Princess Lily

 Grandma Bates found this cute little dress up outfit for Lily at a yard sale. Lily loves it. She loves all kinds of dress up clothes. She loves to learn all the songs that different Princesses sing and the dance moves that goes along with the songs. She's so cute. I just love how girly she is. But there is a tomboy side to her. I guess having two older brothers will do that to you. She has a knack for finding the nastiest bugs and making them her friend. We recently discovered that we have Hobo Spiders in our garage and around our yard, and I am scared to death she is going to pick one up. When we talked to her about this she said she will squish the big spiders. (You would be amazed to see how stinkin' big these Hodo's are.) We would prefer that she avoid these all together, but we don't want her to be scared of all spiders and bugs, we just want to make sure she staying away from the dangerous ones. I love this little pink princess bug finder.

Confessions of a Slacker Mom

I thought I would do a little confessional about the kind of Mom I REALLY am.

1. Our family eats things that comes from a can or is prepackaged way to frequently. I have a saying that Adam only eats hot dogs or things that come from can. If I make it, he hates it. The funny thing is, is that I really do like to cook. But sometimes the martyr in me is crushed when there is constant complaining about what I have fixed. (Adam will ask what we are going to have for dinner and I'll say "Pork Chops with a side of bitchin' and whining." Yummo!) Adam isn't the only child that complains, but he is the worst. Plus, I'm not a short order cook, I don't make one thing for our family and another for whoever doesn't like the food. You either eat what I cook or you don't eat. I'm not McDonald's.

2. I spend a lot of time blogging/shopping/surfing on my computer. I should seriously get paid for how much time I spend on here.

3. I love to sleep in. When Todd is home, he is always the person that gets up with the kids in the morning. He always says "Think of the children." I am just not a morning person. Once I'm up I do fine, but dragging me out of bed brings out the teenager in me. I always tell Todd "Just a few more minutes."

4. I yell way to frequently and for sometimes about things that aren't that important. I feel like unless I'm screaming, my kids cannot hear the words that come out of my mouth. And I have 2 hot button moments where I feel like it's the worst. About 5 minutes before we go somewhere and the kids' bedtime. I haven't quite figured out why my anxiety is so high at these times but it is. Seriously something I need to work on.

5. My house is never spotless. I go in spurts of it being really clean, other times I don't really care if it's cluttered. As long as the floor is vacuumed and the dishes are done, who cares if there is something sticky on the counters. This has been a tough one for me to grow comfortable with. I think there is always someone who is going to think your house isn't as clean as it should be, but I am now comfortable saying "BUGGER OFF, I don't give a rats ass what you think."

6. I HATE to go grocery shopping. I just hate it. Our cupboards will be bare and the fridge will be totally empty before I go shopping. By that time, we buy out Walmart and have like 2 carts full of groceries. Plus, I have a splash of my Nana in me where I have to stock up on certain items, i.e... toilet paper, paper towels,...

7. I love to be in my nightgown. I have mentioned this before but it's one of my slacker traits. If I'm home for a while, I'm change out of my 'street' clothes and into my nightgown as soon as I can. And if I'm going to be home all day, I just don't even bother getting dressed, I'll shower and put on a clean nightgown.

So in saying all of this, I know I'm a fabulous Mom. I absolutely love and adore my babies and my husband. But there is ALWAYS room for improvement. And from one Mom to many others, don't be so hard on yourself. Imperfection is a great trait to have.

Sara's Birthday Party

 Tonight we had Sara's birthday party. We invited lots of family but not everyone was able to attend. So we ended up with Grandma Bates and Rusty and Arlene along with their babies.
 Of course Sara was absolutely adorable all night. She was all dressed up in a cute little dress that my friend Keri bought her when she was born, it finally fits-YAY! It has a little tutu around the waste. Man she looked cute walking around everywhere. Sweet little Birthday Princess.
 After a yummy dinner, we had cupcakes and ice cream and sang 'Happy Birthday' to her. She looked a little confused as to what was going on, but didn't seem to mind as she started eating her cupcake and the yummy frosting. She had it all over her face and in her hair. It was so stinkin' cute. (This is classic Adam. So silly.)
 We had given Sara her birthday presents on her actual birthday. We got her a baby, a stroller and a toy box. Grandma Bates gave her $20.00 and a headband. We also got her a few outfits and new shoes (which she REFUSES to keep on.) She had so much fun with everyone around. She just toddles around checking to see how everything is working and what everyone is doing. She is such a joy.

