Random Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts on a Tuesday afternoon.

Last night before bed, Jason ran the dishwasher. This morning, Jack ran the same load of dishes twice!

I think that I am finished shopping for the kids' Christmas presents. To say that I am excited, would be quite the understatement. I've been buying a little bit at a time for the past few months!

For some reason, I really want a paper shredder and a fire safe.

I stayed up until 12:30 last night finishing up a book. I love reading when I can find the time!

Jack's cuspid teeth came in. He got all 4 within two weeks!

I'm loving this! I have gone Black Friday shopping for the past 3 years. I am thrilled about the deals to be had! Should be a fun one this year! (This past Saturday, I ventured into Kohl's. For the past two weekends, they have been having an awesome sale. Kohl's is the best place to buy toys when they are 50% off. I have yet to find Fisher Price toys in Walmart or Target as low as the Kohl's 50% off sale. Saturday, I scored big by finishing up Jackson's Christmas with a couple of Elmo toys. They were 55% off! The Black Friday sale is only 50% off! I just love saving money!!!)

Anyone else loving Chuck this season?

I plan on decorating the house for Christmas this week. Anyone want to take a guess as to how many times our little guy will bring down the tree?

Jason and I watched the Titan's play the Jets this past Sunday. We were joined by our good friends Lane and Kristen. We all had the best time together (even though our Titan's lost).

Sleeping Buddies

When I was pregnant with Joshua and Abby Kate, Joshua was on my left side in my ribs and Abby Kate occupied my right side. She was quite the mover and I could often feel her bottom on my right side. She loved snuggling right up next to Joshua.

During the first five months, we kept Joshua and Abby Kate in the same crib. We would always find them sleeping the same way. Both babies were placed on opposite ends of the bed and when we would go in to get them up, Abby Kate was always turned in to Joshua. I tend to think that this is how they snuggled up in my belly. They always snuggled together and it just melted my heart.


This past weekend, we spent some time up in Lebanon visiting my parents and celebrating an early Thanksgiving with Jason's family. One night before I headed off to bed, I peeked my head into the bedroom that Joshua and Abby Kate were sharing. I didn't quite know what do when I saw these two snuggled up together. My mind was flooded with so many memories of those first months with the twins. They definitely have such a special and unique bond.

Oops, looks like I woke someone up! :)

Who Knows Me Best?

**Updated**

After two years of blogging, I wanted to see how well you all know me. Just leave me a comment with your answers and the winner will be rewarded a $5 gift card to Starbucks. I will post my answers Sunday night, where the winner will be announced. In the event of a tie, the person that answers correctly first, will win. Have fun!

*Jason is not allowed to play*

1. What color are my eyes? Blue

2. How many siblings do I have? One

3. What was the first car I owned? Ford Mustang

4. What college did I attend during my first semester? Freed Hardeman University

5. How long did it take me to complete my degree? 3 1/2 years

6. Where did Jason and I live during our first 3 years of marriage? Kingsport, TN

7. What instrument did I play in the eighth grade band? French Horn

8. What part do I sing? Soprano

9. What baseball team do I root for? St. Louis Cardinals

10. What college did I graduate from? Lipscomb University

11. What cause do I support the most? The March of Dimes

12. What is my favorite holiday drink from Starbucks? Tall Peppermint Mocha

13. Where did Jason and I honeymoon? San Diego

14. What character did I play in The Wizard of Oz? Glenda, The Good Witch

15. What is my favorite restaurant? Olive Garden

16. What did I do before having babies? Taught 3rd Grade

17. Where is my dream vacation? England

*Now this is where I need some help! Lane and Lucy answered most of these correctly. I want to be fair in this little game.

Lane got everything right except questions #5 (should I really make that 1/2 of a year count), #15 (technically if we are talking fast food, he got it right!), and #17 (no clue).

Lucy got everything right except questions #1 (my eyes are blue, but she might see blue-ish gray), #12 (she said that she cheated, should I let her off the hook because she admitted openly that she cheated?), and #13 (technically we did have a lay over in Las Vegas on our way to San Diego).

They both gave very detailed answers!

