M.E.

So what does M.E. stand for…well it stands of Mommy’s Exhausted. Chandler is sick. Kaitlyn is sick. My laundry is there, dishes are there, and everything else that I am doing! Thankfully God new I was going to have a long day today…and I must say that he has given me extra patience. But I am just physically tired. Me and Tony are getting away on November 9th and 10th with some friends…and I am so looking forward to that. Just to be without my precious darlings for 2 days. I love them to pieces but it is time to recharge!!!

At the doctors office today, I had my water sitting on the chair, and I told Chandler quite moving around or the drink is going to fall. So the drink falls and goes everywhere. I got get paper towels and bend over to pick it all up and Chandler and Benjamin start singing “I see mommies underwear” I said, “boys shhhhh everyone can here you” They just got louder and louder and were laughing and thought it was so funny. I did not think it was so funny since everyone at that point was looking at my rear end to see if they could see my underwear. Or that is how it felt anyways.

Tonight is boot camp. I am so addicted to this. It hurts like crazy, but I always feel so good when I am done. If anyone is interested in seeing what I do you can go to: www.jaysbootcamp.com or just watch the show “I wanna Look Like a High School Cheerleader Again”. We do a lot of the same workouts!

Just call me G.I Jane

That is what I felt like at boot camp last night. We did our mile. Well I did half a mile cause it felt like someone was stabbing my chins with knives. I just could not do it. Then we warmed up and then he said to go get in groups of three with your log. LOG??? Did I hear you right??? Oh yes indeed I did. I am guessing it weighed 20 pounds. We ran around all over the place with this on our shoulders. We would stop every so often and do an exercise with our log. Exhausted would be a great word for how I felt when I was done. And boy did I sleep so good last night. Since starting boot camp I sleep like a baby. Now if I could only get more water down me. I really hate water. Dont know why, I just do. I have a pretty cup that I do like to put water in. It kind of helps me to drink it. I know, I know…so ridiculous, but you have to do whatever it takes right!?

Tonight I am having a Mary Kay party. That should be fun. I need to run to the store in a bit and get some appetizer stuff. We are home today…just cleaning and hanging out. It feels so good to just be home and relax. And I get to lay Kaitlyn and Ben down for there nap. Which I miss doing, since I am working.

Okay my little monkey is singing at the top of his lungs for me to come and watch Blues Clues with him.

Another boot camp done…

Well I got another boot camp day done, and it was so painful. At one point I thought my heart was going to pop right out. And my legs just hurt from all the running. But I know it is so good for me. So I continue doing it. One of my friends from work will be coming with me on Saturday. So that will be fun. You really have to keep your eyes on the goal of what you want when you do this because it is easy to loose that. It is a good discipline for me though.

Tony is taking my eldest out for a surprise night of fun tonight. They are going to go to the studio movie grill and watch a movie. I know he will be so excited when he finds out he is going out with dad. As for me I plan on putting the other kids to bed early so that I can have some mommie time. Which means silence. I know one day I will look back and miss that (maybe I will), but for now every so often I have to recharge my batteries with silence.

For Thanksgiving we are going to take the family to Mexico on mini missions outreach. We were going to be visiting and orphanage but it has just shut down. And the other one does not need help right now. So we found a family that we will be ministering to. We will be bringing them each a new outfit and new shoes, jacket and a toy if it is a child. There are 5 children and 8 adults that live in this home. They lost what they had due to the river over flooding. We will be buying them groceries when we get across the border and having dinner with there whole family. I am really excited about it all. My school where I work is getting behind this and the classrooms will be helping with donations. So if you pray, pray cause I want this to be a very special thing for this family. The city we are going to is not one of the safest ones. So it is still up in the air if all our kids will go with us. I am still thinking about it with Tony. And you might be wondering what is there to think about, well I still really have the mentality of an MK…which means even though it is not the safest I think they will be fine. But I dont want to risk anything either. See I just don’t know. I think I will leave the final decision to Tony.

Life is just good right now. When I think about the problems that some people have…I have it made in the shade. I am thankful for blessed days. I am thankful for each of my kids. I am thankful for my most amazing husband, who I absolutely adore. I have some wonderful friends…you know who you are. God has been so good to me. And I dont deserve any of it. Yet I am so thankful that he has entrusted me with what I have. He is good!

Enjoy the pictures!

I hurt everywhere

Oh my gosh, I have never hurt so badly. It hurts to cough, walk up stairs! It is so bad. But I know that I will get better the more I do this. So that is what I keep telling myself. I am really having to self motivate. I mean really self motivate:) And I find myself a bit more cautious as to what I want to put in my mouth, cause if I eat too much or gain any more weight I will have to haul that around too!!! You know what I mean. I have one more day off before I go back for another gut wrenching workout!