The Notebook

This movie is one of my favorites. It just makes me laugh and cry every time I see it. If you haven't seen it and want to see a great love story, watch it. You won't be disappointed. Plus, this is one of my all time favorite songs. It gets me every time I hear it. Enjoy!

Basement Update

Jim totally rocks. The basement is coming along.

 

 

 

 

Managing Adam and Lily's Unbirthday

 My day was crazy yet again. Adam got an award at school called a 'Managing Me' award. He received this prestigious award because of his phenomenal writing abilities. This little man can create and author some amazing stories. Usually involving a video games but still. He has always been a little MichelangAdam also. It's so cute to see your little ones get up in front of people and be recognized for their achievements. Even though he is in 1st grade. His teacher is so cute with him too. She just loves him. He's such a sweet little man. I do have to tell you a funny story about him. I was called today by the school nurse (Nurse Ellen, she was the nurse when I was in school) who said Adam wasn't feeling well and needed me come come get him. After a few moments of conversation with my little man, I decided he really was sick and
 went and picked him up. We have a rule, when you are sick and need to come home from school, you have to rest. No playing. Well, when Spencer got home from school, Adam was feeling 'better'. He and Spencer were playing around and Spencer upset Adam, well Adam was seeking revenge by pushing Spencer down the stairs. It's not a long fall, but none the less, a fall. Spencer, crying out in minimal pain, immediately screamed about what had happened. Adam's answer to this crisis, "But Mom, I didn't push him ALL the way down the stairs." To which I had to turn away from the boys and giggle, then tell Adam that pushing his brother, even a little way, down the stairs is wrong and he needed to go to his room. I know I shouldn't have giggled but man, the things he comes up with are hysterical.
 The other fabulous thing that was going on today was Lily's 'unbirthday' in Miss Holly's classroom. This is a little celebration for the kids who have summer birthdays. I got to Lil's classroom today just in time to go with the kids to get cattails. While we were there Miss Liz had the kids do the 'Hokie Pokie'. My beautiful baby girl was all smiles during this time. She tried as hard as she could to keep up on all the movements, it was so stinkin' cute. Then when the cattails were gathered, the preschool kids sang 'Happy Birthday' to Lily and she got a cupcake with a candle and got to blow the candle out. She just loved it. I sure love being their Mom. I also got to have lunch with Arlene and hang out with her for a few minutes. We have such similar views on most things, it's nice to talk to someone that's right:) It's always nice to be with her. It was such a great day.

My Home Away From Home

 As the Mommy of four B-E-AUTIFUL kids, I tend to run around a lot. This has been my home away from home the last few weeks. Spencer is in taekwondo and guitar and joining basketball in November, Adam is in taekwondo. Lily is doing tumbling and dance. Not to mention that they all go to school. So Sara and I hang out is our Suburban most days and run the kids here and there. I love being the 'soccer' Mom that runs everywhere hanging out with all the babies, watching them grow and succeed and love what they are doing. It's so cool. Plus I love my sweet ride. I Love My Job!!!!

Happy Birthday to Sara Rose

 My sweet little Sara Rose is 1 today. What the heck? It was just a year ago that she was welcomed into our family. This sweet little Angel was born at 5:00 pm on Sept. 22, 2007.
 She was 8lbs. 1 oz. and 17 inches long. That's right 17 inches. She looked like a little sausage all wrapped up like a present. She was also the smallest of all my babies. My little lightweight. She was just a precious little Princess. I remember the day well. Todd and I went down to have her early in the morning that morning. When we arrived the nurses said it would be a few minutes because they had been busy with babies all night long. When we finally got around to starting the induction process, the nurse we had was very sweet and loving. She was also very innocent and had yet to understand some phrases. She was so funny. I had requested to had an epidural BEFORE my labor was induced. (HEAVEN, I'm telling you. We watched Forrest Gump the whole day.) Anyway, the sweet nurse was lifting my bed up in preparation for the epidural, she said that I was going to join the 'Mile High' club. I thought this lady might be the religious sort and I mentioned that she might make my husband blush. She said "Why?" Then I told her what that phrase meant and she blushed and said she didn't realize that. Then she went and told her nurse friends and man, they gave her so much crap for that. Anyway, labor was so much easier than the other kids. After we had our new little Princess and settled on her name (that was a process.) Arlene brought the rest of our brood to Ogden and they fell in love with her, just like Todd and I did. Life was prefect for a
 minute. So while life was perfect for a minute, it immediately seemed to tumble in to a tumulchous year, but Sara Rose had been the most wonderful little light in all of our lives. She has been a much needed smile, hug, and even a distraction when
 we needed it the most. I love her little fuzzy redhair, her strunchie nose smiles and her infectious laugh. I love that she walks like she is drunker than a stunk. And she gets so excited to see her brothers and sister. I love that she adores her Daddy and runs to him when he gets home from work. She is a beautiful little girl and I adore her. I love you my Little Princess Peanut Butter and Mama's jelly.