I need your help in judging. I could just post a tie breaker question, but I don't know what that would be. Also, I said that the first person to answer the most questions right would be the winner. I'm really torn here, so I need your help (I feel a little bit like Dora by saying that).

Need I Say More...

Spilled Milk and Broken Glass

I don't know what has come over my children this past week. Every day of this past week, we have had someone knock over a glass of milk. I don't get it! My kids have been out of sippy cups for well over a year now and we have had maybe 5 milk spills since. But not this week! No, this week, we have spilled so many cups of milk that it makes me want to go back to the sippy cups! I'm getting tired of cleaning up the milk spills.

I also have a toddler that is "busy"! I'm constantly cleaning up some kind of a mess. I don't even have to begin to tell you all what he has gotten himself into these past few months! Well, the child now has a desire to break all things sentimental. He has broken vases by throwing them on the tile floor. The other afternoon I was getting out some of my old figurines from when I was a child and he immediately picked up one and threw it down on the carpet (in turn, hitting the computer chair). My doll figurine that I have had since I was 7, was broken in half. Just awhile ago, I decided to clean the kid's bathroom (only taking 5 minutes). I come out to find one of my glass goblets to my fine china broken into tiny pieces! I am exhausted and frustrated! I remember Joshua and Abby Kate going through this same stage, but not to this extent! I am with him 24/7, but I just can't keep up! HELP!!!

Say Cheese!

Jesus Is All There Is

For the past several months, our church has been focusing on being a Contagious Christian. We have all taken a closer look in our worship services and our Sunday School classes at what it means to be more outreach-minded. In our class last week, we looked at the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. We talked about the dramatic, 180-degree turnarounds like hers that are in the Gospels, people whose lives were going one way, then they met Jesus and things were completely different. I started thinking, that's not me. I grew up in the church. I don't have a dramatic conversion story. Honestly, I can't remember a time in my life when God wasn't a part of my life. And His presence in my life has made all the difference for me.

I went into premature labor with the twins at 20 weeks. I was placed on bed rest and given Brethine to stop the contractions. With much prayer and obedience to the doctor's orders, I made it to 33 weeks. On July 6, 2004, our doctor told us it was time. Jason and I headed up to the hospital after picking up a few things from our house. We were greeted by family and church friends up at the hospital. Finally around 10:30 pm, I was told that I was the next one in line for my section. Unfortunately, a mother who was much earlier in her pregnancy was rushed into the operating room for an emergency C-Section. At the time, I did not know the young mother, but in the days and weeks to come, our paths would cross.

When you have a premature baby, the neonatologists will be very straight forward in their prognosis with the parents. At first, you are a mere spectator. You are told when you can and when you can't hold or even touch your baby. You are not allowed to open the isolet doors and feel your baby. You are scared silly by all of the monitors, IVs, feeding tubes, and the loud alarm systems that ring when a baby's oxygen or sat. levels drop. You are simply overwhelmed by it all. You can't just walk in and hold your baby. You have to be "allowed access". There are times during the day when you (as the parent) are not even allowed to see your baby. You don't know if you can change your baby's diaper, give them back their pacy, change their clothes, hold them, or feed them. Having a baby in the NICU is extremely frightening. Several babies don't make it. Several parents have to leave that hospital without their baby.

For me, the days and weeks that our babies spent in the NICU were some of the most difficult days of my life. Sure, people will try to make you feel better by telling you that you can have time to prepare yourself for them coming home. Or that they will get on this awesome schedule and that you won't have to "train" them yourselves. Or that you can get a trial run (without them) or that you can catch up on your sleep. I know that people are only trying to help you out in that time, but those kind of comments don't help. Having a baby in the NICU is one of the scariest and hardest times a new mother or father will face.

One thing that Jason and I kept telling each other while our babies were in the hospital was that we could not make it through something like that without our faith. How do non-Christians go through something as traumatic as the NICU without a relationship with God the Father? During those difficult days, it was our faith and trust in God that helped us get through.

One night in the NICU, Jason was reading to Joshua from the little Bible that our Children's Ministry gives to all the newborns. It's one of those King James New Testaments that also has the Psalms and Proverbs in it. He came across a verse that became our prayer in that month Joshua was in the NICU. Psalm 138:8, "Forsake not the works of thine own hands." Our prayer over and over was that God would not forsake these precious little babies He made with His own hands. And that prayer brought us so much comfort.

