Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, from me and my little hummingbird!

What's on my Tree Wednesday?

It is finally here folks, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving! Time for my very first "What's on my Tree Wednesday"! It feel like I have been waiting forever for this day to come! While I was putting up my tree this past weekend I couldn't help but look over all of the ornaments, they are all so special to me that I had a hard time deciding which one to share first. I finally settled on this one.

This is my little family, all five of us. Well not really, it is really a dough ornament that is representative of my family. But, you get my point. Now don't get me wrong, I truly believe that Jesus is the reason for the season, but if I had to pick another reason, it would be family. Not to brag, but I do have a wonderful family! My MIL gave me this ornament the year Jack was born. Even though it is now two Christmases old it still suits us. It is still just the five of us, and barring the miracle re-growth of my fallopian tubes, it should stay that way! Plus, being that we live in northern Indiana we are HUGE Indianapolis Colts fans. So when my MIL ordered it for us, she had us all dressed in blue and white to show our support. The ornament itself came from a little company called Mistletoe Memories. They have lots of different designs to fit any one's family and they personalize for free. Maybe the other reason I like this ornament so much is because it isn't the first one of it's kind that she ever gave me. I have others too, one from the year we got married that just has Chris and I on it, and the ones she got us after each of the girls were born. I enjoy putting all of them on the tree each year and contemplating the evolution of my little family. I think personalized ornaments are really special, and that is the main reason I chose to share this one first. I wanted to share a little bit of who I am, in hopes that you all will come back and share your ornaments with me!

If you are interested in sharing some of your favorite ornaments, go ahead and write a "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post. You can grab the button code right over there on my sidebar. Please link back to me either by using the button or by linking internally within your post. Then come back here and add your name to the Mr. Linky. Copy and paste the URL of your "What's on my Tree Wednesday" post and then you're done! Then go ahead and start clicking away to visit other people and see whats on their trees too! Remember, I'll be hosting this little carnival until Epiphany, so if your tree isn't up yet, come back next week!

*UPDATED* OKAY, SO APPARENTLY MY MR. LINKY IS NOT WORKING THE WAY I EXPECTED IT TO. IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MckMAMA'S BUT IT DOES WORK. IF YOU CLICK ON YOUR'E NEXT IT WILL TAKE YOU TO ANOTHER PAGE WHERE THE LINKS SHOW UP. I'LL WORK ON IT FOR NEXT WEEK PEEPS! I'M AFRAID TO MESS WITH IT RIGHT NOW.

Sisters, Sisters, There Were Never Such Devoted Sisters...

Tonight while I was giving the girls a bath I asked Reagan who her best friend was. Her response was, "Dee Dee is my bestest friend in the whole world!" Then I asked Dee Dee who her best friend was. Surprisingly, her answer was the same, "Reagan, Reagan, Reagan!" It made me smile to know how much they really do love each other! I can only hope that this will last throughout their lives. I am not naive, I know that they will have their arguments in the future just like they do now, and I anticipate the teenage years will be especially difficult. But, I hope they will always come back to each other and that they truly will be best friends. Maybe it is just because the holidays are coming up, or maybe it is just because I am particularly fond of "White Christmas", but I started singing them this song, and of course Reagan started singing along. Any one else care to sing along?

Not Me! Monday

Oh yes folks, it is that time of the week again! I just love Mondays, I really do. What better way to get a good laugh and make yourself feel just a little more normal. Cause I tell ya, when you're couped up inside a house with three people under the age of five, you really start to doubt your own normalcy! For those of you reading, I am happy to provide you with you weekly dose of not feeling so alone in the world! So, if you didn't come from there already, head on over to MckMama's blog and read her Not Me's! Poop in the heater... Maybe my week wasn't so bad! Here are some of the things that were not so bad about it...

1. I did not spend the whole week cleaning my house, only to host my family Thanksgiving on Sunday and end the day feeling like my house was messy all over again. I did not question why I bother to clean in the first place.