Sara-In-The-Box

 Today was such a nice day outside that Spencer, Adam and Lily spent the vast majority of it out of the house. Spencer and Adam's neighborhood friend was over and they were hanging out playing some kind of imaginary game. So Sara decided to hang out IN her new 'birthday'
 toy box. We gave it to her a few days early because her toys were spilling out everywhere and I was tired of the mess. Besides, she's 1, she's not going to care. Anyway, as the day progressed, she figured out how to climb IN the toy box and hang out in there. I caught her talking to her
 baby, sweetly saying "Hi", over and over again. Man she's so stinkin' cute. It's funny to, because she loves little bald headed babies the best. She kisses and loves on them. Just like she does her Daddy. Anyway, her birthday is tomorrow and she will officially be 1. I am sad to see her getting so big but I absolutely love her and her sweet little personality, even though she's showing a little bit of that redheaded personality with a few short bits of screaming, she's still so fun. And besides, our family is used to redheaded personalities with short bits of screaming. One more won't be that big of a deal.

NKOTB take 2

So, when I was in middle school my all time favorite music was New Kids on the Block. I loved them. I really loved Donny and Jon. When they released their new album I have to admit I still love them. I know, I'm a dork. O'Yeah, Donny is still freakin' yummy! I need to attend NKOTB Anonymous meeting. Here is the confession - "Hi, my name is Melea and I still love NKOTB."

Todd The Builder

Todd has finished one of his summer projects. The playset is completed. It looks so great and our kids, along with all the neighbor kids love it. Todd totally rocks.

 

Classroom Mommy

 Today I went to help out in Adam's classroom. I was helping with the 'Reading Groups' part of the day. I feel like I was a crappy classroom Mom when Spencer was a little younger in school because I was either doing daycare or going through a serious bout of depression. I am now going to make sure I spend lots of time with the kids in their classrooms. So Adam's teacher invited me to help out and I gladly accepted. The first month of first grade is kind of 'remembering' the reading skills they learned in Kindergarten. My job was to play a game with the kids about sounds. It was so much fun to hang out with Adam and his classmates. It also gave me the chance to see which little brat has been picking on Adam. GGGRRRR!!!! Anyway, I had fun and look forward to next week.

ZOOM Wednesday

 So, most of my adult life I've been painfully aware that my teeth are in rough shape. I had braces from the time I was in 2nd grade till my freshman year of high school. During that time my dentist nor I had taken very good care of my teeth. I had several cavities in that time and since then I have had 8 root canals, all of which are in my front teeth. Plus I am missing a tooth on the bottom in the front that my former dentist 'built' a replacement for after a crown wouldn't stay in place. I have always been told how expensive it would be to fix all of my teeth issues and up until 2005 Todd and didn't have health insurance little lone, dental insurance. Unless is was an emergency or a cleaning nothing else got done. So my teeth are extremely
 yellow and seriously yucky. Plus I love coffee and Pepsi, both of which massively stain your teeth.

I have a dentist now (not to mention dental insurance) that wants to help. He wants his patients to be happy with their smiles and have healthy teeth. He is great with my kids also. So anyway, we have begun a series of dentist appointments to fix my teeth as much as they can be. After filling some tiny cavities in between my back teeth, he recommended the teeth whitening. My teeth improved 8 shades. I can't tell you how much better they look. The next step is a bridge on the bottom and a few more old fillings replaced. Hopefully soon, I can be smiling with a kick ass teeth and fill so much better about my smile.

Tumbling and Gimpiness

 Lily started tumbling today. Can you believe she is old enough to do that? She had a great time. I walked in at the end of class, just in time to see her practicing a hand stand, up against the wall. It was so cute. She just loved tumbling around and learning new things. I would like to put her in dance class soon also. She has some, lets say, interesting dance moves. It would be so nice for her to learn some routines that don't scare her Daddy and make us worry about her future. But for now the tumbling is giving her another outlet for some sweet moves and she is loving every minute of it.


