Pics

Here they are! If you haven't ever taken 2 small kids to get their picture made, or taken, then you may not realize what a big feat this was for me!

So, all in all, this made my day!

David 2 years and 10 months
Mackenzie 7 months

don't forget to read more stories from this week below!

Flew the Coup

I have formed a little bit of an attachment to these birds. Dave and I go and visit them throughout the day. Sadly, I think today is the last day we will see them. Here are these little guys perched up on the nest ready to take off. I used this as a good illustration to tell David that one day he will leave the nest. Or he will be kicked out, haha!

We had a family party last night and celebrated Jessica's birthday! David loves corn on the cob, but we had to monitor him closely to make sure he didn't use the "holders" as weapons.




Mackenzie was all over the place of course. She is walking and talking and doing gymnastics. Just kidding, but she does say mama and dada and I swear this kid is going to walk soon :)

Other random things from this week: I got David a pair of flip flops yesterday because he kept trying to steal other kids' at playgroup without them noticing. He is so obsessed and fascinated with them that he won't even take them off. He even went to bed with them on. He has also mastered the skill of changing our thermostat this week. Yesterday afternoon I swore I was pregnant again due to hot flashes until I realized it was set at 85 degrees and watched him drag his stool over to change it again. The kid is like a miniature Macgyver.
He has also become a "little mommy" to Mackenzie. If he sees her getting into something he'll say, "Let's not play with that Kenzie, let's not play with that!" He will redirect her and take things from her. It's pretty funny. Lastly, with all these storms recently, David does NOT like the "funder" as he calls it. He will hide completely under his covers and cry. It's so sad. So, I go in until the funder passes. Hmmm, all I can think of now because my brain is fried :)

Sundays

No matter how stressful life may be, when it comes to our Sundays over here we just take a step back. We really try and make it a day of rest because man, do we need it! Sunday is by far my favorite day of the week.
We always try to go to church, barring anyone that anyone is sick (that....and okay, we have been known to sleep in a time or two :) Our kids actually love Sunday school and we go to Northpoint Community church, so it truly is amazing. Their Sunday school theme for kids is "God made me, God loves me, Jesus wants to be my friend forever." I just love that.

We always try to do something outside. I don't know why, but being outdoors is so calming and relaxing. We have 4 little new lives right outside our front window......take a look at them.


We always try to read the paper, go grocery shopping together, and plan for the week. This really helps me to want to wake up Monday morning knowing I have a game plan. My two biggest stressors are meals (planning for them, buying for them, cooking them) and laundry (sorting, doing it, and putting it away). I try to start the week out organized.

Lastly, we always try to go for a Sunday drive! We have always done this....just loaded everyone in the car having no game plan. It is so nice to just go for a drive on a pretty afternoon. Everyone is calm and either naps or enjoys the ride. I love these so much, I go on them even when it's not Sunday sometimes. A long drive can turn any bad day around it seems.

I love church because it always pushes me back to truth and gives me the right perspective to start the week.
This week's sermon was pretty awesome. It is a series on "the waiting room". To hear this series from the beginning click here. I loved today because it is a sermon that has proven itself to me already in my life.... the main thrust was this:

• "If what you are waiting on is what you are putting your hope in, you are in a dangerous situation." Stemming from the verse Isaiah 40:30-31 saying, "Even youth grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength..."I love this because everything in life you wait on and put your hope in will eventually lead to you waiting and hoping in something else, it's just our nature. You will find this cycle to prove true in some fashion.

It has helped our marriage and raising kids to know that our hope is in the Lord. My husband and children's flaws push me towards knowing God and I pray that my flaws as a wife and mother will push them to their creator as well. He is ultimately the one who is able to be enough. He is enough for me and because of that my happiness does not depend on my spouse or kids...they will let me down and I will let them down and it's not fair to anyone to have those expectations. If you read this blog you know we are not a perfect family, we love that we aren't perfect and that we rely on Christ's strength and not our own.

• I want to teach my children (and myself, ha!) that no matter what they are waiting on in life, if their hope is ultimately in the Lord and they trust in Him, they will be satisfied by Him alone. He is their Heavenly Father who will be able to give them more than I ever could.

Hope you love your Sundays too, make them special!

7 Months Old

I love this pick of her and my mom. They are the best.

