Change

Well, nothing is officially different at this point but things just aren't the same. Being a working Mom of two is going to be a change. If you don't know me well, you might not know that I have a difficult time with change. It's true. I like routine; to know what lies ahead. The prospective is daunting!

Because I serve a good and mighty God who loves me, I know that everything will be OK! (unfortunately that doesn't make it easy)

I will most likely be returning to work on Wednesday. I am working the front desk at the Grapevine Pain Center. I think I am going to really enjoy my job and my co-workers seem like they are WONDERFUL; so I am excited about that!

I honestly don't think I can put into words what the past two weeks have been like for me emotionally. It has been a whirlwind of getting things in order and preparing my heart for letting my children go.

You might say that things have been overwhelming and stressful for this stay-at-home-mom. I have had to jump through all the hoops to get the paperwork and junk done for the position so that it would be ready ASAP and I can get started. I have had to find affordable childcare for both of the kiddos, which has been no small feat. After finding the childcare, I have had to gather all the things the kiddos will need and get through all the childcare paperwork, immunization records....blah blah blah.

I am only beginning to get a feel for this working Mom of two mess.

Life is about to be very different. I HATE to feel rushed and I am beginning to get a glimpse of the rush of the mornings.....trying to get myself and two kiddos ready for the day, to leave the house by 6:45....wowzer! This will be a DRASTIC change. Josh isn't home to help so I will have to be extremely organized and prepare well the night before to make it out on time!

This is going to a big change for Josh as well. He is accustomed to us being home any time he is. If he gets home early, we are there. If leaves later on Monday, we are there. He has really enjoyed being able to be home with the kids when he has spare time. We also would take the occasional spontaneous trip with him, but that will be no more. I think this will take some adjusting for all of us.

We found what we think is going to be an AWESOME solution to our childcare! This has most certainly been the stressful, overwhelming and emotional part of the whole adventure. Having been home with Samara for 2 1/2 years has caused me to feel as if I am abandoning her (more on that in a bit) and I wasn't willing to settle (plus I knew that God had a PERFECT solution). We are sending Samara to Preschool Enrichment (PSE) in North Richland Hills. The other options were either way out of our price range or just plain depressing. PSE is a preschool that is founded on Christian principles. They start the day with God, end the day with God and worship Him through song and study throughout the day! So exciting that they can intertwine God and solid education. This Preschool came highly recommended and we feel SUPER comfortable with it! (BTW, thank you so much to all who recommended somewhere or someone......I know we are all in this together as mothers and I couldn't do this without my AWESOME friends.....thank you sisters!)

Unfortunately they don't take children until they are walking! Welllll, that left Spence unattended to. I had to come up with an alternative because we really felt that God led us to PSE for Samara. There was an in-home care not 5 minutes from PSE that I looked into but the more I thought through the that, the less peace I felt. Because it would only be approximately 5 months before Spence could move to PSE, I felt lead to ask Dawn if she would keep Spence until then. God is so good. She had already been praying about it and I hadn't even asked her yet. She gave it some more thought and prayer and discussed it with Cole and agreed to watch him! Hallelujah!

I could not feel more comfortable with someone watching my little guy. Dawn and I have so many of the same parenting philosophies and everything just feels right. This may sound stupid to some of you but I was so worried about him not being rocked to sleep. From day 1 I have rocked him to sleep. It was a conscious decision I made. I love that time I have with my kiddos. Weening him from that in a matter of days was looking pretty impossible. Dawn will rock him to sleep! YIPEE! Seriously......that may sound petty to you but I know that taking that away from him and his mother all at the same time would have to hurt his heart, which in turn would have broken mine! She already loves the little guy to pieces and that means more than ANYTHING else! Thank you Dawn.....I know you are sacrificing alot but it makes my heart smile!

So, now it's just a matter of transitioning the kiddos to the their new environment and me to a new way of life.

I worry about so many things.......

