Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Hope everyone has a happy and safe halloween! I promise to post cute adorable pictures of my kiddos all dressed up, but in the mean time here is a picture of me and my big brother Shawn circa 1988

I Don't Like Candy Corn

In the spirit of Halloween and also considering that my children in fact do not like candy corn, I give you Moose A. Moose...

I vote for life...

This election season I have tried to avoid delving into the subject of politics on this blog. However, I am beginning to feel as though it would be wrong of me to ignore it completely. There are quite a few blogs that I read that discuss the election on a regular basis. This morning I found this on one of them. I thought I would post it, along with the link because it pretty much sums up how I will be voting come next week.

click on the above image to go to the original post and copy the code for this button

I'm Spoiled!

Okay, so apparently some of you thought that the picture I took of my kiddos was actually pretty good. I guess I am a little embarrassed that I complained about it. I'll admit that it wasn't horrible and that yes it could have been much worse! However, I thought I would take the time to mention that I am spoiled. Here is why...the fact of it is that I have this amazing friend Leah, who is an amazing photographer. She has been taking pictures of my kids since Reagan turned one and we have been friends ever since. This is my Christmas card picture from last year...

Isn't it awesome? I have a really big print of it that is waiting @ my mom's to get matted and framed. I can't wait till the day I can hang it on my wall. This shot only took her about 30 minutes to get and that included getting a few individual pictures of each of the kids! It was taken last year on Halloween. I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by and how much my babies have grown. I know that I will never love another picture of my kiddos as much as I love this one, it just captured each of them so perfectly! So if you are in my neck of the woods, you should check Leah out, or if you aren't close by at least head over to her blog and check out her work. You won't be sorry you did!

Is It Too Much To Ask?

So, yesterday I dressed all three kids in their "Halloween clothes" and got them ready to go to my parents to celebrate my sister Ally's birthday. Before we went I though it would be fun to get a picture of them on the front porch. I mean, I highly doubt that I will get another opportunity like this until Christmas time and I just love the whole coordinating but not "matchy-matchy" outfits. I must have taken about 20 to 25 pictures of them and this is the best one I got. No one would look at me, they kept arguing over who got to sit by who, Jack kept trying to run off. It was next to impossible to get this shot where they all managed to make eye contact with the camera! Is it too much to ask that I have one decent picture of all three of my children together? I think not! But, I guess it will have to wait for another day, because this picture is definitely not Christmas card worthy!

Not Me! Monday

It is time for another Not Me! Monday ya'll. Time to put on our big girl panties and own up to all the wonderfully embarrassing, yet funny things we did not do this week ! If you have fun reading my Not Me's! head on over to MckMama's blog and get a load of the stuff she did not do this week. Don't forget to drop her a note and say a little prayer for baby Stellan who will be making his grand entrance into the world in two days! And without further ado...

1. I did not walk away from my computer one day last week to find an entire container of parmesan cheese had been stolen out of the fridge, and then dumped on my bedroom floor. I did not then vacuum up said cheese and return to the computer, leaving the vacuum in the hallway. My children did not seize this opportunity to take off the the front of the vacuum(the part that holds all of the icky dirt, dust, and now cheese) and dump it and all of it's contents onto the floor. I did not then have to vacuum up the whole mess again!

2. I did not avoid going to the grocery store until Friday afternoon so that I wouldn't have to take the kids with me. I did not then force my husband to stay home with them explaining to him that there was no way I could handle all three kids @ the grocery on a Friday. I did not enjoy shopping without them.

3. I did not convince Chris to take his trimmers to Jacks hair because he was in desperate need of a hair cut. I did not hold his head still while he screamed all so I wouldn't have to dress him, load him in the car, and take him to the barber.

4. The electricity in my house was not off for an hour this morning. When it did not go out, I did not call the power company simply to make sure I had paid the bill. I always know exactly what bills have been paid and which ones haven't or don't need to be. I was not relieved to find out that I had paid the bill, and that a few other people had reported the power outage.

5. I was not struck by how much I depend on the television while the power was out and Jack kept bringing me the remote and screaming DORA! I do not pacify my children with cartoons in the mornings so I can blog and check other blogs. I was not anxiously awaiting the power coming back on simply so I could write my Not Me! Monday post!

A Fun Game of Tag

I was tagged by my bloggy friend Debbie. The rules are to take the fourth picture from your fourth picture folder on your computer and write about it. Then you are to tag four people to do the same. I thought this was intriguing. I wondered what it would be. Since the files on this computer only go back the length of time I have had my current camera I knew it would be a fairly recent picture. So here it is...

This picture is from Spring Break this past year. We always go to Madeira Beach with my in-laws, it makes for a great family vacation. This year especially the kids loved it! This is Kennedy making sand castles on the beach in front of the condo. Even though it wasn't very long ago she has changed so much! Look at that pony tail! Oh, how I miss her long hair! Well this was fun for me, so now I hope it is as much fun for...

1. Leah (hers should be interesting!)

2. Kam (I know she''ll have fun with this one after her walk)

3. Rebecca (because she takes amazing pictures and maybe she can analyze how much she has improved lately!)

4. Jen (who is always doing fun stuff and always documeting it!)

Happy Birthday Ally!

