My New Look

I woke up this morning and couldn't take it anymore. I hated my hair.

And so, like I usually do, I called and begged for an emergency hair appointment.

This is the result!



Please ignore the baby stuff in the background. And the toys. And the general clutter that is my life. I was just glad I could crop out the breastfeeding baby...HA!

Questions Part Four...all about the kids.

did you find it more difficult to go from having no kids to one or from having one to two?
Going from one to two was much more difficult. Laura Grace had just turned two when Layton was born and while she was very independent for her age she was still a young toddler. Taking care of an infant and young toddler was very demanding for a few months. Looking back, I realize that I made this difficult for myself. I am a perfectionist and I wanted my house to be perfect, I wanted to look perfect, I wanted my toddler happy and the baby happy. I truly thought that I was doing something wrong when the baby was screaming, Laura Grace was screaming, and I just couldn't make everyone happy. I also suffered from post partum depression for several weeks. It wasn't severe, I just felt...empty. I felt numb and it scared me because I went through those early days like a zombie. It was deeper than the baby blues I felt with Laura Grace and I didn't know how to get out of them. After a few weeks those feelings faded and one day I woke up feeling like myself again.

I think it also helped that I learned as they got older that it will NOT emotionally scare any of my children if they have to cry for awhile! I stopped killing myself trying to keep both children happy at all times. Sometimes Layton just had to cry so I could get a shower. Other times Laura Grace would have to wail because I was feeding the baby and she wanted me to go outside with her. I learned to divide my time so that both children got me alone and got special time with me. By the time Layton was 3 or 4 months old life smoothed out again and I LOVED having two children. They adored each other and still do.

My biggest advice for a mom expecting her second child is to just let go of all your expectations. Give yourself a break. No one is perfect and if your laundry doesn't get done and your dishes pile up-who cares? It is so neat to watch your older child bond with the new baby. It is those precious memories that I remember most of all.

Or three?
Going from two to three was hard...but at the same time MUCH easier than the first baby or going from one to two. I am more confident with Will. I don't worry about him crying, I don't worry about every hiccup or cough. Laura Grace and Layton also didn't deal with any jealousy because they knew what it was like to share me already. I didn't feel any guilt because the baby was taking up more time. I think the biggest reason it wasn't a hard adjustment was because I know that it all passes so quickly. When Laura Grace was a baby that year seemed to last forever. I LOVED every month, every phase. But as she gets older, time rushes by faster and faster. While I love every phase I also miss those baby days, those chubby toddler hands, the mischevious preschooler... With Will I know to soak it all in because we really have so little time with our children.

What is your favorite age so far [your kids' age!]?
This is really hard because I truly have enjoyed every phase. Some stages are harder than others-12 months to 2 years is like Mommy bootcamp. I can STILL remember the tantrums Laura Grace would throw! Each of my children are so different that I have preferred different ages for each of them. As a general blanket statement though, my favorite age would have to be from age 2-3. I love the older toddler/preschooler phase because they have learned how to talk, tell corny jokes that are only funny to them, and they are so CURIOUS. They love people, love life, and are so much fun to teach.

As far as my individual children... Laura Grace was SO much fun from 12 months to 2 years. Even though that was also a hard phase, I loved it. I think my memories are so fond because it was just me and her. I would take her to playgroup, the park, the store, ect... and we had a blast. She was such a curious, happy toddler and I loved that time with her.

Layton was also very cute at this age and he hardly ever threw tantrums. He has always been a very easygoing, mild mannered child. Still, my favorite age with him would be from 2 to 3. He is hilarious because he is so goofy. He loves to make you laugh and this started coming out last year. It was also much easier to take them swimming, take them to the library, ect... because both of them enjoyed it. The memories I have of them when Layton was 2 and Laura Grace was 4 are precious to me.


How many of your kids still take naps?
Will is the only one that consistently naps. Laura Grace only takes a nap if she is sick or was up very late the night before. Her body is used to being in school all day so on the weekends naps are not an option! Layton takes about one nap a week. It is hit and miss with him-I never know when he will go to sleep or not.