Will Sam think that I don't love her and that's why I am sending her away?
Will Samara and I and Spencer and I still have a wonderful relationship?
Will the kids still become best buds even though they aren't around each other all day?
Will Spencer suffer emotionally because his mother isn't there for him at such an important time in his life?
Will the people at the preschool make Samara feel loved?
How will it make Sam feel when she gets in trouble there for things that I allowed her to do at home?
Will she feel like a bad kid if she is constantly being corrected because she isn't following their rules?
How will she adjust to eating, drinking, pottying, and sleeping completely different than she has done for the past 2 1/2 years?
When she throws a fit, will they understand that she is just hurting or will they be annoyed and just label her as a bad kid?
Will they see what a wonderful heart she has or will they just see her as another kid that won't follow the rules?
Will they enjoy and laugh at her little quirks....or will they just annoy them?
Will they see her gifts and pursue them or will she be just another kid that stands in line and learns the ABC's?
Will there be someone to cuddle with her if she just needs a little lovin'.......or is it going to be strictly about learning and following rules?
Will she get to play with her friends or just learn alongside them?

I honestly feel like her life is going to be turned upside down and I am the cause of the hurt and pain that it will accompany it! It breaks my heart. I can't even sit here and write this without tears streaming down my face!

I want her to LOVE it. I want her to want to go back everyday. I want her to be excited about learning and playing with her friends. I want her to be happy!

There are so many other questions. Are these unreasonable thoughts/questions? Am I just a freak? Am I one of those Moms?

This is very possibly the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I honestly feel like this is what God wants for us and I know that His plan is perfect. I am pretty sure this is one of the only times, if not THE only time that I have had zero control over my emotions. When we went to visit the preschool for the second time, I couldn't seem to get it together......so unlike me. I do NOT like to cry in front of others so to not be able to get ahold of myself in front of STRANGERS what quite embarrassing. Thankfully the staff understands because they too are also mothers!

I realize this may all seem a bit dramatic to some of you but this is how I feel.

Please pray for the transition!

I Reagan take you Josh........

Just thought you all might enjoy a good laugh!

Yes, I realize the quality is HORRIBLE......I can already hear the disbelief from my children 20 years from now. It is still on VHS. I desperately need to have it transferred to a DVD. (This is a video of the TV screen......how do ya like that!)

I just dug the VHS player and kid movies back out. I figured that would be all this ancient TV would be good for after the HD thing in February.

Finally!

I feel like I have said "I'm sorry" about the lack of posts quite frequently lately! Well here it is again! Sorry ya'll!

The past couple of weeks have just been crazy, not to mention that I haven't had a computer. Going to Mom's to get on the internet leaves me just enough time to check my e-mail and work through my list. It's amazing how much I rely on the internet for information.

For those of you who have not been informed, I am returning to work! The economy stinks and with that comes pay cuts and changes in reimbursement. Therefore, we have been left with no choice but for me to head back into the workforce. Honestly, we have been thinking about this for some time now but I was convinced there was no way I would be able to find anything that would pay for childcare and have anything left over. God literally dropped something in my lap. I am going to be working at a doctor's office across from Baylor Grapevine. I have heard wonderful things from the staff there and I think I will really enjoy it.

The issue at this point is finding affordable, GOOD care for the kiddos. I have a couple of home care options but I am afraid that Sam will be bored. I would really like this to be a positive experience for her. If she is going to have to be taken out of her home I would at least like a little brain stimulation for the girl. I think she would thrive in a preschool setting but it has been very difficult finding a preschool that a) also takes infants or b) has a spot for them both......not to mention the affordable part. I am praying that God has something perfect he will open the door to this week.

So.....what's been up with us??????

For starters, last week Sam and I were sick.....had this mess that has been going around. I had a severe ear infection. I don't think I have had an ear infection since I was a wee one. It was not fun.

I was premature in my excitement about the end to diapers. I actually attribute this to her sickness. I think, being sick, she wasn't sleeping well, which woke her frequently and alerted her to her need to tee tee. After getting well, she just didn't seem to wake when she needed to go and so we are back to diapers at bed time.

