On Becoming More "Green"

Well, our family has been recycling for about a month now. The change was really quite simple and now I wonder why we haven't been doing it all along. I've also made it a point to not buy any plastic water bottles. The other day on Oprah, I saw the report that stated that we go through 1 BILLION water bottles a WEEK!!!! I could not believe that! Only 24% of those water bottles are recycled. I still have my paper towels and paper plates. I am really trying to cut back on the paper plates, but I just can't go there yet with my paper towels. I would not say that our family is "green". We are at least more aware and we are trying to help out by doing some of the more simpler things.

What about you? 

Baseball Fun

This Saturday, we took the kids to our first baseball game of the season. We are all so very excited that baseball season is finally here! Hopefully we will be able to get out and enjoy many more games this season. Saturday was "Children's Hospital Day" at the Stars'. Since Joshua is a patient of the Children's Hospital, our family was invited to a free day at the Stars' game with lunch. Joshua was also chosen to walk out onto the field and stand with the ball players during the singing of the National Anthem. Joshua could not have been happier!

Jason has a video of Joshua on the field.



This was Jackson's first baseball game and he loved every minute of it! This week we start out our t-ball season with practices twice a week. Joshua is on the Cardinal's team (how appropriate is that!) with Jason as his coach.

Tell Me More

1. Where did you honeymoon?

2. Who is your favorite American Idol?

3. What do you do? (If you are a SAHM, what did you do before the kiddies came along?)

4. What is your favorite meal from mom?

5. What is the best deal that you have found recently?

6. What is one of your goals?

7. What is something totally random about you?

8. Coke or Pepsi?

9. What is something that you have done recently that you are proud of?

The Tent

For Joshua's 3rd birthday (July of 2007), Jason and I gave him a tent. Not just any tent, a Lightning McQueen, Cars' tent. To this day, Joshua is STILL sleeping in his tent on his pallet of blankets, ON THE FLOOR. And I have just one question, WHY???

Relaxing

This past weekend was great! Jason and I were able to enjoy our Friday morning together while the kids were in school by running a few errands. Jackson has not been feeling his best. I took him to the doctor on Thursday (he had dropped to 17.4# since Monday). Turns out that he had a viral infection, that turned into a bacterial infection over the weekend. I kept Jack home from church today and we now have an antibiotic to start tomorrow. Hopefully he will be feeling much better in a few days. Also, I FINALLY got my hair cut! Thankfully, my hair has stopped falling out and now I have all of the crazy looking pieces growing back in. We were planning on taking the kids to a baseball game Friday night, but the threat of rain made us rethink our decision. The kids were pretty bummed, but we went to the mall to play instead.

My dad came down and gave my van new brakes on Saturday! This saved us about $200!!! (Thank you Daddy!!!) Jason cut the yard and I am still working on pulling weeds. The previous homeowners did a great job on the landscaping. Unfortunately, Jason and I don't know too terribly much about plants/flowers. We are doing our best. Hopefully we will be able to do a better job with the yard this summer (seeing as how I am not about to have a baby and Jason won't be knee deep in grad school work).

We spent most of the day outside on Saturday. It was just absolutely beautiful! Jason grilled out hamburgers and we all ate outside. Saturday was just one of those relaxing days that you always imagine your life being like.

Here are some random photos of Jackson...

Our littlest helper

Such fun!

Jack is "exploring" now! Here we go again!

Skinny Hair

Yesterday afternoon, I took the kids to run a few errands. Our last stop was to get Joshua's hair cut. Abby Kate and I took a seat while we waited for Joshua to finish. While Joshua was getting his hair cut, he talked the lady's ear off. (He is a BIG talker with lots of questions!) When Abby Kate saw Joshua's haircut, she told him that he had SKINNY HAIR!!!

Jackson at Ten Months

18 pounds, 1 ounce, 28 inches

I am crawling.

I am pulling up on everything.

I am starting to cruise.

I don't like riding in my car seat anymore.

I love to put everything into my mouth.