Funny Story:

Tonight at the mall, Chandler and Ben were talking to this lady who had her dog in a stroller, special blankie, special stuffed animal, all dressed in clothes, special water bottle for the dog. And Chandler asked her why her dog was dressed, and the lady told him that the weather is getting cold and the doggie needs extra warmth. At this point I started to think to myself I wonder what funny thing he is going to say to this poor lady who has way too much time on her hands to be treating a dog like a human. Dont get me wrong I love dogs, I love spoiling my dog, but there is a limit. So he says to her, “My mommy says it is stupid for dogs to wear clothes” I was so embarrassed, I had to turn and walk a bit away because I am sure that I was all shades of red!

Tomorrow the kids have a pumpkin patch at school. Ben is going to dress up as Dash. I am sure he will be so cute. I will post some pictures once I get them.

The other night Tony had to work late, I did not want to cook, and was just tired. So we went to Macaroni Grill. We sat outside to eat…you know just in case they decided to be loud. They all did great. And the couple next to us (probably 50’s), said “Wow your kids are so well behaved, we have not seen that in a long time. How do you do it?” I said, “lots of prayer” The couple laughed and we all went our separate ways and got in the car. And the fighting began as to where each one would sit. It was nice while it lasted! I think God does that to encourage me that I am doing good, and then humbles me to my knees to remind me to keep praying!!!

Well another day is done. And a new once begins way to soon. I was sitting today watching my kids play. Just trying to cherish the moments that I have. They are growing up before my eyes. They are so full of life and laughter, and joy. I love each one so much. They are each so unique, and I can see how God could use each one of them. Of course I know they will begin to develop there own dreams for what they want to become, and I hope that I will have instilled in them a sense to listen for God’s still soft voice. To hear what He would want as well. Today is one of those days where I feel like, wow I am doing a pretty good job raising these kids with my husband. And then there are the days, like any other real mom out there, where I am pulling my hair out wondering where they learned that behavior from. Seriously, where do these kids learn some of this stuff from?? Like the whine that Kaitlyn has developed. Where in the world did that come from. Do all girls do this? How do you break it? And if I ignore it, she will squint through her eyes to see if I am looking at her. It is the funniest thing ever.

Boot Camp

Okay so when I signed up for this, I thought, Piece of cake. A mile run…no problem. Sit- ups…I pick up kids all day that should be easy. OH MY WORD!!!! I am so sore. I hurt. And it is only day one. It was intense. A good intense, but oh my word. I can not imagine what I will feel like in the morning. But this is going to get me to my goals, so i am excited about that. My goal, beside loosing weight. Is to wear a nice cute dress on a hot date with my husband. Yep, you heard me right. Get all dressed up, and go to a really nice restaurant. Okay, I am so beat. So if anyone else out there is trying to loose weight. DONT give up, keep going.

Inspirational Story

Okay my friend, who’s son has cancer, sent me this story. It is about 7 minutes long. If you have the time to sit and watch it, I would encourage you to do so. It is amazing. What dedication this father has to his son and family.

This weekend I got my bathroom all textured. I am going to paint it this week. This afternoon we bought new light fixtures for it. I cant wait to get them up and get the mirrors back up to see what it will all look like. And then I thought about taking a nice bubble bath in my new bathroom, but if you have kids, you know that is not very relaxing when the kids are awake, because they bang on the door, mom I need something, or mom I just need to tell you one thing, or mom I left something in the bathroom. So maybe, just maybe once the kids are all asleep I might get to do that.

Today we were on our way to a 5k for Tony’s work. We were late number one, then we had to get gas, we got there, could not find anyone. We drove around for about an hour looking for them. Then the kids all started complaining about being hungry. So we met my sister and new husband at Panera for lunch. Then they hung out at our house for the night. They got there laundry all done and we had yummy enchiladas for dinner.

This morning it was nice and crisp outside. Fall is here. I am so excited. I bought the ingredients to make my pumpkin muffins and applesauce muffins. That with a nice cup of coffee in the morning. What a great way to start the day. Okay I am off to finish up the laundry before my week starts. Tomorrow I start boot camp….I am going to be soooo sore.