There is another HUGELY exciting, momentous occasion to replace the other. The pacis are GONE! Seriously..... 2 1/2, it's about time. I have been DREADING the day that we took those things away! We have been putting it off because we knew the battle that would ensue. I should have known that she would take care of it herself. A few days ago she took a nap at Mom's. When she went to get her pacis, she brought one of them to me and told me it was broken. It looked like she had been chewing on it or something so I told her to throw it in the trash. She went to bed with only one paci for her nap. That night I put her to bed with just the one and told her that it was the only one left, that the other ones were in the trash. About 30 minutes after putting her to bed she came into my room telling me that her paci was broken. She brought it to me in 2 pieces. She had bitten the tip of it off. Clearly, that is a serious choking hazard so there was no chance she was going back to bed with another one. I told her to throw that one away and that was the last one so she had no more. That was it! The end of the pacis! WOO HOO!

My little man is scootin' all over the place! I can't believe he is 7 months old!!!!!! He is funny though......he still won't sit himself up. He can sit up by himself but he can't get there himself. Actually, he probably COULD, but he doesn't. Silly guy!

I am beginning to work out an issue with him as well. Since he was born I have rocked him to sleep. That is not an ideal situation for childcare so I am trying to wean him off the rocking. He is doing pretty good so far but we have a long way to go yet.

OH, and he has this AWFUL squeal! Are boys supposed to squeal? He sounds awfully girly when he does. Mom calls him sissy boy when he does it.....it really is terrible. It's his attitude scream.....when he is really peeved.

Oh, and if you were wondering, NO, he still isn't sleeping through the night. He wakes up and takes a bottle in the middle of the night. UGH! Sam slept like 10 hours at 6 weeks so this is pretty annoying. He is wearing 12 and 18 month clothes so maybe it's just because he's a big boy......though Mom says it's just habit. I tried to let him just cry himself back to sleep the other night. After 45 minutes I decided I couldn't stand it anymore. Really????? 45 minutes????? Who is that stubborn?????

Josh left Sunday morning for his annual National Sales Meeting in Connecticut. He has been super busy all week and we are really missing him. Wednesday night was their big awards banquet and my J-Dub kicked booty! I don't know if I have told you how hard Josh has worked since going into sales but this kid deserved something good, ya'll. He is incredible at his job and apparently others are noticing! God has really blessed him in this position. I truly feel that he is able to use the gifts God has blessed him with in this position and that really has made a HUGE impact on his success. I will let him give you more info on his blog when he gets home and has a chance to write. I don't know all the details yet myself so I am anxiously awaiting his arrival! He should be returning tomorrow afternoon! Can't wait! I sure do love that guy!

Well, I hope I have caught you up......I know I have probably missed a ton but I will try to keep you more up to date now that I have a computer with internet access back at home! (I will also try to get some pics up soon)

One Proud Mama

Seriously.....I don't deserve this goodness! Sam slept without a diaper last night!

The other day Mom and I were talking. I was telling her that I still couldn't buy the cheap diapers for Sam because they broke her out even though she only wore them to bed. So, she suggested I just tell Sam to go tee tee in the potty if she needed to go, rather than in her diaper. Of course I am thinking.....ya right!

Well, 2 days ago at nap time I told her that very thing and she said, "No Mommy, diaper on." I thought, OK, she's not ready, I'll just try again later, it was worth a try.

Yesterday morning she put herself down for a nap without me knowing. I went in there to check on her, saw her lying down and asked her if she wanted me to put a diaper on her. "No." (which usually means she doesn't really want to take a nap, she's just playing.) But she went to sleep and didn't tee tee in the bed!

Then, last night when we put her to bed we put a diaper on her but 5 minutes later she was screaming, "Tee tee potty" Daddy tried to tell her she had a diaper on but she wasn't having it. Daddy told her she could go, so she got up, took off her diaper and went on the potty. She went back to bed without a diaper on. I heard her get up once in the middle of the night and go! No wet bed this morning!

So, the conclusion is, she can do whatever she wants as long as it's her idea!

