Just for the Record

For the record:
1. My life is so busy right now. I wake up on Monday morning and blink and it's Friday night. Between grad school 2 nights, soccer the other nights, and just being a mom, I am swamped.
2. This past week, I didn't talk to my mom ALL week long. I can't remember the last time that has happened. That's how overloaded I am...if you don't call me, you probably won't hear from me right now during the week.
3. I cleaned my house for 4 hours today. It was disgusting. I still have some things to do, but it looks way better than it did.
4. I discovered a new author, and I'm madly in love with her books. The problem is that I don't ever have time to read for pleasure. I am allowing myself to read in the evenings for a little while before bed. It's my time to decompress.
5. I will be SO glad when the CRCT is over. I hate this time of the school year. I do love the month of May though. Even though the kids are nuts that month, I don't feel as much pressure so it's easier to let them "have fun" a little more.
6. I'm loving our "new" living room. It's so warm and homey.
7. Since all of my talented, interior decorating type friends live too far away, my principal is helping me with window treatments! It was a little nerve wracking having her come in my house on Friday.
8. On that same note, the next BIG house thing Joey and I want to have done is hardwood floors in our living room. However, it's something that we won't have done until we can pay cash for it. When that day comes, I will personally rip this AWFUL carpet up with my own bare hands. That is how bad I HATE it. I hate it. It looks AWFUL and is beyond stained. The color is just way too light for two very young children.
9. Today Tripp said "OMG". Wonder where he has heard that?
10. Today Makinley said, "Go way monsters. This my house. Go way. Go back your house. OK?" She's slightly obsessed lately with the thought of monsters. Don't know where it comes from.

Well, there's my "for the record" for today. Lots of random, random thoughts...but it's what you get for today. Till next time!

Brought to You Live

Or taped.



Wish the quality of the video was a little better, but you get the picture. Tripp's the blonde in the BLACK shin guards. The blonde in the white shin guards is Peyton. Tripp loves Peyton and his dad is Marc (the coach and Joey's best friend). Please ignore my screaming. The proudness tends to overtake me. I'm sure one day I will highly mortify my son. Oh well. Isn't that what moms are for?!

A New Look

We've done a little redecorating around here the last few days. We had our living room painted (actually, we painted the whole house that wasn't painted prior to us moving in). We just painted it a deep khaki color and the coffers inside our cieling are now a chocolate brown. The ceiling looks really, really good. I love it. We also mounted our TV over our fireplace and rearranged our furniture. Joey's friend, Marc, helped mount the TV. I love how everything turned out, but it's going to take some getting used to. We have a new rug coming soon. I also am going to start saving for some window treatments. I want them in the living room and in the kitchen. However, I am no good at things like that, so I need someone to help me! I also don't necessarily like the mantel right now as far as what we have sitting on it. But it looked so plain with just the TV. If you have any suggestions, I am all ears!!

1st Shiner

This happened BEFORE the 2nd soccer game even began. Tripp and another little boy were playing and bumped heads. Needless to say, Tripp cried the ENTIRE 2nd game and never played. It's going to be a long season.

Happy St. Patty's Day

a little late....but from my leprachauns to yours!

First Game

Ok, so Tripp's first two soccer games haven't been the best. The first game went really well for the first 30 minutes, and then he got knocked down. He cried for the last 30 minutes of the game and wouldn't go back in. In his defense, he's the youngest one on the team, and it was almost 7:00 and he hadn't had any dinner. But, with that being said, I wanted to string him up by his toes. Our child CANNOT control his emotions. Once he starts crying like that, it's next to impossible to get him to stop. Or, he'll stop briefly and then the slightest thing will set him off again. It's awful!!! I can't stand it. I've tried everything...ignoring him, loving on him, being next to hateful to him. Nothing works. So, I don't know how our season is going to go. The thing that stinks the most is that he's actually really good to be so young. He gets right in there with them and tries to kick the ball. I'm just not sure he's going to be a contact sport kind of kid.

But he makes me proud even when he's a stinker! I mean, look at him. He's pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

She wants to play SO bad

Soccer

Trying it out

The morning after Tripp's party, Poppa had to take the kids down to the cul-de-sac to ride their new bikes. Tripp looked like he was about to take part in competitive bike riding...but hey, he was safe!

Makinley loves her Barbie "scooter".

So cute!

And they're off! Poppa had to carry the bikes to the cul-de-sac because it slopes down hill and we were afraid they would start going too fast.

Go, Go Power Rangers

We had honestly planned on taking a year "off" from birthday parties this year. They are just so expensive, and can get to be overwhelming to plan. However, it gets harder to take a year "off" when the kids get older. Especially when they are in PreK3 5 mornings a week and hear all of their friends talking about their birthday parties. So, then we thought about just doing the family thing. But, Tripp kept on insisting that his friends get to come. I looked into doing it at Chuck-E-Cheese or The Jump Gym, but when saving money is the name of the game, those places get thrown out the window. We ended up having it our house. And we had a PACKED house. I think we ended up with just over 40 people. Most of our friends have families of 4, so it adds up quickly! :-) Tripp had a blast! UNFORTUNATELY, silly momma had her camera on the wrong setting most of the night, so all of the pictures turned out really, really blurry. I kept them to have documentation of the night, but they are most definitely not blog worthy. I picked a few though, so enjoy!