Amazingly enough my other little sister is turning 14 today. We may not always get along, but I hope that some day we will be not only sisters, but friends. Ally is in every way the typical teenager and I am sure to her I am just that annoying big sister who is telling what she should and shouldn't do. But you see, those teenage years are tough. I've been there and made it through to the other side and I have a different perspective. Growing up will happen fast enough on its own. Then you're out in the real world with a whole different set of responsibilities. I simply want for her to learn from my mistakes and to be able to grow into the kind of woman she wants to be. I want for her to make it to adulthood unscathed, ready to chase her dreams. I can only imagine the kind of worry I will someday have for my girls as they enter this stage of their lives. But today, I wanted to take the time to wish Ally a Happy Birthday! I hope that she will enjoy turning another year older and slow down and take it in. Trust me the years go by fast enough!

To China for Owen

So here's the deal, my bloggy friend Rebecca is adopting and she needs your help. She is a funny, caring, photographing, blogging mama of 5 and she designed this beautiful blog you're reading. I have actually meet Rebecca IRL and turns out we live about 5 miles away from each other! How weird is that? Don't answer that. So, Rebecca and her husband Andy are adopting this adorable little special needs boy from China. His name is Owen. Isn't he just sooooo adorable?! This is him holding a picture of his mommy and daddy! Too precious!

Anyway, they are getting really close to bringing him home and they need a little help to be able to do it. So she is hosting a HUGE giveaway to raise money for their travel expenses. Please go and check it out at To China for Owen. You don't have to donate to enter, but if you do it will increase your chances at winning one of the many fabulous prizes! I can't even begin to remember all of them, but here a few: a brand new Canon Rebel XSI and accessories, a Kate Spade purse, a Sony camcorder, Mommy and Me bracelets, and soooo many more! You can click on the link in my post or you can click on the one in my sidebar! Even if you just stop by to drop them a note of encouragement or to check out her awesome blog design! Good Luck Rebecca and Andy! We can't wait to see Owen home and in your arms!

Feelin' the Love

Yesterday morning as I was slaving over a hot stove making "eggs in a hole" for my first born, she walked up beside me and grabbed onto my leg. This conversation ensued...

Reagan: "Mama, I love you soooooo much!"

Me: "Oh, thanks sweetie, I love you too!"

Reagan: "You're the best mama in the whole world!"

Me: "And you're the best Reagan in the whole world!"

Reagan: "Aw, shucks."

Then she skipped away leaving a smile on my face. I ask you where does she come up with this stuff? Personally, I think she gets it from my dad. He tends to say some wonderfully funny, yet endearing things. One of my favorites is "You're a peach... rotten!" I don't know why he says it but he apparently thinks it is some sort of compliment.

Anyway, my point is that lately I have been feelin' the love. Not just from my kids, but from my new bloggy buddies as well! One of my new "friends" (Becky)even gave me another little award! Isn't it cute?

I must say I am very honored to receive it. I don't take the word love lightly. So thanks Becky! You made my day! If anyone wants a good laugh, head on over to her blog and read about her adventures in teaching! She warms my heart every time, and she reminds me so much of my best friend Shannon who moved to Cincinnati. Since I don't see Shannon as much anymore, and she hasn't caught onto the blogging craze, its good to find another kindred spirit out there!

The rules say for me to post this on my blog. Thank the person who sent it to me. Nominate 7 blogs. So without further ado, I hereby give this award to...

1. Debbie
2. Ohilda
3. Krista @ Krista's Kitchen
4. Sara
5. Jen
6. Kameron
7. Barbie

Back to Work...

Well, sort of. This morning Chris called me and was in need of an extra person to come in and work the lunch hour. In case you didn't happen to know, I should first tell you that my parents own three local Arby's restaurants and Chris is their General Manager. Right now he spends most of his time at one specific store and they are a little short on help. Seeing as how there was no school today, and there is a sub sale going on ($5 sub combos... shameless plug) he thought they would need another set of hands "behind the slicer" For those of you unable to interpret that, it means making sandwiches. Apparently he scraped the bottom of the employee barrel and decided that I should come in to help. Now I have worked in the stores off and on since I was 14, but I haven't actually been in any of the stores working since Kennedy was about 4 months old. Yet, I was curious to see whether or not I could still hack it. So, I dug my uniform out of the back of the closet, called a babysitter, and went in. It was actually quite fun! I was surprised at how much of it just came back, I guess its kind of like riding a bike. Sure there were some things I didn't know how to do, or others that I didn't know where they were but that was to be expected. All in all I survived, and was more of a help than a hindrance. I was actually proud of myself! I started thinking, "Hey, maybe I should do this more often." It would be a good way to get out of the house and it was so sweet that I got lots of hugs and kisses when I got home. The kiddos missed me even though I was only gone for 3 hours. However I did get a reality check when I took the $15 my husband paid me and handed it straight to the babysitter. Maybe going back to work isn't such a good idea after all!

Chris making Beef-n-Cheddars

Have you ever wondered what a fast food joint looks like "behind the scenes"?

The sandwich I made myself before I left... Marble Rye Bread, Swiss Cheese, Roast Beef, and Horsey Sauce. The best part about working is making up your sandwiches!