I do institute a quiet time. It is mandatory in my house :) From 12-2 everyone must be in their room. Laura Grace and Layton are allowed to read books, color, or play quietly in their bedrooms. Sometimes they will fall asleep but that is very rare. I have discovered that this time alone is really good for them. They come out excited to play together and relaxed and refreshed. If Layton does not get this time every day he is a PILL in the evenings. So, even if he is not sleeping he is still resting.

At what age do/did they stop napping?
Laura Grace and Layton stopped around age 3. We had to make bed time earlier many nights because they were tired earlier. It is an awkward phase because they get sleepy much earlier but are not sleepy at naptime.



Any more questions?

Christmas 2009

CHRISTMAS EVE
Despite the funeral earlier that day, Christmas Eve was still a good day. The family spent the day eating and talking about memories. I am glad Laura Grace was old enough to take part in it. Layton didn't have a clue what was going on and Will of course slept through most of it.

Beside herself with excitement. This girl loves Christmas!

He was very tired. Even the pile of presents behind him wasn't enough to get him excited.

Laura Grace and Layton on Christmas Eve. Clay says this is the last smocked outfit Layton will ever wear. We will see.

Clay's cousin Taylor bonding with Will. He may look small in this photo but that outfit is a 6-9 months. Yikes. Taylor has been married for two years now so I am thinking Will inspired her!

Will's Christmas pajamas. He was thrilled. It was also nearly midnight and my children just don't keep those hours. I was not a happy mommy.

Christmas Eve tradition-we give them matching pajamas. I couldn't find any for Will :(.

Despite the extremely late hour, Laura Grace was VERY into opening presents :)
Uncle Drew (Clay's brother), his fiance' Mary Beth, and her little boy, Reed.

CHRISTMAS MORNING
About to come downstairs to see what Santa brought!
This is Layton's Santa stash. He got the Jeep, a sleeping bag, a Nerf sword, a dumptruck that is interactive, a movie, a book, and a large Tonka helicopter. From Mommy and Daddy he got pajamas and big boy boxers (like his daddy), a tow truck, a movie, the Tag reading system with three books, a pack of Matchbox cars, a dinosaur that interacts with you, and a remote control Lightening Mcqueen car. Mimi and Grandaddy gave him a tool set, a Handy Manny play set with more tools, a jacket, and an ornament. Grandmother gave him a remote control big foot car. Aunt Maev gave him some construction vehicles. Uncle Drew and Marybeth gave him soccer house shoes. Mamaw gave him some spinning tops. Aunt Debbie gave him a remote control front loader and Aunt Barbara gave him a board game. Uncle Keith and Aunt Nona gave him a police car with flashing lights and a siren. Granny gave him a laser gun, Aunt Amy and Uncle Justin gave him a huge remote control car, Papa John gave him a fire rescue play set and Aunt Cindy gave him a CARS Stunt Mater play set. Layton was so tired from the night before that he didnt' really enjoy Christmas morning. We are never doing what we did again on Christmas Eve. This will rock the boat of family traditions but I have decided that while my children are young, sleep is more important than staying up to open presents on Christmas Eve.

Santa brought Will a Fisher Price tether ball and a ball that bounces and rolls by itself. Clay and I got him clothes, books, and some small toys. Mimi and Grandaddy got him a grocery cart/highchair cover, a floor and crib mirror, some small toys, and a play mat. Aunt Barbara gave him an adorable monkey towel set. Mamaw gave him a sleep sack that says "King of the Crib". He also got several ornaments for our tree, blocks, and a 123 blender. I just can't remember from who! I am a bad mommy.
"Santa" brought Laura Grace a Barbie Jeep, a movie, several books, and a kitchen set complete with microwave, food, mixer, toaster and dishes. Oh, and a sleeping bag. Mommy and Daddy gave her four Barbie dolls (from the Barbie and the Three Musketeers movie), a Barbie carriage, several books, a movie, an outfit, pajamas, new panties, Operation board game, a new Leapster game, and art supplies. Her Mimi and Grandaddy gave her an ornament, a tea set, play food for her new kitchen things, a hot pink Polo jacket, and bracelets. Her great grandmother gave her a Baby Alive doll and art supplies. Her Aunt Maev gave her a Barbie doll and a Polly Pocket play set. Aunt Barbara gave her a picture for her room. Aunt Jo and Uncle Jim gave her a board game. Mamaw also gave her a board game. Aunt Debbie and Uncle John gave her a hula hoop. She got pink flamingo slippers from her Uncle Drew, Mary Beth, and Reed. Her Granny gave her a pony play set, her Aunt Amy gave her a Littlest Pet Shop play set, and her Papa John gave her a Barbie doll. Uncle Keith and Aunt Nona gave her more art supplies... I think I am forgetting things but you get the general idea-Laura Grace had a wonderful Christmas!