2. I did not wake up at 5 a.m. to put my turkey in the oven, totally overestimating the amount of time it would take to cook. It was not done by 10, only to sit and wait for my guests to arrive at noon.

3. I did not break out my Christmas tree at midnight on Friday and decide to put it up. I most cetainly did not then become too exhausted to finish it and leave it until the next morning to decorate. I would never do that because I always finish what I start.

4. I did not blame myself for giving in to Reagan when she asked for a glass of water even though it was way past bedtime. I was not completely frustrated by the fact that it was 10 o'clock and they were not asleep yet! I did not then selfishly force both girls to sleep in the wet sheets after Reagan spilled said glass of water in their bed! UGH!

5. I did not forget in the hustle and bustle of yesterday, that Jack needed to have a nap. He did not then fall asleep hanging off of his chair after finishing his applesauce at dinner. I did not then take this picture because he was just too cute for words!

6. I did not cheat on my hubby imposed blog break and still check in on a few of my "friends" late at night. I did not realize during this break that I am tottally addicted to my blog and all of the blogs I read. I do not love Not Me! Monday and I was not dying to return just to be able to post my Not Me's!

By the way don't forget about my first "Whats on my Tree Wednesday" post, coming up in two days! Please check back in with me and join in on the carnival fun!

I'm Baaaaack!

Hello again all of my bloggy friends! I sure did miss you all! I did have a nice break even though I managed to check in with a few of you while I was suppossed to be away. I also did some catching up tonight and hope to finish reading everyone's posts tomorrow. I managed to get my house spotless in time for my family Thanksgiving, and now I feel like it is a mess again. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I also wanted to say that I found the time to put my Christmas tree up. The kids were so excited and I even let them help me hang ornaments this year! It took me an evening and the next morning to finish it becasue I started too late at night and got too tired to finish! Now that it is up, I am even more excited for "Whats on my Tree Wenesday?" Don't forget that my first post will be this Wednesday, so start planning ahead, and get those ornaments ready to share! I will see you all again tomorrow for Not Me! Monday... Lord knows I have plenty to share from this week!

Thank God for Small Miracles

I'm busted!

Last night, the hubby looked at me and said, "Just how many blogs do you read now anyway! Do you even know these people?" The fact that I couldn't even answer because I honestly don't know is not good. He made the suggestion that since I really need to get my house ready for Thanksgiving (to be hosted here on Sunday) that maybe I should take a few days off from blogging. Much as this saddens me, I know he is probably right. The problem is that even though I do not know many of you in the sense that he thinks I should, I truly feel like I do. This is my support community whether he likes it or not. So, rest assured that I will be back and if I do have a free moment I will be checking in on all of you! But I will leave you with one final story.

Yesterday, I kept Reagan home from school because she had a little bit of a fever and was acting worn down. This threw off my whole schedule and therefore I did not get nearly as much done as I had wanted to. It also meant that Jack didn't fall asleep in the car like he usually does. I found him on the floor in my bedroom, picked him up and transferred him to my bed. Of course, this made him cry and so Dee Dee laid down next to him and was trying to comfort him. I just walked away thinking "great, now he won't even get a nap!" When I returned a few minutes later, this is what I found...

Aren't they just too precious? Thank God for small miracles, like a child who gets his nap. The last thing I needed yesterday was for him to be grouchy! Until next time ya'll!

The BIG Reveal... "What's on my Tree Wednesday"

There it is guys, this is my big idea. " Whats on my Tree Wednesday!" I LOVE Christmas!!! One of my favorite things about Christmas is the tree. I love decorating it and reliving all of the memories that each of my ornaments holds. I have my favorites of course, old ones, new ones, the ones I made as a child. So, I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to take pictures of some of my favorite ornaments this year and share them on the blog. The more I thought about it, the more excited I got. Then I started thinking... what if EVERYONE could share their favorite ornaments? Now, I am no MckMama, but I was thinking... wouldn't it be fun to host a blog carnival?! So, with a little research, some input from friends, and major help from Rebecca who created the button, I think I figured out how to do it!