Everyone says it, but it's true.....they grow up so fast. This has been a big month for Miss "Spit-Fire" over here. That's what I like to call her because she is ambitious, wild, stubborn, and just the most adorable thing in the world.
Let me just give you a window of what Miss Wild Thing has done the past month.

• She started crawling 2 weeks ago (not ready for this, David didn't crawl until almost 8 months).
• After that, she sensed her freedom and went buck wild. Once she crawled, the next day I came into her room to find her standing in her crib!! We had to lower her crib mattress all the way because she had her knee up on the bumper trying to climb???
• Seriously, it looks ridiculous. She is this tiny little person crawling, climbing, standing, and pulling up on everything. It is quite a sight to see.
• She eats frequently and not a lot at one time. David could hold more food so I occasionally have a night waker to have one more bottle. I'm trying to stretch her little tummy! That....and she is so darn active I think she really is hungry! Her and Dave are on the same schedule for the most part. She sleeps at night 10-12 hours like him. But, she does nap 2 x a day for 1 to 2 hours.
  
• She pats whatever it is that makes her happy
• She pulls hair, grabs your face and squeezes it as hard as she can, and gives open mouth kisses
• She is absolutely in love with David and does not step down to him one bit

Well, that's my girl! The fruit don't fall far from the tree I guess. My dreams of a quiet, calm child are shot :) jk, love this little baby to pieces! Bring It On Mackenzie...you too will learn "Mama always wins".

survival mode

This very well has probably been one of the worst weeks of my life.

• It started Saturday night when David woke up with a fever and racing heart rate. After keeping him up for a while and calling a family nurse, we decided he had probably just had a nightmare. He cooled off and heart rate went down. We gave him some tylenol and he went back to bed. Sunday morning we wake up to him throwing up.We call the doctor and they said it appeared to be a stomach virus. Just to give him tylenol for the fever and fluids until he kept it all down. He was still under the weather Monday, but was getting better quickly.
  

• On Tuesday, we decided that everyone was great and decided to go eat lunch with Tim at work. I get about 5 miles from the house and my car slows down and won't go over 10mph. It is shaking and vibrating. Tim was in a meeting, so I call my dad. He says to drive slowly to the nearest car place. It's amazing how long it takes you to get somewhere going 10mph. The first 2 places we made it to were no help so I decide to chance it and drive 5 more miles to Toyota. It is the same distance from where I am to either make it home or go there, so that's why I went. Tim calls back and I tell him we are not going to make it to lunch and that I'll call when we get to Toyota. Normally, I would stay on the phone, but I had one arm reaching in the back seat giving Mackenzie her bottle while driving. Give me a break, okay, I was driving 10 mph. People walk faster than that and we were NOT stopping. I was afraid we may not go if we did! Toyota was super helpful. Since it was lunchtime and we were supposed to picnic with Tim, we decided to picnic at the dealership. It was quite a sight, we looked like we were moving in....stollers, infant carseat, blankets, food, and oh....did I mention I had a bag of pool toys in the back of the car I brought out? Hey, we needed entertainment. At one point, the store manager came out with our beach ball that had blown across the parking lot. Tim decided to come to us for lunch and find out about the car. It ended up being my drive shaft and the mechanic told tim he could totally replace it himself since he has worked on cars. This was awesome b/c we saved $600 by Tim fixing my car.
  

• Wednesday, I was carless while we were waiting for the new drive shaft. Also on Wednesday, Mackenzie started rapidly getting sick. She had a 103 degree fever in the morning and then started not eating/sleeping by the afternoon. The pediatrician wanted to see her. I make an appointment and then remember, I don't have a car! Luckily, my best friend just moved in 10 houses down and happened to be working from home. She lends me her car and off we go!We get to the doctor and immediately after looking in her mouth she is diagnosed with Hand, Foot, and Mouth virus. I had never even heard of that and it sounded like something you could only pick up in some other country! I told him the only public place we had even been in the last few days was the pool (besides toyota today!) Apparently, she caught it crawling around at the pool. It is nasty and I don't wish it on my worst enemy. Blisters and sores coat the mouth and throat and then can also appear on the hands and feet. High fevers, ect. No wonder she didn't want to eat.
  

So, over the next 48 hours I concentrate on just keeping her hydrated. The only time she'd take a bottle was when she was on motrin and half asleep. We took many car rides so I could get her to drink. She slept on my chest while I sat on the couch during the night because she was in so much pain.