Looking in their stockings... They had M&Ms, giant candy canes, markers (Laura Grace had Disney Princess, Layton's were from the CARS movie), wallets, stickers, note books, bubble bath, and Laura Grace had lipgloss and a brush.

This isn't really a Christmas picture but I thought she looked so pretty :) We were getting ready to go to church.

One of her new outfits and her new coat. She was doing her best impression of modeling-HA!

Laura Grace's gift from her Aunt Barbara. I thought it was so cute and a neat idea.

I thought everyone needed to see what static does to Laura Grace. Bless her heart she deals with it all winter!





So, that was our Christmas. Overall, it was good. It was a little hard to believe that it came so fast. Every year has rushed by so quickly it seems! I love having a small baby at Christmas, it makes it that much more special... Next year Laura Grace will be 7, Layton 4-almost 5, and Will 15 months. WOW. Like I said, we will be changing how we do things next year. I am not sure how and I hate to buck tradition...but that is another post!

Questions, Anyone?

Last week, right before Christmas, I started a questions post. Several responded, but I thought I would open it back up.

So...questions anyone?

It can be about anything-my children, my testimony, my husband, my beliefs, even what pajamas I am currently wearing....

Can anyone tell I need non emotional blog fodder?! HA!

Over It

Today is a new day and I am over it. Not really, but trying to be.

My family woke up with colds and feeling yuck so today we are going to stay in our pajamas, watch far too much television and enjoy these last few days of vacation!

And, eventually, I will get those Christmas pictures up...

But Why I Am Going To Blog Angry

You know what? I am still mad. Seething, even. It makes me even more furious that while I feel like this is justified anger it is not exactly righteous anger. It is not anger that is going to heal anything, solve anything, or even go noticed by the person I am angry at.

I will say that being treated like crap-invisible crap but crap at that-has made me so stinking angry I could really do and say something really, really bad. I could for instance tell the world who this person is so that everyone else would know how this person truly treats people. But I am not. I am going to sit there with a stupid smile on my face and pretend like nothing is wrong. This person better think twice to try to get close to me again because as far as I am concerned our relationship is severed. I am a pretty open, trusting person. It took me a long time to get there. But once that trust is gone, it is gone. Wrong...possibly. But you know what? Right now I don't care. Right now I just want to stomp my feet and scream about it.

Why I Should Never Blog Angry

So, yesterday I was slightly steamed. Actually, I had passed that and was right around the steady boil area. All. Day. Long. I restrained myself from taking it out on my children, my husband, even my dogs. And that is rather impressive because my dogs are annoying. But, still...I was pleasant, nice even. I smiled and I didn't burst into spontaneous tears as I am am prone to do when ticked off.

I did consider writing another blog about how it isn't fair we don't get to choose our family members. Then, technically, I realized that I did in a round about way choose this family member...along with several others. That led me to a whole other rant about being more careful about who you choose to surround yourself with.... It was bad. I then realized I should be praying about it. And tried. But I am not at that point where giving it to God is making me feel any better. It is probably because feeling good isn't the point...but dangit I want to feel better. I am still trying to decide on the whole private blog thing. If you would want to read it, just leave me a comment and I will invite you should I create one.

But that isn't even really the point of this post. My whole point is that I should probably stay off the computer all together when angry. I can seriously identify with John who Christ chastised for being a "son of Thunder". Apparently he had issues with his temper. Ugh, I am so there.

Anyway, yesterday I had to take an online training course for my new job as Girl Scout Troop Leader. I can practically hear the crickets chirping as ya'll digest this. Yes, me, probably the prissiest girly girl alive will be spending the next twelve or so years camping and earning badges. Oh, and selling cookies. Clay is thrilled about the cookie sales-he has already cleaned out our freezer. And I AM excited. Thrilled, even. It is just going to be...amusing to say the least.