WOW! 28 months and NO MORE DIAPERS! God is good! (yes, I know Spencer won't be this easy!)

Donuts

Last night we had breakfast for dinner! I have been itching to try this idea for some time now. See those donuts????? They are homemade, cheap, good and SIMPLE (does it get any better?)! You know those super cheap store brand biscuits in the skinny tubes that are usually packaged 4 together? Just open up a can of those, use something round to punch out the center (I used the top to an Ozarka bottle) and fry. I just put a skillet on the stove, poured in some oil, heated it up and laid those puppies in there to fry! I did one side at a time so that I didn't have to use a ton of oil. Once they brown up just yank 'em outta there and lay them on something to soak up the grease. After you've got them all fried up, roll them around in cinnamon and sugar! THAT'S IT! YUMMY to my tummy!

(you see that pile of stuff on the counter over there? EVERY year I find stray bits of Christmas across the house after putting it all away. That is where everything has landed so that I can put it in the garage with the other stuff. Anyone else have this problem????)

80's glasses!

Not much to report from this week. I'm sure you all missed me.....I know I would have (he he)! We spent quite a bit of time at the park this week......just taking advantage of the pretty days and staying indoors on the those that aren't.

We missed Josh a ton this week......Sam had a difficult time adjusting!

I really wish I had something interesting to tell you but, I don't. Sam is funny.....what's new..... she just says some of the funniest things......I think it has a lot to do with the age!

Just had to share this picture.....thought it was pretty funny.....my little chiller!

So, I couldn't put up a post without SOMETHING worthy of checking out......I saved the best for last. (sorry for the cruddy quality.....I had to scan this one in) This is a picture of my roommate and I from New Years Eve '01(seriously.....was that REALLY 7 years ago????). The theme was 80's. I didn't want to go all out 80's but I felt like I had to have SOMETHING! My sister-in-law found these sunglasses that she wore when she was a teenager! Can you believe someone actually wore those for REAL! Karen, only you could pull that off! The picture makes me laugh every stinkin' time!

Gone

Just thought I would let you all know that Josh is leaving with the computer very early in the morning. That means no posts until he gets home......probably Friday.

We had a fun weekend! Friday night we hung out with friends......we always enjoy that......even if it takes pulling teeth to make it happen : )

Saturday we took the kids on a train ride. I would like to say it was the Tarantula but my BIL got the times mixed up and we ended up on the Vintage Train in the Stockyards. This could have been enjoyable except that we chose a day when it was 80 degrees out and there was no A/C (hence the Vintage part)......there also were no open windows. Sam and Levi had a blast riding the choo choo. Poor Spence was miserable......he is SO hot natured......we had the poor kid stripped to his diaper and he was still sweating all over (it might have something to do with the rolls that cover him)! Thankfully it was only about an hour long so we scooted out of there at lightning speed!

Today we finally all got to go to church as a family! Tommy's sermon was wonderful!

I am excited to get back into a routine this week......I have let the washing go FAR too long now! I will be playing catch up all week on that.

Spencer is SOOOO much fun right now! He just cackles......it makes my heart melt! Sam is so funny with him......she will always try to make him laugh! Sam is just hilarious! I know I have said that before and I'm sure I will say it again but she is stinkin' funny! She can say whatever she wants now......she knows so much it just baffles me! A few of the latest funnies......

Sam: Daddy, come play in my room.

Daddy: No Sam, not right now.

Sam: (with finger pointed and shaking at him) Daddy, don't tell me no!

and

Sam: (pointing to the rings on my hand) Mommy, what this?

Mommy: Rings

Sam: (to Spencer, pointing to the rings) Spencer, this called rings.

Mommy: That's right Sam, good job.

Sam: No Mommy, I talk to Spence. Spencer, this called rings.

those probably aren't near as funny written but they were F-U-N-N-Y when they happened.

Also, a few things to pray about.......

My brother is leaving for bootcamp this week......he's got 3 kiddos......one only a few weeks old.

My SIL's brother got mugged on New Year's Eve and is in pretty bad shape (broken brow bone, both cheekbones, fractured neck, chipped teeth, etc).