One night while driving home from the hospital around 11:00pm, Jason and I saw a couple walking on the sidewalk a block or so from the hospital. This was the couple that had their baby prematurely just a few hours before ours. While our children were in the NICU, we had seen this couple nearly every day, in the elevator, in the hallway, standing over their baby's isolet. That night, they were walking away from the hospital and down Governor's Drive toward the Parkway. It was late and no one else was out on the streets that night but us. As Jason and I approached them, the young mother turned towards us and attempted to jump off onto the road in front of our moving vehicle. The man that was with her grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back up onto the sidewalk just before Jason slammed on the brakes. She burst into tears in his arms and they started walking back the opposite direction.

I don't know if this couple had any kind of religious faith or not. And I don't know what was going through that young mother's mind at that moment. But as she was standing there after being pulled back to the sidewalk, I looked at her and you could just see the pain in her face, in her eyes. She looked like she had no hope. And here we were, Jason and I, going through the exact same thing. And we know the only way we were able to make it through was with Jesus on our side.

I know we all have our own stories to tell and our own struggles. I'm sure many of you have been through difficult circumstances, too. But in the midst of those trying times, let's not forget that with Jesus on our side, there's never any reason for us to lose hope.

Because in the end, Jesus is all there is.

Fun With Food

I am entering this picture into the "Fun With Food" photo contest over at 5 Minutes For Mom. Hopefully this picture will win me $500 in grocery money!

Abby Kate's First Birthday

This has always been one of my favorite pictures of our little girl!
She absolutely LOVED her birthday cake!

I'll Always Be A FORD Girl

In 1957, my grandfather started work at the Ford Motor Company. 19 years later, my daddy began his work out at the Ford Motor Company. My grandfather worked 40 years for Ford and retired in 1997. In a very real way, Ford has taken care of our family. I was taught growing up that we only drive Fords. I remember the day that Jason pulled into my driveway to pick me up for a date in his Honda Accord and the look on my daddy's face. After a few months of marriage, Jason's Honda was traded in for his Ford Ranger. Since turning 16, I have had a Mustang, a Contour, a Taurus, and now, we currently own a Freestar MiniVan. I really don't see myself ever purchasing anything but a Ford. I was brought up to appreciate the hard work that Americans put into making their vehicles.

The other night before Bunko, I was making dinner for Jason and the kids, while watching the NBC Nightly News. The leading story was about the bailout for the Big 3 Automakers here in Amercia. I was saddened to hear of the potential job losses if these Big 3 go under. You see, to me, this is the company that has supported and provided for my family. There will be millions of job losses if these companies go under. Everything that my daddy has worked for since 1976 could be lost!

For me, this is personal. And that is why, I'll always be a FORD girl!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Spuds

This weekend I talked with my Mom and Mimi about our Thanksgiving Meal. I can't wait for our meal together with family! If your family is like mine, you will eat the turkey and ham and then you will feast upon side dish after side dish. I don't know if I like the turkey or the side dishes more.

We all have our favorites. My dad loves the dressing and the sweet potatoes. My mom's favorite dish is the dressing. My brother's favorite dish is the turkey and dressing. My DayDon loves the sweet potatoes. Mimi's favorite dish is the dressing. Jason loves the turkey and dressing. And, I love the green beans, sweet potatoes, and dressing. Even though we all have our favorites, there are other side dishes that we each request year after year.

After looking at our list, we all realized that we were wanting to have some spuds. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cowboy potatoes and potato salad! That's a lot of potatoes!!!

My brother introduced us all to his cowboy potatoes last year and we all loved them. They are back by popular demand this year! Thanksgiving is not complete without my mom's sweet potatoes! They are Jason's favorite dish that my mom fixes. And I love potato salad. All the time!

After thinking about all of the starches, I decided to back down on my request of potato salad. We are also going to let the mashed potatoes go. We now have two potato dishes - sweet and cowboy! But this only happened after I traded in the potato salad for my mom's deviled eggs!

Inquiry For You

I have some questions for all of you blogging buddies out there. This week has been pretty normal around here. I don't want to bore you with all of the stories about the bills, laundry, dishes, meals, poop, snot, telephone calls, and spilled bottles of water (all over the kitchen tiles)!