Last night, some how, I totally threw my back and hips out. I don't know what I did exactly, but while I was enjoying some piece and quiet (Todd was on graveyards and the kids were sound asleep) my hips started hurting and then the pain started resonating down my leg and my knee and into my shin area. The longer a sat there, the worse the pain got. It got so bad, that I couldn't finish my movie. I decided to go to bed and just rest. When I laid down the pain got even more intense and it hurt to move. So I got back up, VERY SLOWLY, and found some pain pills left over from when I had Sara, took that, some Aleve and a full Ambien and still struggled to go to sleep, I was in so much pain. What the heck? So today, I went to see our fabulous Chiropractor and he pushed and squished me until I thought I was going to cry, but by the end of the day I was feeling a little better. The pain wasn't quite so intense and I could sit and even lay down without tears. OMG! It hurt. This has happened before but my back wasn't affected so much. It hurt to bend over and try to pick some thing, or even my littlest someone, up. Man I hope it's all better soon.

Spencer Hendrix

 Guitar lessons started up again for Spencer. He is in the intermediate class and starting to learn more complicated cords. He knows how to play the opening to 'Chasing Cars' by Snow Patrol. And be can play a mean Batman. He is doing so well with it. Every time he has a lesson he comes home and can play something new. He came home with the sheet music to 'Hey Jude'. I'm excited to watch him grow as a musician. And when he can play more than basics on an acoustic guitar, he can really rock out on an electric guitar. Whoo-Hoo!

SNL Totally Rocks

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are so very funny. Tina does a great job with her parody of Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler does a great Hillary impression. Love the accent Tina!

Past, Present, Future

20 Years Ago....
1. I was Mourning the loss of my Mom and adjusting to a new Step-Mom.
2. I tragically lost my baby cousin Amanda because of a drunk Uncle.
3. I was enjoying 7th grade and all the friendships that I developed.

10 Years Ago....
1. I had my beautiful new baby boy Spencer.
2. I was enjoying being a Mom and wife but worrying about money.
3. I had someone in my life that was sucking the life out of me.

5 Years Ago....
1. I had Spencer who was 5, Adam, who was 2, and just got pregnant with Lily and was house hunting.
2. I was just starting my Daycare and totally falling in love with all the kids and their Mom's & trying to take care of my elderly Grandmother.
3. I was developing a great relationship with Arlene (my current, non-life sucking BFF) and my close friend Keri (who is also non-life sucking.)

3 Years Ago.... (A Really Hard Year)
1. I realized how truly wonderful my husband was:)
2. I nursed my Nana through the end of her life, had a serious mental breakdown and hit the lowest point ever in my life.
3. Watched my friend Keri divorce and move a world away:(

1 Year Ago....
1. I had my beautiful baby Sara and felt a calmness within myself.
2. I lost my Dad unexpectedly and worried about my best friend's health
3. I watched my Dad's wife show her true colors and enjoyed growing closer to my brothers.

So far this year....
1. I lost Ruth and Todd's Dad, but got really close to Todd's side of the family. And admired Todd for being an amazing son, husband and father.
2. I gained a seriously close relationship with my neighbor Nicolle.
3. Watched my sweet Valerie start a new chapter in her life and my little brother Joey get married and finally be grounded.

Yesterday I.....
1. I sent Todd off to Graveyards:(
2. I had a great day hanging out with my girls.
3. I got Stood up for a lunch date:(

Today I.....
1. Have been hanging out in my nightgown. (surprise!)
2. Realized I need to LISTEN to Spencer more.
3. Cleaned until there was a sparkle.

In the next year I'll.....
1. Work more on my abandonment issues.
2. Have finished the basement.
3. Learned to control my temper;)

TGIF

 My beautiful baby girls and I have just been hanging out today. I captured some sweet pictures of them right after they got out of the bath and got dressed. They are so stinkin' cute.
 We were supposed to have a lunch date with a friend today but she was a no-show. So Lily, Sara and I hung out with the waitress, Roxy and had lunch. It was fun to just hang out with them. They were great too. Then after lunch we headed over the the big city of Lyman for our medication and movies for Pizza and Movie night. We try to do that once a weekend or so. Lily looks so overwhelmed when there is a huge selection of movies to choose from. She finally found Tarzan and I got Camp Rock for the boys and we headed home.

I have to tell you, it's funny when you live in a small town, especially the same one you grew up in, you somehow know most of the people you run into. And whenever I'm out with my girls or my boys, or all the kids for that matter, we get lots of compliments about how cute they are. You know what, I just smile and agree with them.