So there I was-taking the online course. It was going along just fine. There is nothing too controversial about guiding girls through serving their communities. But then, without warning, it took an environmentalist turn. It began talking about "living green" and "saving our world one girl at a time". Now, if it was talking about leading others to Christ I would have been jumping up and down excited! But, no. It was talking about saving the world and reversing climate change. I stewed, I muttered, and then got to a part where I was supposed to write about what I foresee as the biggest challenge in leading a troop.

I went to town on that question.

I covered everything from global warming being a government conspiracy because they want an excuse to further control us and tax us to God being the one in control-not us. I also covered that being a good steward of what we have been given is a wonderful thing. It is something we should teach. But this should not come at the expense of our personal freedom, hurt small companies, and how the whole system was currently corrupt. And on and on and on. You see, I really didn't think that the answer would be read by anyone else. I figured it was just something that would disappear after the course-just a review for my purposes sort of thing. Blame it on my post partum brain. I hit enter and this is what it said...

"Sent for review to the Girl Scout Council".

Oh, man...

It was bad.

Three Months Old

Hi, my name is Will and I am three months old. I have decided to take over my mommy's post about myself because I have a lot to say!

I am now very busy. I kick my legs and wave my arms in the air constantly. Even in my sleep I move around. I push myself up on my arms and move my legs around but my mommy says I am way too little to crawl. My favorite trick is to pull myself up into a sitting position when I am in someone's lap-only babies lay around and I am convinced that I am big.

I also really, really want to eat food. I watch my mommy and daddy eat and practice chewing. My pediatrician said that I am gaining wieght really fast and there is no need for cereal until I am six months old. I think that is no fair! I mean, I was only 16 lbs. and 24 inches at my last checkup! Just because that is off the charts doesn't mean that I should be deprived food... That is my opinion anyway. I am nursing every two hours during the day and every three hours at night until they give in and try cereal. I may nurse a lot then as well... I really like it. My mommy has given up on bottles. I hate them. I also hate pacifiers and scream when I see one. I am a smart boy!

I really like to sit in my bouncy seat and watch my mommy. She is pretty funny. I laugh at her everytime she looks at me. I love her the best because she has my food. I think my daddy is pretty funny too. He is my favorite person when I am sleepy. If I am fussy he puts me on his shoulder and I am out like a light!

I also really like my crib. I like to sleep on my tummy and do not like that thing they call swaddling. Talk about torture! I also think it is very funny that my mommy tries to put me in this sling and backpack thing. I scream my head off and get out of it really fast!

Baths are becoming lots of fun. I like to kick my legs and splash. I also blow bubbles and spit when the water gets in my mouth. Speaking of blowing bubbles, I have learned to do that with my drool. Pretty cool, huh?

I think I am teething. Either that or I have some dog genes in me somewhere. I am soaking everything with it. I also like to chew on everything and grunt like a pig while doing it. I think it is funny, but mommy wishes I wouldn't be quite so loud when I am in church.

Speaking of church... I don't like nursery very much. The ladies have learned to lay me across their knees, on my tummy. I hang out like that until my mommy rescues me. She says she has to teach Sunday School but I would much rather hang out at home!

The last thing I need to talk about it sibling relationships. Oh, my. They are killing me. I am always being hugged, squeezed, kissed, and coughed on. Mommy has learned to get over her anxiety that this will kill me and is much more laid back about my brother hacking in my face while giving me kisses. She figures my immune system is going to be pretty strong!

Birth

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Why I Think I Need Drugs During The Holidays

I love Christmas. I love this time of year. But, at the same time, I think I would love it a lot more if I could just avoid certain people who seem determined to ruin it. Every. Single. Year.

I wish that certain people did not read this blog so I could fully vent my frustrations/rage/angst about particular people and situations but they do so I can't. I am going to take the high road and keep my hissy fit to myself. Sort of. At least I am not stomping into the kitchen hissing under my breath about my feelings towards other people because I don't agree with them. Or virtually ignoring one person that I am annoyed at for some unfathomable reason while making a display laying all over another person who I am trying WAY to hard to make them feel a part of things.

Just saying.

I do have a happier, more positive post to write. I have a baby who is now three months old and has things to say. I also have a ton of pictures from Christmas. I will get to that...eventually.

Huh?

I wrote this post and this post but for some reason it published under Tuesday...go figure.

Questions Part Four

What was your major in college?