His Blue Power Ranger Cake

The Food Table

Waiting on the guests to arrive....it was a long day waiting on 4:30!

Full House!

Family shot....you can't tell, but Tripp is sitting on his new bike!

Makinley got a new "bike" too!

Thanks everyone for coming and helping to make Tripp's birthday special. We had a blast!

My Life

This is me....buried under both of my children super early one morning. This is my life.

"Cheese"

We've discovered our "cheese" face. This is what I get when I ask her to smile!

Please Stay Tuned....

My internet connection has been down for a week...but it's back up and running now. Stay tuned because I have plenty to blog about:

Tripp's birthday party
Tripp's first soccer game (and second for that matter)
Some interior decorating things
Consignment sale deals

So, be on the lookout. Right now I have more clothes to fold than any one woman should have to tackle. But pictures are a'comin. Promise.

Staying Focused....

About twice a year, I get a really bad "itch". It happens in the fall and in the spring. It's a shopping itch. I guess it's because of the seasons changing and all of the cute clothes that come out. I get an urge to go out and shop, shop, shop. I mean, what can I say? I am my mother's daughter. And, can I also just mention that little girl clothing is too dang cute? I mean really. There are so many clothes out there that I want to buy for Makinley it's not even funny. I have to literally sit on my hands and on my wallet. Clothes are even starting to get cuter for Tripp too. Now that he is entering into true little boy clothing, I want to dress him just like his daddy. All polo'd out. There are these two shirts that I want to get the kids SO bad....they are coordinating big bro', lil' sis shirts with their names on them. Ugh, why does everything have to cost money? :-) The Dave Ramsey thing has obviously put a halt on my shopping, but man I wish the spring clothes weren't so stinkin' (another Debbie word, by the way) cute. I just have to stay focused on the goal.....and I'll go shopping at consignment sales and buy other people's cute clothes for my kids. One good thing, all of Tripp's shorts from last year still fit; I just had to let out the adjustable waist some. But, I'm pretty much starting from scratch with Makinley. This girl has grown leaps and bounds in the last year, so we need full on 3T clothing. Let the bargain hunting begin!

Funny Stuff

Just a couple of funny things that have happened/been said over the last few days. Most of them dealing with my daughter.

While getting ready for church on Sunday, Makinley looked at me and said, "Mommy, are you goin wear your boobies to church today?".....well, um, yes baby probably so. (She means my bra).

After bathtime the other night, Mak and I were snuggling in my bed watching Dora "for just a minute" (as Mak says) when Joey came in the room to join us. He thought he could smell something, but I assured him that she hadn't done anything. When he picked her up to hug her goodnight, he patted her diaper and said, "I told you, Stacey, she needs her diaper changed. She did poop." I thought that was wierd because she and I had been laying together the whole time and I never noticed. I took her in her room to change her and she kept reaching down to touch her diaper with a really confused look on her face. When I laid her down and took her diaper off, a rubber fish from the bathtub came out of her diaper. I started cracking up and should have told Joey that he needs to get his sense of smell checked out. Makinley looked at it and said, "See, Momma, my not poop. Dat not poop." No wonder she looked so confused the whole time, she knew she hadn't done anything! Now, every single time she sees that fish, she says, "See, dat not poop." Now, as to HOW that got in her diaper, I don't know considering I'M the one that put her diaper on!

Normal

Don't worry, things are back to normal around these parts. By normal, I mean Makinley is waking up during the night again. Have no clue what caused it because we've done nothing different. Over the weekend, she just started it all over again. But, who am I kidding? This is MY normal. I just need to get used to it, and move on.

One more....

This time a mother-son conversation:

Tripp: Momma, who made the water?
Me: You tell me, bud, who made the water?
Tripp: God
Me: Yep, that's right
Long Pause.....

Tripp: Momma, I wish my grandpa would come back.
Me: (knowing what he meant, but asking anyway)...You do, Bubba? Which grandpa?
Tripp: The one that lives with Jesus. I wish he would come back.
Me: We all do, baby, we all do.

Such a tender heart. Ralph would be so proud.

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha

Today was a big day! It was Tripp's first visit to the dentist and he did awesome! I was slightly nervous, just because I really don't like going to the dentist personally. At all. In fact, that's putting it mildly. But, I was anxious to get Tripp in there and see how things look. I probably should have taken him before now, but oh well. Joey's childhood best friend is now a dentist in town, so we headed to see Mr. Josh.

Waiting in the waiting room playing with transformers

Mrs. Delia came out to get him
Getting him all set up in his chair

Ready to start!