Instead, I want to hear from you!

1. What was your last CD or iTunes purchase?

2. What is your favorite dish at Thanksgiving?

3. What was the last movie that you went to see in the movie theaters?

4. What's for dinner?

5. What is your spouse's favorite meal that you fix for them?

6. What was the last show that you watched?

7. What is one item on your Christmas wish-list?

8. How far away is your childhood home?

9. What year in elementary school was your favorite?

10. Facebook?

I Know You Are

When I picked up the kids from school today, I learned that Joshua did not put forth his best effort. As I was buckling him up I started in with the, "You know Joshua, I am very disappointed in the way that you acted today" talk. He looked right up at me in my eyes and said, "Yeah, mom, I know that you are."

I pray that as I discipline and teach my children, that I will do so with a heart of love. My children are so precious and I want to treasure each and every minute. I am thankful for the conversation that I was able to have with my son today. May God bless us as all as we teach and discipline our children in the spirit of love.

Photographing Abby Kate

The other day, Abby Kate and I headed outside for some pictures. She was the one that requested a "photo shoot", so like any photography lover, I indulged her requests. Here are some pictures from our shoot.

Just A Sampling...

...Of What Jack Loves!

playing in the toilet

dumping out a bag full of cereal onto the floor

turning the bathtub faucet out onto the tile floor and then turning on the water

throwing the keys in the toilet

dragging everything out of the pantry
(just fixed this with a child proof lock)

climbing on top of the kitchen table and walking around on it

taking my bottle of windex and throwing it into the toilet

eating my chapstick

pulling out all of the toilet paper

taking out all of the tupperware from the kitchen drawer

pulling our little table over on top of himself

have i mentioned, playing in the toilet

making messes

bringing me the sweeper when he makes a mess

flushing the toilet

biting the tops off of the spray bottles and putting them in his mouth

banging everything with his play hammer

dumping out a bag full of chips onto the floor

whacking his siblings with his keys/keychain

hitting Daddy in the head with his toy baseball bat

digging in the trashcan

And these happen over and over again on any given day!

You've just got to love everything that Jack loves! :)

I've Been Hearted!

Stacy hearts my blog! Thank you, Stacy! I heart you and your blog, too! Now I have to answer all these questions with one-word answers!

1. Where is your cell phone? Kitchen
2. Where is your significant other? Playroom
3. Your hair color? Blonde
4. Your mother? Giving
5. Your father? Knowledgeable
6. Your favorite thing? Cooking
7. Your dream last night? Didn't
8. Your dream/goal? Travel
9. The room you're in? Study
10. Your hobby? Photography
11. Your fear? Wreak
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? England
13. Where were you last night? Stacy's
14. What you're not? Rule-breaker
15. One of your wish-list items? Ceiling-fan
16. Where you grew up? Tennessee
17. The last thing you did? Showered
18. What are you wearing? Pajamas
19. Your TV? Off
20. Your pet? Swimming
21. Your computer? Slow
22. Your mood? Tired
23. Missing someone? Parents
24. Your car? Van
25. Something you're not wearing? Socks
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? Fun
28. Love someone? Completely
29. Your favorite color? Blue
30. When is the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Tuesday

Now, I tag 10 people to answer, because I heart you and your blog too!!!

Jason
Anna
Tracy
Lucy

Carey
Laura Beth
Chesley
Bri
Kyllie
Tara

Halloween 2008

We all enjoyed another Halloween this year! Jason and I were completely exhausted after a very busy day and night. We continued our tradition of eating my Nana's Chili on Halloween night. Jason carved two of our six pumpkins for Joshua and Abby Kate. Abby Kate wanted a scary pumpkin and Joshua wanted a happy one. The kids loved trick or treating and had a great night.

Joshua wanted to be a Titan's player for Halloween this year. He also wanted to be SuperMan, SpiderMan, and BatMan! He loves playing in his costumes any day of the week!

Abby Kate was a princess! She was not just any princess, she was a "beautiful princess". She loves all of the princess things and loved wearing her dress!

Jackson was our monkey! And he always is our monkey!!!