So, here is the plan. Beginning the Wednesday before Thanksgiving I will start sharing pictures of my favorite ornaments on our tree along with the stories behind them. I plan to keep doing this every Wednesday until Epiphany. I will attempt to put up a Mr. Linky so that anyone else who wants to can join in the fun and then come back here and add their post to the list. The button, along with the code will be in my sidebar for anyone who wants to grab it.

I really hope that everyone will be as excited as I am about this! Please consider joining in even if you can't commit to doing it every Wednesday. If you know anyone else who loves Christmas as much as I do, spread the word and invite them to participate! Happy Tree decorating!

The First Snow!

Well even though I had a very fun filled day yesterday I am too tired to write a big long post about it. In a few words, I went to Indianapolis to visit my brother Shawn, Kevin, and their new roomate Sara. Chris had a ticket for the Colts game and I went out to eat and then shopping. It was rare to be able to go somewhere and leave the kids for the WHOLE day! Thank you so much Nini and Papaw, I needed the break! We got in late last night and woke up this morning to snow! Winter is here folks, ready or not!

Not Me! Monday

Oh, how I love Mondays... and I never thought I would ever say that! But, with Not Me! Mondays to bring some fun to the beginning of the week I actually look forward to them now. So please join in the fun and head on over to MckMama's blog and read all of the other things people did not do! Here are just a few of the things I absolutely did not do last week!



1. I did not see Molly drinking water out of the toilet and then choose to ignore her. That would be totally gross. I would not rationalize that since I had recently cleaned the toilet the water was probably pretty clean.


2. I did not ignore Chris' request that I come home early from Tuesday night coffee with the girls. He did not call and tell me that Jack had had the worst poopie diaper blow out ever. I did not tell him I would be home soon, only to return an hour later.

3. I did not allow our children to stay up until one o'clock in the morning on Friday night because we were all out at a friends house and having a good time. I would never screw with their sleep schedules like that. They are small, growing children and they need their rest!

4. I did not take Molly outside to go potty one night wearing only a t-shirt and shoes. I did not then look over at the neighbor's house and see their living room lights on. I did not then realize that even though our backyard has lots of trees it is not as private as I had thought!

5. I did not go to lunch yesterday @ The Cheesecake Factory and stuff myself beyond uncomfortable. I did not consider still ordering cheesecake and just taking it home only to realize I couldn't even bear the thought of eating it.

6. I did not tease my readers by promising them a HUGE idea, only to keep them hanging on. I am not still working on it and will not be announcing it some time this week. Do not stay tuned to find out what my big idea for a Christmas themed blog carnival is!!! If you don't like Not Me! Mondays, I am sure you will not love it!

FYI yes, Molly is the dog. Sorry for the confusion!

Jack's Birthday Invitation

Even though Jack will not technically turn 2 until December 1st, I have been trying to stay on top of all of the birthday party planning. Mostly out of guilt, I want to make this year's party special. You see, last year was his first birthday and we didn't do much. I called all of our family and invited them over for pizza and cake and I bought Colts plates and napkins at the grocery store. I did not plan the BIG 1st birthday party I should have. I am trying to make up for that now. I wanted to go all out for his birthday this year and that starts with the invitation. Yes, that means not just making phone calls but actually sending an invitation in the mail. Not just any invitation either, a remarkably special photo invitation! So, I called my wonderful friend Leah, who agreed to make time in her schedule to do one for me. Even though she is super busy this time of year working on Christmas cards, she whipped this beautiful invite up for Jack...

That's right folks, we are having a Toy Story birthday party. He is obssesed with the movie and I must admit I like it too. So, when choosing a theme for his birthday it was a natural choice. When I found the party supplies at Birthday Express I was soooo excited. I ordered them and they are already here! The invitations are being printed as I write this, so now it is on to the cake!

Flashback Friday *UPDATED*

I am dealing with some bloggy writer's block today people! I think I just shared way to much information at a time with this post and now I have nothing to write about. Of course, there is this amazing idea in my head that I am just dying to share with all of you! I have run it by a few people (you know who you are) but I am just waiting for the right time to unveil it. I am an extremely impatient person, so lets just hope I can wait until it is ready. So, instead of posting my fabulous idea, I decided to do a Flashback Friday.