Showing him how to use his cool new tooth brush. It lights up for an entire minute and he's supposed to brush his teeth the whole time the light is flashing. GiGi has a toothbrush just like this one for him at her house, so he knew the drill.

Letting him watch while she worked

Getting his back, bottom teeth cleaned They have this new wand that takes pictures of patients' teeth. Tripp was about to get his teeth pictures taken and put on the screen. It really was super cool to see his big teeth growing in under his baby teeth. You could already see where two of his big teeth are pushing up on his baby teeth. Josh said that meant he would probably lose those teeth in about two years. Crazy, I feel like those teeth just got here!

Sitting so still for his x-rays.

Getting flouride on his teeth. Or as the nurse said, "teeth vitamins" so that his teeth would be strong like Spiderman's.

At the end, Dr. Josh came in and checked him out. Once again, Tripp did great. He sat extremely still and let Josh do what he needed to do. Josh did say that Tripp has two spots on his back teeth where his enamel is getting a little weaker and we just need to pay close attention to those teeth and make sure that we floss really well back there. So, that's just what we'll do.

I'm so proud of him! He did great! I was way more nervous about it than he was. We'll see how his sister does when I take her for the first time. Considering she locks her jaw shut when I try to brush her teeth, it should be an interesting appointment. Hopefully, Josh won't tell me that all of her teeth are rotting out of her head. I definitely try to brush her teeth twice a day, but that doesn't mean it's getting done very well!

Well, ok then.

A father-son conversation at about 7:15 tonight.

Joey: Tripp, do you know what you were doing at this time four years ago?
Tripp: What?
Joey: Screaming your head off at Daddy.
Tripp: That's because when I was a baby, I didn't like anybody.

Truer words have never been spoken.

BooBoos

Last Wednesday night, when Makinley's little foot hit the bathwater, she hit the roof! She went absolutely bananas and I had no idea what was going on. I quickly got her out of the bathtub and looked at her feet. She had taken a good chunk of skin off of her left, big toe. She had stumped it that day at the sitter's, but I didn't know it. The last 5 days have been interesting. She wants a bandaid and a sock on that foot at ALL times. When I say ALL times, I mean all...including bathtime. The child has not taken a sock off for days. I think it hitting the bath water and the pain it caused her has got her terrified of experiencing it again. The booboo is healing, but I can't convince her of that. So, we'll see how long we continue to bathe in socks!

Dear Tripp,

Four already? Really not sure where the last four years have gone. I know all moms say that about their children, but that's because it's true. My time as your mom has been the fastest four years of my life. I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. Ten days late, and you still weren't ready to come. 12 hours of induced labor and you STILL weren't ready to come. A frustrated momma and a vacuum sunction finally brought my stubborn boy into the world. If only I had known that that was just a sign of the personality that would flourish in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Yes, you are stubborn. But you are also loving and gentle and kind. You constantly tell me you love me for no apparent reason at all. You are so incredibly smart (again, I know all mommas say this), and you amaze us every day with what you know. Your memory especially blows your dad and me away. You love to color and you do it extremely well. You are mildly obsessed with playing games on the computer. You are a sports lover through and through and we are anxious to see which one actually truly captures your heart. Right now, you don't seem too biased. Your sister can be your best friend or your worst enemy. However, you are fiercly protective over her and don't like for anyone to be even slightly mean to her (including your momma and daddy). On good days, you share well. On not so good days....well, we are working on it. You are still a pretty picky eater and sometimes meal time can be a fight. We've pretty much resorted to just feeding you the same things day in and day out. Your sister will be our more adventurous eater. When you are trying to get out of doing something, you immediately say, "I'm just so tired." You've grown a little over an inch in the last 3 months, which has caused all of your pants to be incredibly too short. You continue to sleep on the couch in our room, but we are working on it!

When you came into this world, I knew I was ready to be a mommy. What I didn't know was just what all being a mommy would entail. The biggest thing that I truly didn't know at the time was just how much I would love you. It's a love that can hurt. It's a love that can make me feel extremlely vulnerable. It's a love that is so strong it can almost be scary. It's a love that completely stole my heart from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I pray that God raises you to be a man that chases after Him. I pray that your Daddy and I lead you to the Cross. I pray that I live up to the job that God has given me. It's a pretty awesome one. You are my best boy. Although in some ways, it breaks my heart that you are four, I am beyond grateful that God has blessed my life so abundantly for the last four years. I am anxious to see the days, weeks, and months ahead. It is my priviledge to get to watch you grow. I love you...a bushel and a peck.

Come on Spring!

Finally!

Thank Heavens for warmer weather. Makinley Laine loves to "sfwing and swide". While Tripp was practicing soccer, that's just what she did!

Umbros are Back!

Tripp is playing soccer this season! Let me just say, his shorts bring back many memories. However, he is way cuter in his Umbros than I ever was!

Jumping Jacks