I actually had a double major. Well, technically I could also declare English as my major because I ended up taking all of those necessary classes and electives! Anyway, I started off as a psychology major. I loved it but it just didn't feel right at the time. I prayed about it and after my freshman year I changed my major to Elementary Education. I LOVED it. At the same time I also loved Psychology. I decided that I wanted the option of doing school counseling or psychometry so I then began taking Psychology classes again. As a result I graduated two years later than I should have. I took summer classes, night classes, and more hours than technically I was allowed in order to major in both.

And then...after graduation...I decided to stay home. At first I viewed all that work as pointless because I was not even using any of my education. Then it hit me, I could use it! If I ever homeschool I have that added experience. Not any classroom experience but I can still teach a child how to read! I also like the security in knowing that if anything ever happened to Clay, I am not totally dependent on life insurance benefits. He could become disabled, lose his job, ect... and I want to be able to provide for our family if I have to.

This summer I am going to begin work on my masters online. In two years of online classes I will be able to obtain an LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor) license. With this license I can be a school counselor, a marriage and family counselor (which is what I am wanting to do), or even an addiction counselor. I am very excited about this opportunity because the counseling profession will allow me to contract with the state and county so that I can set my own hours and be at home when my children are at home. If I begin homeschooling I can choose to only counsel at night or on the weekends. This freedom will allow me to do what I love and what I feel called to do.

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever given?

Probably the photo calendars I made last year for my inlaws. I did it on Walmart.com and they turned out beautiful!

Questions Part Three

-Is there anything you've done as a parent that you'd like to go back and change if you could?

I have been a parent for six years now and thankfully there is nothing major that I would change. I have no huge regrets about any of my parenting decisions. Do I wish I could be more patient some days? YES. Do I wish I was one of those rare mothers who can keep a spotless house, make homemade play dough daily, and still find the energy to build 53 Lego castles that night? You bet! I have learned, and daily STILL learn that I am not perfect but that it is okay not to be perfect! I am doing better at setting priorities and accepting that my house may not look picture perfect all the time because it is more important to make that play dough and build with those blocks!

I can remember moments that I was rather idiotic as a parent. There are memories that I cringe at wishing I didn't have such a hot head. Like the time Laura Grace was three and wrote all over her brand new white furniture with ink pen. Did I keep my cool? Nope. I yelled and cried and called Clay to yell and cry some more. Or the time that Layton threw up all over me in the doctor's office and Laura Grace chose that time to run away from me screaming "EWWWW". I couldn't find her, I was covered in puke, Layton was screaming and I broke down in a small tantrum myself. Yeah, that was bad...

But...you know...now that I think about it, there is something that I wish I could change. I wish that I would have spanked Laura Grace less as a toddler. I love John Rosemond and Dr. Dobson's parenting books. I read them over and over. However, they are more for preschoolers and up in my opinion. I am all for being firm with your children from the beginning-I think that is critical when it comes to training them. I set the rules because I am the parent. I just think it is also very important to take into consideration your child's age and developmental level. I started spanking Laura Grace at 18 months and now I look back and wish I had not. Lack of impulse control and toddler tantrums are not reasons to spank. I should have used more redirection and kept my cool. It is funny how different you view things when it is your second child or third child you are talking about. I think you realize then how fast they grow and change and how important it is to pick battles and not focus on the tiny issues.

-What is the best Christmas present you've ever gotten?
This is hard!! It would probably be the first Christmas Clay and I spent together as a married couple. We were so broke because we were both still in college. He was determined that we would exchange gifts even though we had little money. He knew that I love the movie "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" so he bought me that. He also put jelly beans in my stocking because I love them as well. He was so cute about it and so excited!

I also got pregnant with Will last Christmas so that is pretty much the ultimate Christmas gift!

Any more questions?! :)

The Many Faces Of Laura Grace

Taking pictures of Laura Grace is always entertaining.

Papaw

Clay's Papaw was a sweet man who will be missed. He loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren so much and never failed to tell them that he was proud of them. He called Clay his number one grandson, and Layton was his best boy. He always had Snickers candy bars hidden away for the kids when we came to visit :) He loved to play with his globe with Layton and talk to Laura Grace about school. I am so glad that my children got to know him!