• In the meantime, I guess I am so sleep deprived that I wake up this morning with a fever and sores all down my throat. Awesome. I have now caught it! Adults aren't supposed to be able to catch it so the virus "mutates", but my symptoms are pretty similar : fever, chills, aching, and sores so it is hard to eat.
  

The only good news is that my car works so we have been taking "drives" a lot.

In the middle of all of this, it is so hard to be sick and take care of sick little ones. We did have some help from Tim's sweet parents, but really I don't want anyone over here because they might catch it!
It is just being sick though. It is not permanent. Next week will be a new week and hopefully everyone will be well. It has made me really thankful for the fact that our family is normally healthy.
It is a blessing.
The Lord has definitely increased my capacity. He has to for you to be a mother and take care of your children. I am thankful Tim is home and doesn't work on the weekends also. Alone this weekend might have been my breaking point.
And for that, we have entered "survival mode" and wait for it to pass.
My friend, Mary, wrote recently "Motherhood is not for the faint at heart." I think being a mommy is one of the hardest things I've ever done, especially with 2. Even with all the bad days we have, there are more good than bad and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

• Please also pray for my sister and her family, the contract fell through temporarily. The family that wants to buy it is going to "look around" one more time this weekend and maybe get back to them next week. Crappy, but praying they'll come back and do it.

Savannah

After only 4 months, Paul and Brandi (my sister and her husband) have sold their home in Kennesaw, Ga. Paul got a job promotion/ relocation in Savannah, Ga. They have been living apart during the week and he has traveled home on the weekends for 4 months.....until now! Their house went under contract last week and they are set to close at the end of the month, praise the Lord!
While I am very sad that I am losing a close-by sister, nephews, and best friend....it is so good for their family to be reunited and start their life together in Savannah. And, we do already have our first trip planned for next month!
We will be helping them a lot these next few weeks and getting them ready for the big move. They have a few offers out on houses down there now and are hoping to land one soon.....but, if not, they will stay in a hotel provided by Paul's job down there until they find a home.
Please keep them in your prayers as we sadly say goodbye. Our kids are going to miss eachother a lot also. They are all around a year apart. They also live across the street from my mom and dad so they are very sad also. It's so bittersweet....Congratulations and See you soon, not goodbye.

Brandi and I

David, Jonathan, Michael, Mackenzie

4 Generations of women, Me, Brandi, Mom, Mom's mother, Mackenzie

Jonathan and David, they speak the same language.

Just a Bad Day

I really do have more good days than bad, but when they are bad.....they're real bad. You can sometimes tell if a day is going to go south depending on how your kids wake up. So, this isn't cute and it's not even funny, but what the hell.....it's just a bad day.
And I blame cussing on marriage and children.

It actually started yesterday afternoon. The bug man came to do an annual termite inspection. We didn't have termites, good news. However, he told me I had a colonies of fire ants and they were going to take over the house if I didn't pay him $600 to get rid of them. What is it with bug men trying to rip me off?! Read rip off story number one here. He then told me an ant story of when they got into someone's house and got in the crib and attacked a baby. He tells me this while I am holding my baby. I basically kicked him out, loaded the kids, and we went to Lowe's and spent $50 on fire ant granules and spray for the yard to do it my freaking self. That ticked me off.

Today, I woke up to what I thought was an avalanche happening in our kitchen. But, low and behold it was my husband filling a thermos with ice at 7:30 in the morning. Not only was I awoken, but both children were abruptly woken up as well. I stumbled out of bed and Tim did not get a nice greeting from me today.

I get everyone up and fed, fast forward to trying to get out of the house for playgroup. Mackenzie is so fast with army crawling and inch worming, that I can't take my eye off her for a second because she will crawl away. She also has started putting everything in her mouth and found the dog's bone this morning. Sorry Holly, no more bones for you. I take David to potty really fast and when we pull his pants down, toys are everywhere. He has started "stashing" stuff in his pants. Awesome, he is going to become Mr. Klepto. I finally get in the car and head to my friends.

It is Mackenzie's nap time so I figure I'll put her down in my friend's crib during playgroup. Ha, ha, ha. She was NOT having that. She flipped out when I put her in a different crib. She started ramming herself into the side of the crib and throwing a little fit. I take a break and then go back up and try to rock her and put her down. As soon as I get her to sleep, another mom comes to the door to tell me that David is in trouble.