I immediately stand up in my crib when my mom puts me down to sleep. After she leaves, I lay down and go to sleep on my own.

I am the best little baby!

I can imitate sounds.

I love looking at books.

I now make the biggest messes with toys.

I have 6 teeth.

I love playing with doors and the little door stoppers.

I love food!!!

I still take two naps a day.

When mommy carries me, I love to hang on to her hair.

I love to "talk".

I love to play and explore the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I can hardly believe that my baby is quickly approaching his first birthday! Jackson is the best little baby boy. He is just so sweet and cuddly. Joshua and Abby Kate are great with Jack. They both love him so very much! Abby Kate is the "mother" of the bunch. She loves to "help" him and comfort him when he gets upset. She is quick to bring me whatever it is that is needed to help Jackson. She is very patient and sweet with him. Joshua can't seem to wait for Jackson to become a big boy like him. He is constantly giving Jackson hugs around the neck (sometimes a little too hard). He loves laughing at him and playing with him. Joshua likes to call him Jack or Jack-Jack and Abby Kate prefers that he is called Jackson. They both love singing and listening to Jackson by Johnny Cash.

March for Babies 2008

Our Story

Four years ago, the Lord blessed our family with a beautiful set of twins, Joshua and Abby Kate. When we found out we were expecting TWO little babies, we were so excited! But that excitement was mixed with a sense of anxiety. As with most multiple pregnancies, we knew the odds of a premature delivery were very high.

Sunny went into premature labor at 20 weeks and was put on bed rest immediately. At 33 weeks, we went in for a C-section to deliver our twins. A weight discrepancy between our twins necessitated that we take them early. Joshua had IUGR and his placenta was aged, thus affecting his growth. Our children were born prematurely and Abby Kate spent 9 days in the NICU, while Joshua was there for 31 days. Those were the longest days of our lives.

Premature babies can suffer from a wide variety of health complications. Thankfully, our children were both healthy and strong, just a little on the small side. We will always be grateful for the special care our children received from the doctors and nurses of the NICU at this critical time in their lives. Since then, the March of Dimes has been a cause that has been very near to our hearts.

The March of Dimes helps give children like ours the attention and treatment they need. Every year, half a million babies in the U.S. are born prematurely. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and many life long disabilities. The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Jason holding Joshua for the very first time!
This is a few hours after he was delivered by C-Section. At this time, Joshua's little arms were small enough for Jason's wedding ring to go all the way up his arm.

Jason holding Abby Kate for the first time.

Today was the March for Babies 2008 walk! We had such a wonderful time with our family and friends. This year we raised a total of $640.00 for the March of Dimes. We were a team of 4 families, that totaled 15 walkers! Below are some pictures from the day!

Picture Time

Jackson was so happy to see his daddy when he got back from Nashville!

Look who just woke up from his nap!

I love seeing all 3 kids having fun playing together.

Sweet baby boy!

Look at that smile!

My sweet little girl! The hair is a bit on the wild side. This girl has more fly aways then I know what to do with!

Low-rider

Abby Kate had so much fun in the FunRun yesterday at school. She ran 16 laps!!!

Joshua ran 20 laps!!!

This picture totally makes me laugh. Joshua stopped and got some water during the Run. The guy that was encouraging the kids, told everyone to raise their hands up and Joshua listened. He was walking, drinking water and raising his hand!

Look at the mess that I made! I'm so proud of myself!

Can We Reach Our Goal?

Let's see if we can make it to our goal of $1000! If we have 20 people commit to $20, we will reach our goal. Or, we can have 40 people donate $10 each. We walk on Saturday. We are all so very excited about this year's March for Babies! A very special THANK YOU to all that have already donated!!!!

Eating My Words

Jason and I started dating back in May of 1995. We dated for 3 years and then got engaged. After a year long engagement we married in 1999. For the first 5 years of our marriage, it was just the two of us (well, 3 if you count in Andy who I got as a 1 year anniversary gift). Jason and I went to the movies countless times, ate out at restaurants every chance that we had and traveled. We enjoyed our "couple" time and then decided that it was time to have a baby. Little did we know that God saw fit to bless us with TWO little babies! Well, those two little babies grew and we prayed for God to bless us with another baby. Here we are, after 13 years (I'm including the dating years here), with 3 healthy children. God has truly blessed our family.