We are trying to sell our truck.......Josh is renting now and it will free up some money for other bills.

There is a possible job opportunity for me......no details yet but it would be full time and the kids would have to go to daycare......this is a HUGE prayer request.

HUGE praise for some burdens lifted in some family relationships! PRAISE GOD......this was ONLY by his goodness!

Love ya'll!

Forgetting to enjoy!

Have you ever anticipated anything so much so that you forget to enjoy what is going on now?

Having Josh home has been wonderful in numerous ways. Honestly, I was quite nervous at the thought of him being home for 2 1/2 weeks straight. I am all about routines and schedules so I was worried I would not be able to enjoy myself because of the sheer randomness of our days.

It has turned out to be a nice break from my rigidness. For close to 2 weeks now we have just waltzed through our days without thinking about them or preparing for them much! Some days we would be lazy all day, stay in our jammies, and enjoy family time. Other days we seemed to go, go, go. We have finished some projects that I have been wanting to finish for some time now so I am happy as well as surprised that anything productive can be done when there aren't schedules and plans.

Anyway, back to my original question....... I am so dreading Josh going back to work that it is all I have been able to think about for the last 24 hours! Isn't that just stupid! Regardless, this time with him home has been priceless and we feel blessed that his work allowed him the time off!

A good laugh

As I was searching for some simple verses to teach Samara I ran across this site. I am not one to dismiss teaching before reading and testing it against the Word. I typically find that most conservative teachings line up with what I believe so I don't let denominational titles get in my way.

There seem to be some really great biblical teachings on this site as well as some shady stuff. From what I can tell these are KJV only fundamental Baptists and they believe in things like men keeping their hair short, women wearing skirts, etc. There were a few things that caught my eye but this one I just couldn't keep to myself......

The baby should sleep all night. Early the child should be made to conform to the sleep requirements of Mom and Dad. When a child cries at night he is either hungry, dirty, stuck with a pin or sick. In every case there should be some relief available. If none of the foregoing is true, I would suggest a spanking and let the baby cry himself to sleep. If crying persists, you may want to move the child to another room out of earshot. It is essential that Mom and Dad get their proper rest.

I'm pretty sure I could read that a hundred times and get a giggle every time. It is just funny. Seriously.....does your Bible say that? I mean, I have no problem giving Sam a good smack on the hiney when she needs it, but really? an infant? The whole paragraph just seems so cruel and self serving.....and funny.......goofy funny......

this one is pretty comical too.....

The baby's crying might better be stopped with a spanking than by picking him up. If there are not tears, you can safely assume that it is self-will asserting itself. Grandparents tend to spoil babies by picking them up often. This should be discouraged.

those durn grandparents, what are we going to do with them?

The Gifts

Some of you are wondering what in the world I could have made for everyone.....so here goes it!

For the parentals I made birdseed wreaths......isn't watching birds something all old people like to do? Just kidding Mom& Dad!



My niece got a bow holder......empty, mind you. My plan was to make several bows and attach them but there wasn't time for all that.

My nephew got this cool crayon roll......the first pic is of it rolled up and ready to go and the second is in use.

My nephew also got this travel race track......little boys and their cars.



It has a small track......

A large track.......

And a place to store the cars.

He also got this "I SPY" bag. It has a bunch of little trinkets inside for them to find.....the list of everything in the bag is attached to the side.



I also made an "I SPY" bag for my niece and nephew on my side of the family for Mom to put in their stockings and made one to give at our Bible Study class party.

I painted two plates that have a verse and the kids names. These were for Josh's brother and SIL and the other for our Preschool minister and Sam's SS teacher (conveniently they happen to be married). I don't have a picture of these.....I will try to get one and post it.....I lost it in the crash.

In the midst of all this I was trying to work on our Advent garland......I also lost these pictures in the crash......and started making Jesse Tree ornaments but gave up until after the holidays.

I also made Sam a Christmas skirt......which she ended up wearing in our Christmas card pictures even though I thought it was super cheesy!