He had thrown a toy car at another little boy and made his lip bleed. ahhh. I have no idea what happened, but he threw a car at this little boy and I am so frustrated because I thought we were past the "throwing toys" phase. Apparently, not. So, I awaken Mackenzie, make David tell the little boy he is sorry, and make him tell his friends goodbye because we are leaving since he cannot play nicely.

I loaded them in the car and told David he was getting a spanking as soon as we got home. Mackenzie of course, loved being woken up and at this point has entered "meltdown."

We get home, I discipline David and put him in his room for time out and so I can deal with Mackenzie. I feed her a bottle and lay her in her crib hoping this solves the problem. I go in to get David and he has destroyed his room. He was "getting me back" by turning over his night stand with books, throwing everything on his dresser in the floor, ect.
I am so mad at this point I can't even do anything.

I go downstairs and everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs. I call Tim and tell him I am over it and am one second away from leaving the house with both of them the kids screaming in their beds.

I decide against that and load everyone into the car. Drivin n Cryin is not only a band, but a literal part of my day.

About 10 minutes into my drive, they are both passed out. I drive about 20 minutes up past Jasper, Ga. I am so mad all I can do is drive. I drive and pray whatever demons have taken over will leave.
It's funny how when my kids wake up with huge smiles and look so innocent.....it melts my heart and I have love to give once again.

So, you are always supposed to end a negative with a positive, right?

The only positive thing I can think of right now is that I am going to be "jacked" from P90X because it is my outlet for motherhood.

The End.

mommy's little firecrackers!!

I am excited about the 4th of July this year! We have parades, cookouts, and will take the kids to some fireworks!
I love any holiday, really, so you better bet we are decked out over here.

Here are the kids in their sweet little celebration outfits.


The yard is "flagged" and ready! (Yes, our house looks very beachy and we live in the North Georgia mountains, whatever).



Things to remember:
David, (I think) is really starting to enter a sweet little phase. He loves hugs, LOVES his mommy, and has been saying, "I want mommy to be so happy!" It's funny he says that because we tell him that it makes mommy, daddy, and Jesus sad when he acts bad.

He is kind of obsessed with riding his little bike. He will pack his things and tell us bye and ride off through the house. I know, bikes are outdoor toys, but with how hot it's been....they are all inside... Oh well.

Also, he calls noodles, "nudes". This is kinda funny when he says in public, "Mommy, I like nudes." I just smile and say, "Me too, honey."

Mackenzie is definitely a little firecracker! She is going to be feisty, you can just tell. She gets her little way. I am glad she is going to be tough though because she's got a tough big brother! I can't believe how she is practically crawling....she may be crazier than David because he wasn't doing this as early as her!

It seems like it always takes us about 6 months to adjust to life and having a "new normal." I feel like we are there now with 2 children. As far as sleep is concerned, I work really hard on their schedule. I really believe the Lord helps us when we ask! This is the verse I pray for them every night.

"I will sleep in peace O Lord for you alone make me dwell in safety." Psalms 4:8 One of my favorite things to do, every night, is go in really late and check on them, pull their covers up, ect. I love seeing them sleep and think it's the most precious thing ever. It is something I'll always remember about being a mommy.

He has really answered my prayers over here and helps us all sleep in heavenly peace (most nights :)

Happy 4th!

Wow. I was really going to try and not share anything mischievous that David had done, but as I was finishing this blog post, he emptied a tube of anti itch (bug bite) cream on the dog. Great.

Classic

I have to remember that this happened because it made my day. Last night getting ready for dinner:

Tim : "What's the matter with David, is he deaf or something?"

Me: "No, why?"

Tim: "I keep asking him to do something and he won't do it."

Me: "Awesome. It's called 'selective hearing' and he must have gotten that from you. That and he is 2 1/2 and just onery sometimes."
Funny definition to me: unpleasant in disposition or temper.

I love when Tim comes home and makes observations that I am so used to about our kids, it's funny.

Also, Mackenzie has gone from army crawling to on all fours. She will crawl a few steps and then finish with army crawling. She is nuts. David thinks this is neat and has started crawling again too. Sweet babies!