9/11

Wow seven years. I can't believe it. The terrorist attacks in New York, Washington Dc., and the Pennsylvania field were a defining moment in most American's lives. I remember I was just getting out of bed and Todd told me some planes had hit the Twin Towers in New York and as we were walking down the hall of our then tiny trailer, the 1st Tower fell. It was a feeling that I can't describe. Probably similar to the one most people felt. I was speechless and scared to death. I watched the news a little more and Osama Bin Ladin kept popping into my mind. When I saw him interviewed a few years earlier, I felt totally frightened by the sight of him. He ozzed evil. Anyway, as the day progressed and I watched the 2nd Tower fall, I sat there with my two little boys (Spencer was 3 and Adam was 3 months) I thought about all the families that were loosing loved ones. I truly was just overwhelmed with so many emotions. I still don't know what to say, it was just a sad and mournful day.
My heart goes out to everyone who was effected by the terrorist attacks. I'm sure that where we were and what were doing when we found out is still prominently in all of our minds.
I think Alan Jackson does a great job with this song.

Wordless Wednesday

 

2 Dancing Princesses

 So, as I have mentioned before, Lily loves Barbie movies. There is one in particular that she loves, it's called 'Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses'. The story is similar to other princess movies in the sense that there is a King that is widowed and an evil mother figure is 'helping' him with his unruly daughters and tries to take over the kingdom. Anyway, the 12 beautiful Princesses love to dance, ballet dance. Well, they dance their way into an enchanted 'kingdom' via books their dearly departed Mother had made for all of them before her passing. Of course there is a handsome man (who later becomes a Prince) that helps the Princesses, particularly the most fabulous Princess, Genevieve, in their quest to prove that the mother figure is evil. They do all of this with several dance scenes along the way. Blah, Blah, Blah. Miss Lil' has started to dance with her baby sister while humming the music  that goes along with the movie. Sara loves it for the first 10 minutes. She giggles and laughs. But after that and several crashes, along with many attempts from Lily to pick her back up, and continue with the dancing, she is done. Well, Lily isn't done dancing and poor Sara gets drug around for a few more dance moves until Mom or Dad rescue her. It's so cute to watch this little recital featuring my 2 little Princesses. Lily loves to dance (sometimes the dance moves are a little bit more mature than we would like) and I hope she continues to enjoy the Princess dreams and passes it on to Sara.

I'm a Democrat

Little Miss Helpie Helperton

 My Sweet Little Sara Rose is a Helpie Helperton. Look at her helping me put groceries away. She's such a cute baby. I just didn't even stop her from tearing everything out of the cupboard. She was just smiling and happy. And checking everything out, making sure everything was ok. It was so cute. There was stuff everywhere. And she was in the middle of it. Todd and I grabbed the camera and Sara was cheesing it up for us. She's so stinkin' cute.
 The other thing is, is Sara is walking now. NNNOOOO!!!! I realize now that I can no longer inhibit her from growing up. She is going to walk and talk whether I encourage her or set her down on her booty. She's toddling around and getting into everything. She's also been starting to realize when her Daddy walks into the room. Yesterday she was snuggling with me and being all sweet. (She inherited her Aunt Becky's hugging ability.) Todd came up stairs and started talking and suddenly Sara was squirming out of my arms and squawking. She wanted her Daddy and she wanted him now! There was no comforting her anymore. It's a bittersweet thing. He loves it though. She is definitely becoming a Daddy's girl.

Lily's First Day with Miss Holly

 My sweet little sassy Lily started preschool again with Miss Holly. She was so excited. She was up and dressed before me. I know, that's not unusual, but still she couldn't wait. Anyway, she had her cute little dress on and got her morning chores done, teeth brushed, and backpack on and she was ready. Ready before we had to take the boys to school. Which meant there was an hour of down time with her itching to go see Miss Holly. After we dropped the boys off, us girls came home and did hair and make up. (Yes, Lily loves lip gloss and I let her wear it. Someday she needs to thank Nana.) Then after all the primping was done we finally headed to school. My little Lily was ecstatic to get there. When we arrived, she found Arlene's daughter Kamryn and a whole bunch of other friends and was off doing her own thing. She was definitely ready to get back into the groove of things. She's an independent little diva and I adore her.
 Miss Holly totally rocks, she and Miss Liz are wonderful. I know my sweet little Lily is in great hands, learning lots of new, great and wonderful things with a splash of adventure on the side.