Answers Part Two

1. How did you go about choosing your children's names, what were some of your 'runner-up' names?



When I was pregnant with Laura Grace, I just knew she was a girl. I wanted to name her something meaningful but I struggled with what exactly... Then, one day it hit me! Grace. God's grace was so apparent in the very fact that I was able to get pregnant. That instantly led me to Laura Grace. Laura was my granny's name and she was also one of the reasons that I came through some very dark days. So...Laura Grace it was. I never really considered a boy's name. I just knew the baby was a girl!



When I was pregnant with Layton, I knew in my gut he was a boy. However, Laura Grace really wanted a sister so we came up with a girl's name just in case. Clay and I actually made a deal-if it was a boy he would name it. If it was a girl, I would name it. I came up with the name Madeline Claire. Clay said he would name his son after himself-Richard Clayton. When we found out Layton was indeed a boy, I realized that we already have a Richard in the family (Clay's father) and a Clayton (Clay). What on earth would we call the baby?!? In the middle of the night, Clay sat up and said, "Layton! We will call him Layton!".



When I was pregnant with Will I again knew it was a boy. I just did. I HOPED it was a girl because Laura Grace really, really wanted a sister. However, deep down I knew it was a boy. If Will had been a girl we would have named him Eleanor Claire and called her Ella or Ellie. We also thought about the names Ella Claire or Lucy Claire. I really wanted to name all of my children an "L" name but Clay said that was unbearably cheesy. Clay came up with Will's name-William Thomas. I wanted Liam, Eli, Caleb, or Jacob but Clay vetoed those names due to their popularity here in North Mississippi. I liked the name William Thomas so we agreed on that :)



2. What's the most annoying toy in your house?



Any of the puzzles or board games. Or the Polly Pockets. The pieces of these games/toys constantly get lost, misplaced, or dumped all over the floor. This is the bane of my existence at this point.

Any more questions? It doesn't matter how personal, I will not get offended!

Death

Clay's grandfather passed away during the night. He was sick for a long time and is now with Jesus. Please be in prayer for his family.

Answers Part One

1. Do you want anymore children?
It depends on the day! I love children and love my job as a mother even more. I am enjoying this season of my life more than I ever thought possible. The cuddling, nurturing, playing, loving...it makes life wonderful. However, I also want to be responsible. I never want to have so many children that we can not afford to provide properly for them. I don't mean provide the newest toys and clothes for them. I am talking practical provision-medical care, food, clothing, ect... I also want to have enough time and energy to spend personal time with each child during the day. This is very important to me and I have found it gets very difficult. Some days I feel like I can barely parent my three children, each in a very different developmental phase (one nursing all the time, one making constant messes, and one that needs help with homework as well as ample time for conversations). It is at the end of the day when I am cuddling with them and reviewing the day that I realize my HEART has room for more. I just need to make room in my patience levels :)
I will say that we are not using hormonal birth control. We practice Natural Family Planning and are praying about whether more children are what WE want. We both fully understand and accept that it is ultimately God's right to plan our family and will accept and adore any other child that may come.

2. How is the homeschooling discussion coming along?
Again, depends on the day. I want to homeschool more than anything. It is truly a desire of my heart. I love having all of my children at home and miss Laura Grace when she is gone during the day. Due to my education, I know that I can teach my children all that they need to know. There are wonderful resources that will help when I am stuck (chemistry, anyone?). I love the idea of being the one to talk about our nation's history and the first one to read Jane Eyre with them. However, I also have to respect my husband's opinion that homeschooling is not for his children. He has no doubt in my ability, he simply worries that they will miss out on the school experience. Clay loved school-he played sports, was in the band, and had the opportunity to grow up in a small school system where he thrived. The school system is still excellent. My children's teachers will always be someone I know because our town is small. In fact, we go to church with most of them!
What it comes down to is submission. I have to submit to my husband's wisdom in this matter. He has prayed about it, we have talked about it, and even after he said I could homeschool I realized that he was only saying yes because it was important to me. I can't do that to my husband. I can't run over him with my opinions and trump his authority in our home. He is such a wonderful, loving man who does all he can to serve me and our children. I realized that I have to do the same and trust his wisdom in this matter.
And so, that leaves us where we are now. Every week we discuss it. Sometimes he opens the dialogue, other times I do. He is more open to it the more Laura Grace brings home from school. She has a wonderful teacher but part of being in the world is learning from the world. She comes home with phrases and questions that knock us over! We are also becoming very concerned about the state of our nation and are discussing pulling our children out of public schools due to this.