Funny Bean Story…

One day I met a sweet gentleman and fell in love. When it became
> >apparent that we would marry, I made the supreme sacrifice and gave up
> >beans.
> >
> > Some months later, on my birthday, my car broke down on the way home
> >from work. Since I lived in the countryside I called my husband and told
> >him that I would be late because I had to walk home. On my way, I passed by
> >a small diner and the odor of baked beans was more than I could stand.
> >
> > With miles to walk, I figured that I would walk off any ill effects by
> >the time I reached home, so I stopped at the diner and before I knew it, I
> >had consumed three large orders of baked beans. All the way home, I made
> >sure that I released all the gas.
> >
> > Upon my arrival, my husband seemed excited to see me and exclaimed
> >delightedly: “Darling I have a surprise for dinner tonight.”
> >
> > He then blindfolded me and led me to my chair at the dinner table. I
> >took a seat and just as he was about to remove my blindfold, the telephone
> >rang. He made me promise not to touch the blindfold until he returned and
> >went to answer the call. The baked beans I had consumed were still
> >affecting me and the pressure was becoming most unbearable, so while my
> >husband was out of the room I seized the opportunity, shifted my weight to
> >one leg and let one go. It was not only loud, but it smelled like a
> >fertilizer truck running over a skunk in front of a pulpwood mill.
> >
> > I took my napkin from my lap and fanned the air around me vigorously.
> >Then, shifting to the other cheek, I ripped off three more. The stink was
> >worse than cooked cabbage. Keeping my ears carefully tuned to the
> >conversation in the other room, I went on like this for another few
> >minutes. The pleasure was indescribable.
> >
> > When eventually the telephone farewells signaled the end of my freedom,
> >I quickly fanned the air a few more times with my napkin, placed it on my
> >lap and folded my hands back on it feeling very relieved and pleased with
> >myself.
> >
> > My face must have been the picture of innocence when my husband
> >returned, apologizing for taking so long. He asked me if I had peeked
> >through the blindfold, and I assured him I had not. At this point, he
> >removed the blindfold, and twelve dinner guests seated around the table
> >chorused: “Happy Birthday!”
> >
> > I fainted!

Wedding Pictures

Me and my honey. He is so handsome. And I am so lucky to have such a wonderful man!!!!! I am so blessed.

There is always a special bond between sisters…no matter what happens.

The Bride…

Ben trying to get a drink:

Princess of quite alot:

so cool…

Brothers..

Somewhere in Arkansas…

All BOY….

We are back..

It feels so good to be home. We had a pretty good time at the wedding. It was stressful at some points. But the actual ceremony went great and my sister was beautiful. I have so many pictures to put up. Tonight when I get home I am going to pick out my favorite 10 and put them up.

The trip home was long, cause we went home through arkansas. We stopped at a few rivers to let the kids play, a mine field and they got to pick out crystals, an army tank display, dinner in Hot Springs, we stopped at the Nimrod Dam, and a really cool look out tower that we all got to climb. So we had fun coming home, but it was really long. We got in around 2:30 am and we left around 10:30 according to my husbands time!

I got to see my best friend from High School, Nina. Which was so wonderful. It was like we picked up where we left off. Love those kind of friendships. Got to see my dear friend Ruth. She helped me with Kaitlyn the day before the wedding. I think I am going to make a trip up there to just see her, and not tell my family that I am coming. If I tell them, then we get going in so many different directions. Dont get me wrong I love them, but then I dont get to see just friends very much.

Bachelorette party for my sister was so much fun. We laughed so much. I think I will just leave it at that, cause I don’t want to embarrass her. Okay so if you read my blog, check back for some cool pictures. Speaking of cool pictures. Tony has been encouraging me to take a photography class, and I am going to. It starts Jan 10th. I am pretty excited about it. We talked about some different ideas on the way home with what I could do with that. I have a really cool idea to offer some free photography to single moms and there kids. I have a real heart for single moms. The idea to start my own photography business crossed my mind as well. We will see…who knows what the future holds.

5&6

So I am not going to keep telling the world how wonderful I am doing on my diet. WOW this is so great. I can not believe I have made it this far. But I dont want to bore people that come to my site. I am doing really good. But I am sure at the wedding it will go belly up on me. But I will get back on track the Monday after. Once I loose all this blessed weight I will post my before and after pictures. And then send my story in to Oprah about how the South Beach diet helped me so much…Just kidding.

So we leave tomorrow. Have I packed..no. Done laundry..NO. Dishes…that is a negative. Do I work tomorrow…yes, because I want to! So we leave at 5 pm tomorrow. And I have to get all that done…hhhmmm…not going to happen. Dishes, yes, but all my laundry no. blah. Chores of a mom never end no matter how caught up you get! I was reading on the Fly Lady that you should pick up for at least 30 minutes everyday and then it is easier. I am trying that and we will see how well it works.

My sister is going to be so beautiful. I cant wait to post pictures, of course with me blotted out, since my dress looks…um stupid on me. Shows off all that love around the arms. You know the arm fat that sticks out when your top is too tight. Okay so it is not that bad, but still it is not flattering to me at all.

I was sitting earlier on the couch watching Kaitlyn walk around and the boys run around. Just looking at all my “stuff”, I really am blessed. I have a wonderful husband. 4 awesome kids, who sometimes drive me a bit nuts. A beautiful home. Nice car. Good friends. Awesome family. 8-9 years ago, when I was really struggling, I would have never dreamed that I would be where I am today. That is the awesomeness of God. Taking us from our desperate situations…all the way out, and planting our feet on solid ground. He truly amazes me everyday, with just the little things. He is so beyond Wow. My mind just cant even wrap itself all the way around it all. I know that I am so very thankful for him and what he has done in me. And I know that I am at just the beginning of what is to come. And being the impatient person that I am, I want to know it all NOW. Unfortunately, that is not the way it works.

Alrighty, then it is 11 PM. I need sleep. Or better yet a vacation to Hawaii with my love!!!