Owen and Max

This may be the only time when it is cute to see boys kissing...they'll hate me when they are older. Sorry boys, I had to!

Parker and Caedence

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!Parker and Caedy took some dancing lessons

A First

Well, as the saying goes..."boys will be boys" and I've got two. Parker was racing his bike yesterday with the neighborhood kids and crashed face first...no skid marks thank goodness its only now just been a year since he got his first stitches, but he did knock out at tooth... ugh. I'm getting queezy again just thinking about it. I'm so glad Nate was here to deal with this one. I'm not grossed out easily by blood and cuts, but man this one did me in. He was brave though, he cried a little, but took it like a man... or boy
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A little piece of lazy!

Call me lazy, but I ordered this great new gate, the "Superyard XT", to keep Maxwell from crawling or scooting rather into the kitchen... I had the thing out of the box before the UPS man was out of the driveway. Best of all I ordered it yesterday for about 20.00 less then any place else on amazon.com, and it came today w/ standard shipping! I was so impressed! Here is a picture of it. Its actually made to go into a hexagon shape like a little playpen. I'm sure we'll use it for that too its huge!! I only had to use 3 1/2 pieces for my 8 1/2 ft opening!

Last Days of Summer

We had a long weekend Nate took Friday off for our 5 year Wedding anniversary, and ended up building a shed. However, I didn't mind because we really need one and need to get it done and the garage cleaned out before winter. It'll be so nice to be able to fit both cars in the garage without having to maneuver around junk. It also means I can have a garage sale in the spring without having to ask Nate's help in cleaning the garage out.
We also went to Travellodge (formerly the Ramada Inn) on Friday night for a little hassle free getaway. The boys ended up getting a cold, which had been brewing from the week before.
Saturday was Hannah's b-day party, which she has been very vocal about waiting on so I was glad the event was finally upon us as was she.
Sunday was kinda lazy Nate worked more on the shed, and Monday we spent the afternoon at the lake and what will most likely be our last boat for the season...although I hear its gonna be a hot one this week. Here are some pictures from the weekend that I took with my new camera that Nate got me for our anniversary.

Book for Moms

Ok so the book I was talking about in the last post is called Let Me Hold You Longer by Karen Kingsbury. I really recommend it to all new Moms, but also any Mom it'll make you tear up and it'll also make you realize whats important. Best of all its a children's book so you can read it to your kids. (The title above is a link to Barnes and Noble because you can read a sample, but you can also get it at Walmart.com for cheaper)

The BIG Yellow Baby Stealer

Be warned the big yellow baby stealer will probably get your kids sooner then you think. I pushed it away as long as I possibly could, but after a week and a half Parker decided for the official first time it was going to be a whole lot more fun to ride w/ his friends to school then with his Mom. Its like starting the first day of school over again for me. I was tearful and sad as I watched my little boy get on the school bus for the first time. There is a wonderful book for Moms that doesn't talk about the typical "first time" things. I thought about it today as I watched Parker get on the bus. I would recommend it for you if your a Mom I need to figure the name out but I will include it soon.

YES! I have my hands full

I just have to vent for a moment. I was at Blockbuster today and one of the employees yet again pointed out that I have 4 children. I am SO tired of people saying statements like "are they all yours", "Wow, you're busy" , and "Boy, you have your hands full"....Do they honestly think I don't know this information. I mean I was at all the births of my children, and yes I do stay pretty busy taking care of them and have been that way, more w/each child, for the last 5 years. This is not a new concept for me. Yet, complete strangers tell me this after only seeing me for a few seconds as if I haven't figured it out yet. I am so sick of hearing it. I don't mind when people that know me say something, but geesh some people are really gutsy! Anyhow I needed to get that off my chest. Next time you see someone in public with "their hands full" offer your help not your opinion.

Summer Heat...

My husband has been holding out on me I found this family picture on our computer ... we all look pretty sweaty(and the kids are in their p.j.s), but hey it was one of those afternoons at the lake...

School Days

Well Parker (and I) made it through the first week of school. I'm exhausted and so is he...its almost like working again! Getting up early, getting the kids ready and out the door. I've never been a morning person and apparently age hasn't changed anything for me.
As for Parker...I think he takes after me. Not an early riser! He hasn't enjoyed getting up and hasn't enjoyed being at school for so long. I really hope that his feelings change. I don't want to just assume he'll get use to it. I know he will, but I don't want him to just be going. I want him to want to be going. I know that he will be much more productive if he wants to be there.
Its still pretty surreal to drive by the school and think that I have a child that goes there. Even though I have dropped him off and picked him up the last 3 days its hard to believe. It seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital, and even though I don't remember every detail of the last 5 years of his life it some how feels unfair that someone else is going to be spending so much time with my son. Its the same feelings that I had going back to work after he was born and the reason I stopped working. I'm not sure why every mother that has ever dropped off their child at school doesn't need counseling for all these emotions. Its funny because sometimes its hard to remember those "first time Mom" feelings after 4 kids, and I forget that in this case I still am a "first time Mom" ...over protective, and unsure of how to walk this new ground...

Growing Up Too Fast

Parker had his first day of school today. I was sad and happy all at the same time. He is growing up right before my eyes. I can't believe how fast the time has gone.Blake Crain and Parker
Say Cheese.....

Listening to the teacher...