I must admit that I found this photo awhile back and have been looking for an excuse to share it. Does anyone have any guesses as to the circumstances of this photograph? Or as to what my big idea is? I'll come back tonight with an explanation. So get guessing! Oh, and just so there is no confusion the two have absolutely nothing to do with one another!

* Yes, folks this is me at about three years old getting my very first perm! I apparently had very thin hair and someone told my mom a perm would make it thicker. Well it must have worked because my hair is still thick today even after falling out through 3 pregnancies! Here's the other kicker, the hairdresser who did my very first perm still does my hair today. I wouldn't trust anybody else!

School Pictures

Everyone usually hates those old school pictures of themselves right? I know I have a few that are definitely not my best moments! So, I really stressed over what to do for the girls school pictures this year. What should they wear, how to do their hair, what background to pick? Then, it is all up to them and whatever crazy expression they chose to give at that particular moment. I must say that these are not too bad, they definitely could have been worse. I wish I could have accessed them on the company's website but I couldn't and I had to scan them in. What do you all think? Dee Dee is on the left and Reagan is on the right...

Way more than you ever wanted to know about me...

Unlike most people, I love tags. I think they are really fun! It is a wonderful opportunity to share random facts about yourself, and to learn about all my new bloggy friends. Yesterday I was tagged three times. Some people might find the task of posting all of this stuff daunting. Me, I am just feelin' the love!

My first tag came from two people. First was Elaine @ Matters of the Heart. She is one of my new bloggy friends and I just love her! She is always there with comment love! Plus, even though she is all the way across the country from me, I am reassured by the fact that as mothers of small children we share some of the same funny stories! She is having a giveaway for her 100th post, so go check her out! Leave her a comment to enter and don't forget to leave my name too! The second person who tagged me with this award was mc allen(Leah) @ ahhh, These are the Days of Our Lives. I cannot for the life of me remember how she found me (through Kam?) but I am oh so glad she did. Her life with four girls gives me a partial glimpse into what my future will look like! So thanks ladies! Even if the rules didn't instruct me to say you are fabulous I still would!

Speaking of rules, here they are...

1. Name 5 things you love.
2. Pass the award on to 5 blogs you love.
3. Link back to the giver's blog, and tell how fabulous they are.

1. I LOVE my family... All of them. I love my husband and my kids, and of course I love my parents and my brothers and sisters. But, I also love my husband's family. I have an amazing SIL, she is one of my best friends. Some days when we get to talking on the phone an hour has gone by without us even noticing. I was truly blessed to have married into a close knit extended family. My MIL has the most amazing relationships with her sisters and her mother. Chris' cousins seem more like extra siblings and I LOVE that my kids will get to grow up with their kids. Here are a few of them... from right to left. Chris' Grandmother Auri, his Aunt Linda, his cousin Pamela, his aunt Ana, his cousin Ana Cecilia, and his mom Lili (Nini to my kids)
   
   


2. I LOVE to shop for my kids. I hardly ever buy anything for myself anymore. I guess because kid's clothes are cuter and I just don't want to buy something for myself and admit how much weight I've gained. Three kids and fifty pounds later, I have some pretty ratty sweatshirts to show for it!


3. I LOVE Christmas time! I hate that I don't have my tree up yet, and I am searching for a radio station that is already playing Christmas music. I haven't started my shopping yet, but that's just because I haven't had time. I am in the process of recovering my house from Flu Fest 2008 and after it is finally clean again I will be putting up my tree (yes, before Thanksgiving!)


4. I LOVE Tuesday night coffee night! It is something my girlfriends and I started doing recently. Every Tuesday night around 7:30 we leave our hubbies @ home with the kiddos and meet for coffee at a local coffee house. We usually close the place down. Which means that the men are left behind to care for the children and do bedtime! It is all around good for everyone! Even if all we talk about is our kids, or Barbie's upcoming OB appointment and what the sex of the new baby will be, we still have fun. Let's face it, a little adult conversation is a necessity!
   