3. What is your favorite book?
Oh, man...this is hard. I am going to have to list several because I can't commit :)

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyers
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Atonement Child by Francine Rivers
Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion by Jane Austen
Jane Eyres by Charlotte Bronte

That is all I can think of right now... I am sure I could add to the list all day!

Keep the questions coming :)

Christmas Number One...and Two...

The weekend began with Laura Grace's class Christmas party. They decorated ornaments, stuffed themselves with food, and had a great time running around the room!

Laura Grace made this Christmas tree out of a sugar cone, green icing, and M&Ms. Isn't it cute?

After the party, my family loaded up and drove four hours to my sister, Amy's house.

After we arrived at my sister's house we decided to have the kids decorate cookies. They had a blast. Amy and I? We nearly killed ourselves baking the fifty million sugar cookies and chasing/toting/cleaning/feeding/supervising all five children who were so hyped up on sugar that it was nearly midnight before they fell asleep.

Layton needed a Macdonald's hamburger in order to work. It is rather exhausting decorating.

Some of the finished product. See the one covered with many, many M&Ms? That was Layton's work.

My sweet niece, Adeline. Literally. She was covered in my cinnamon roll that she swiped from me. I didn't put up much of a fight. I mean, look at that face!

Can you tell they were tired of smiling for the camera? From left to right: Layton, Coen, and Laura Grace. Layton and Coen say they are best friends. I LOVE that.

The excitement over opening presents was almost too much for some of us.

Will loves his daddy.

This is my father with six of the grandchildren. Will wasn't in the mood to be pictured. To be honest, none of the children were in the mood. However, they were all old enough to be forced or threatened. My father wanted me to point out that at the age of 48 he has seven grandchildren. He also told us that he expects lots more. Ahem.

After we left my sister's house, we went to visit with my mother's family. On the way there our transmission went out. Yes, I did just type that. Our transmission died and there we were on the side of the road. Laura Grace wailed, "OH NO!!! THE CAR IS SICK!" I felt like wailing right along with her. Fortunately, my uncle and brother in law were right there so we piled into their vehicles and went on to see the rest of the family. We had a great time visiting with all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. There was more food and we ate until we were sick. Or maybe I was just nauseous thinking about the expensive car repair looming...

We ended up having my Uncle Steve drive us to Jackson (almost two hours away) where the only rental van was available. We loaded up in the rental and drove three more hours home. It was lovely.

Sunday, after driving well into midnight, we got up and went to Clay's, Aunt Maev's house. I have a feeling that sentence was grammatically incorrect. It is the whole Mommy Brain thing. I seriously think my brain has been sucked out. Anyway, every year we go to her house and open gifts with Uncle Keith (pictured above), Aunt Nona, and their now adult children Brad and Stacy. We spend all day eating and visiting. Uncle Keith adores Laura Grace and she eats it up!

Laura Grace being...well...Laura Grace. That expression is classic.

Will with his Aunt Maev. Shortly after, he had a blow out. See his face? It takes DEEP concentration.

My sweet, goofy, Layton. He was growling at me in this picture. Go figure.

My soon to be nephew and his soon to be daddy. Is that a mouthful or what? Reed is Layton's age and precious. Drew is going to be a wonderful father!

My sweet children. They love each other. And then hate each other. But usually, it is all about the love.

Reed and Layton being goofy. See the shag carpet? The very orange shag carpet? My children asked if we could put it in our home. It feels "gushy" on their feet.

Our weekend ended with Laura Grace's choir concert at church. They sang beautifully. In case you can't find Laura Grace she is the one with the rather large red bow. See the boy with glasses and a plaid shirt? The adorable one? Laura Grace says "I am going to marry that boy". When I asked her why, she sighed and said, "Because no one else will." You see, that little boy is the male version of Laura Grace. He is PRECIOUS but also full of spunk. I am a little afraid that they will indeed marry and their genetic material will combine to produce absolute hellions...

Overall, the weekend was wonderful. Stressful at times, very noisy at others, but so much fun. I can't wait to see my family again!