out, one of her "dreams" was to do a dance with the ribbons. ;) The drama with some friends has not been excluded this summer either. I am sure you moms know about this kind of stuff.

Mike has recuperated from the wreck, but is still healing. I trust that God continues to keep him in His hands and guide him toward the life that He saved him for!!! Lately he has been very busy at work and ends up working at home at night.

And I am still a wife, mom, daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend, employee, co-worker, doctor, Mr. fix it, electrician, plumber, maid, tickle monster, role model, complainer, SUPER MOM!!!

About the pictures... I am proud of the work in the bathroom that I have done. The floor was tiled by me. The toilet was also set by yours truly. So pride and the sence of accomplishment I have goes without saying. The labor that has gone into our newly remodeled bathroom was overwhelming at times. It only took 4 years to get to this point. Ashley had a non-birthday party at Bath Junkie. Her birthday is actually in December, but she never got a party. So, this was special for her and fun for me. The only preparation was the gift bags!!! A good time was had by everyone. The scrapbook pages above are from the end of July. We went to the suspension bridge over the Brazos River and took pictures. We were going to eat our lunch at the playground first, but the ducks were charging us and wanting our food, so we had to make a run to the car.

And a huge thanks to Angela for threatening to delete me from your blog list. You got me going on the blog again. Let me see if I can keep up the work.

6/14/07

FISHING

















Mike took over as the "fishing expert"
and made sure all of the poles were
ready to be used. All of the line was
strung properly with the appropriate
hooks and what ever else you put on
a fishing pole. The first fish were
caught by my daughter and son, but Mike
wanted to make sure that all the other
children in the family caught a fish
also. And they did! First time fish catchers
were Payton, Landen, Makenna and Keaten.
Tanner actually caught a bass in this small
pond, but the line broke. Well, not to be
out done, Mike had to go to the store and
get hooks for bass.
Needless to say, no one else caught a bass!!
It was a catch and release pond, thank goodness.
Could you imagine us trying to feed everyone on
these scrawny fish in the pictures.

6/11/07

SWIMMING...SWIMMING...SWIMMING















ASHLEY















PAYTON


This has been such a busy summer so far, but wonderful. This is the beginning of the pictures from our vacation down in Hill Country. Roddy Tree Ranch is a beautiful place and was much needed relaxation. I have started with pictures of all of the kids swimming because that is what they wanted to do the majority of the time. They hit the "cement pond" (as the sign read) soon after we arrived on Monday. And, while the parents (mostly mom's) were packing to leave on Friday, the big kids were getting their last rendezvous in the pool.

There were several pools at the ranch, thank goodness. Being that there is 12 kids just in our family. We swam in the main pool and it had a small 1 foot pool with a "waterfall" into the big pool.

My children are polar opposites when it comes to swimming. Ashley is the fish and loves to try or play anything in the water. Payton, on the other hand, does not even want to play on the steps of the big pool. Mike did bribe him with a piece of gum to get in and play on the steps. I was thinking that I could get him to let me hold him in the deeper water. NO WAY!! On the other hand, it was nice not to have to be so on my toes with watching my kids. Payton did wear his life jacket in the baby pool and I knew he was not going to go anywhere. The major concern for me was, what were the bigger kids playing and was it dangerous.

Needless to say, getting my babies to go to bed each night was not to hard. It was late of course, but took no time for them to go to sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED...















BREANNE















KEATEN
















MABREIGH














TANNER
















MADISON

















HUNTER

















HALIEGH