   
   
5. I LOVE that Blogger has a autosave function! Especially when nearly two year old boys push the power button on the computer modem when you are in the middle of typing a post you've been working on for twenty minutes. I didn't lose much, thankfully!

So that about covers my first tag, now onto the next one! Kameron over @ A Wrinkle in Time tagged me to list 15 random things about myself. I hope these are not totally boring, but I will give it a shot.

1. I was raised Catholic, but I haven't been a very good one lately. It is not that I am not a religious person, I just don't get to church as often as I should. I am trying to work on this.
2. For instance, yesterday @ MOPS our speaker shared a verse that really spoke to me. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Gal 6: 9-10 I think I am going to put it on my refrigerator.
3. I am a soap snob. I have to have the Bath and Body Works Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming stuff. I can't help it. I tried buying the cheap stuff last time I needed soap but I hated it. So yesterday, before coffee I went and bought the good stuff. Who can complain when they are 3 for $10?
4. I take my camera everywhere, I almost always have it with me. I.E. the above picture. Since I have found the beauty of the digital camera I can't help myself. I desperately want a more advanced camera, but I am stuck with my simple Kodak Easy Share.
5. However, there is the rare occasion that my camera gets away from me and finds it's way into the hands of my kiddos. They usually take a bunch of random pictures of furniture. Sometimes though, they will manage to get one good one, like this one that someone took of Jack. Nice photography skills girls!
6. I was a theater major in college. I started doing theater in high school and I was hooked! I put this part of my life on hold to get married and have babies, but I hope to embrace it again one day.
7. I use the T.V. as a babysitter. Yes, I am guilty. I know I shouldn't do it, but sometimes you just have to do the dishes in the sink or fold laundry. If I left the kiddos to their own devices to play I would only return to a room full of mess. Therefore the T.V. makes my life easier and I have learned to accept that I am not the perfect parent.
8. My house is never as clean as I would like it to be. Even if I spent the whole day cleaning. If you showed up on my doorstep the first thing I would say after hello would be "please, excuse the mess. I have little kids."
9. I met my husband when I was about 7. He was probably 11. Our moms were really good friends and when we started dating they didn't like it. They were worried we would eventually break-up and ruin their friendship. We got married and their relationship changed, they are not as close as they used to be and I am sorry for that.
10. I was only 17 when Chris and I started dating. I was 2 weeks away from graduation and he was home from college living with his mom and dad. We had a whirlwind summer. He never went back to school and I changed my plans and went to college 20 minutes away. What can I say, when you know, you just know. We got engaged that Thanksgiving.
11. I was a young bride (19) and a young mom (22) but I managed to graduate from Manchester College in 5 years all while getting married, having Reagan, and carrying Kennedy in my pregnant belly that last semester.
12. I love taking pictures of my kids sleeping. My camera is filled with them. I especially enjoy taking ones of Dee Dee sleeping because her eyelashes are just to die for! Here is one I took yesterday when she fell asleep on the coffee table. She is her father's daughter and can sleep anywhere! Don't you just love the crayons in her pocket!
13. One of my favorite things about fall is apple cider. I can't even begin to count how many gallons of it I have bought this year, and I am the only one in the house who drinks it!
14. I also really like egg nog at Christmas time. I don't even have to add the alcohol, but I sometimes do. What can I say food and drink bring the seasons alive!
15. I really enjoy blogging. I love my blog and I can't believe I am not sick of my design yet, but I'm not! I also love reading other people's blogs and finding new friends. I feel like I have finally found a network of women I can belong to, and to all of you who are reading I thank you for that.

I have chosen not to tag anyone in return for this time around. It was a lot of work, and though I enjoy sharing I don't want to burden anyone else with having to write that much. Kameron, as for the 5 things tag... I did that one not too long ago and I am just going to pass on it today. I was planning on doing it but I've been at the computer for an hour already and my children really do need some adult supervision!

Flu Fotos

Here are some of the pictures I snapped this past week....