I still have so many other things I want to make but I am giving it a break while Josh is home. Aren't I sweet?

Yucko!

That's what Sam says when something is gross and that's exactly what her eyes are right now.

She woke up this morning with one eye matted shut and the other almost as bad. Really freaked Josh out. I cleaned all that goop out (though not without a fight) but it continues to come back. She looks so pitiful, eyes all red and puffy. Poor girl!

For whatever reason it seems that the sickness is worse than normal in our house this year. Just pray that she heals quickly and that she doesn't pass it on to Bub. We missed church AGAIN today! Can't wait to have everyone well for longer than a week!

Christmas

To start Christmas off we went to my parents. We actually had everyone there! That means Mom & Dad, my grandparents, all four kids and their spouses and all 9 grandkids! It gets a little crazy! Sam always enjoys herself with all the kids! This was really the first Christmas that she got excited about the presents!

Here you see her ripping into her new kitchen. She was so excited to play with it after we got it together the next day that she didn't want to take a nap!

Oh my goodness......I laughed my bohiney off over this. Apparently you can "elf yourself" and Mom "elfed" her, Dad, my Granny & Papaw, and my brother Matt. It was hilarious!


As you can see, my grandparents really got a kick out of it! I think my grandma was a tad embarrassed! (I'll see if I can post it????)

My Mom made my niece Parker a nightgown and matching nightgowns for her dolls! I remember having a matching outfit with my Cabbage Patch!!!! She also made the doll on the right....sooo cute! (Isn't my Mom hot!)



Here is the picture of all 9 grandkids with Nini & Papa.....boy was that interesting.....turned out decent, all things considered!



Here you can see Sam whipping us up some eggs in her new kitchen after we got the 8 billion pieces put together!

Christmas Eve we went over to the in-laws. We had a little visit from Santa while there! Before my Grandpa had the strokes, he was Santa at NorthEast Mall and some city functions for years.......Mom & Dad decided to put the suit to good use this year. Dad put on the suit and made the rounds! It was ton of fun!

I'm glad I didn't take the kids to see Santa this year......this was as close as Sam was getting to that jolly old man and that was only because he was handing out gifts!



Of course Little Man sat up there.

Christmas morning was ours. We just let Sam open her stocking and the couple of gifts we got for her. It was fun to let her enjoy each present as she opened it rather than rushing through them just for the sake of getting them open!

This was right after she woke up! (I'm a sucker for yawns......they are just so stinkin' cute to me!)

Just after waking up he is still all smiles!

Josh playing Sam's new harmonica.....trying to teach her!



And Sam trying it out.......she never could blow hard enough for it to make noise......she certainly tried though.

How sweet......Sam feeding her brother her fake food!

Christmas afternoon we picked up Josh's grandmother and went out to Joey's. Levi got a little electric 4 wheeler that you see Sam driving here. There is a video on Josh's blog if you are interested. Personally it is waaaayyyy too long for me but Josh thinks it is soooo cool! It is a guy, Daddy thing I guess! I have to admit it was pretty cute watching them drive around and play together though. (Levi already had the little race car he is driving)

Josh has a new extension to his arm.....you can see it here!



Sam was funny. After several times of me gasping and saying,"Oh boy" after she opened her gift, she caught on. She would do it every time she opened anything.....whether she knew what it was or not! It was quite humorous.

Spencer's spoils consisted of a new car seat, clothes, and a few toys! He seriously has everything already. The outfit Josh is holding up is his favorite!

It is pretty funny as a parent what little things make you happy. Sam got this AquaDoodle for Christmas and someone asked her to draw a circle. That is her circle you see on the bottom right corner of the mat.......isn't that awesome? I don't know if that is even good for her age but I was impressed! She has also been working on a triangle.....it isn't near as good as that circle but I'm sure it won't be long the way she is.

And there you have it my friends......697 pictures condensed for your viewing pleasure! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Stuff

I am a little frustrated right now because I had written a really long post and lost it all. I will try to get it all out again!

My computer has gone to be with Jesus! It is pretty sad. I am bummed because I lost all my pictures since Spence was born! I tried to back them up a few times unsuccessfully and now they are gone......tears.

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday celebrating our saviors birth and hanging out with family! Josh is just happy to have me back after some serious crafting. I made all of the gifts we gave this year so I have been super busy getting it all done......so busy in fact that Josh was ready to throw my crafts out the window. I am pleased that I was able to make everything this year (oh, except for the itunes gift card we got for my niece....and that was only because I messed up the case I was making her, we had to get something last minute) and I will try to post the stuff I made at some point.

I will try to catch up a bit from missing for so long but I really don't remember anything past this morning so I am just going by the pictures that I have!

I just adore this picture so I had to add it.......I wish there wasn't the shadow on the right side...oh well.

Here she got hold of a marker and went to town all over her hands, arms and face! Mom says it isn't payback until she colors all over the walls!

This is our Christmas tree. I am debating about when to take it down. I love it so. It isn't really all that pretty but I just like it sitting there glowing away......it makes me happy! (do you like our 90's excersaucer? it works just fine but it makes me laugh when I think about the colors and the pattern of the seat! I am just grateful that it was given to us.)

I painted this about 3 years ago and I absolutely LOVE it. (Can I say that?) I can't wait to get it out each year.....I feel like it really adds something special......it's like a shout out to Jesus!

Is this not the cutest picture? His new thing is to stick his fingers in his mouth and chew on them.


I LOVE this picture!

Here is my little goofus.....she was actually hammin' it up for the camera for once! (too bad she didn't have that leg down when I snapped the shot)

This is just a glimpse into the hilarity of our picture session! I knew it was going to be a joke but it HAD to be done. Here she is jumping like a frog in between Spencer's legs!

Oh yes, this is one of Sam's favorite things to do. I give her a little water in a cup and she goes to town painting our door, which is covered in chalkboard paint.

I will try to get pics of Christmas posted soon!

Dumb & Thankful

Well, I finally have my microwave back! For those of you who don't know, I have been without a microwave for over a month now. It has been interesting to say the least but doable.......gives you a little more respect for the people back in the day.

The reason I have been without is because one day the breaker blew and we couldn't figure out how to get it to work again......Josh tried another breaker & a larger breaker and neither worked. I had my Dad check into getting an electrician out here (my Dad has connections). Must have been the Lord that he wasn't able to get anyone out here!

While out to dinner with one of Josh's customers he just happened to ask if he knew anything about electricity......and he did! So we explained the problem and what we had done to try to remedy the problem and he says, "You haven't seen anything spark or anything like that?" Ummmm, yes, as a matter of fact I have.

I should have STUPID stamped across my forehead for this one.

When I went to get something out of the cabinet over the microwave I accidentally bumped the wires and noticed it spark. I really didn't think too much about it since it had happened before. (NICE!) I realize now that the next time I tried to use the microwave, the lights in the laundry room popped and then realized the breaker had been blown. I tried to turn it back on but figured out that I couldn't just flip it back on. Honestly, I didn't think this was that big of a deal because the spark had happened before and I mentioned it to Josh with no reaction. If you know Josh, he doesn't hear everything he acts like he hears. He dismissed it at the time and I did not realize it was because he wasn't actually listening!

No matter, when we got home Josh connected the wires again and put wire nuts on and everything works like a charm. Seriously.....if you like me you should be thanking God that I am still alive! I can't help it that I am a do-do and I guess He cuts me some slack because He knows it too!

I can see my Dad right now, head down shaking, saying, "Oh Reagan." This isn't the first time I have accidentally done something dangerous! Oh well! We are okay and all is well!

Check it out!

So, I guess Josh couldn't stand for me to be cooler than him so he started a blog.

Gotta say.......there are only 3 posts so far but there is some darn good stuff on there!

Go check it out if you have a chance....... www.pursuitofthesword.blogspot.com

(it won't always be ugly......i am working on an outfit for him.....which is proving to be much more difficult than designing something for a girl)