Now, on to me telling you how I am eating my words...

Well, when Jason and I were in our dating/engagement days, we would often talk about how things would be when we were actually married. We talked about how it would be so nice to be able to order take-out and rent a movie AT HOME! We always said that we would make sure to make time to go out. Even when the kids came, we would STILL go out on dates. We couldn't understand why some people would not take the time to find a babysitter and go out and enjoy a night together without the kids.

WELL, NOW WE KNOW WHY!!!!

If Jason and I choose to go out, we have to pay for a babysitter. We have 3 kids, 1 income, and a babysitter is just not cheap these days. If we just paid the babysitter, it would be doable. (That word looks really funny typed out! Is it even a word?) If we decided to eat dinner and see a movie, we'd probably blow the week's grocery budget in ONE night!!! Sometimes it is really hard not having any family in town. However, we do have these awesome and amazing friends who kept our kids for us the other night (FOR FREE)! Corey and Alisha we love you guys so much! It is so amazing to see the way our families have changed from our college days to now.

Thanks to Corey and Alisha, Jason and I were able to get dinner, run a few errands, and we even splurged for ice cream at Brewsters! These moments are becoming fewer and farther between. When we get one, we really soak it up and appreciate it.

102 Hours Later

Our house is still standing. In fact, it is clean!!!

I've taken the trash can out to the curb twice.

I've done about 6 loads of laundry.

The dishwasher has been run only twice. I've had to do a sink full of dishes each day though.

We only ate one meal out. Last night before church, I took the kids to McAlister's Deli. We all ate for $4.

The kids have been late to preschool every day that they have gone.

I only had to get up once in the middle of the night, and it wasn't the baby.

I had to venture out to the grocery with all 3 kids only once. Jackson and I made the other trips without the other two.

At least I got them bathed.

I was able to get 8-9 hours of sleep each night.

Oh, and I got to enjoy a few quite hours by myself after the kids were tucked in bed. We also had some great cuddle time and fun times together.

Now, Jason finally comes home! I don't know if these week long grad classes are getting harder because we know that it is almost over, or if it is because I have three kids and I am by myself.

Finally... A Date...

....with my vacuum cleaner! And I can't be any more excited. You see, its been weeks (and I do mean weeks), since my house has been vacuumed. My vacuum cleaner broke a few weeks back and my floors are screaming with all kinds of dirt, food, and germs. I am a clean freak. Messes bother me. Clutter bothers me. Dust bothers me. When things are not put away in their right places, it bothers me. I have never been so excited about seeing a vacuum cleaner!!! Tomorrow evening I will have a CLEAN house and I just can't wait! (Now, if only I could actually get this done with all of the kiddies around.)

My AM

This morning at 1:00, Joshua decided it best to wake up Abby Kate. They then proceeded as their dynamic duo to the kitchen to turn on the lights and find some breakfast. Seeing as how our bedroom is off of the kitchen, I was completely blinded by the bright lights and the noise of my two munchkins. Needless to say, I sent everyone back to bed. Abby Kate had a harder time calming back down since her good old womb mate decided to wake her up. I put up Joshua's baby gate (haven't done this in a good 8 months), so that he would not wake us up again.

What is up with the 1:00 AM wakings????

I watched Jon and Kate plus 8 last night. It is now one of my many DVR recordings. Thanks to all that mentioned it. One thing that I really loved about last nights episode was what I heard Kate say about multiples. They were able to go out and have some one on one time with their kids. When the kids were separated from their group, they were very reserved and quiet. I have seen the same thing with Joshua and Abby Kate. They are each other's security. They are also the other's audience. Here lately, we have been at a very challenging stage. They are wild! They feed off of each other constantly. They are either so giddy that they get to be so silly and rambunctios, or they are the worst of enemies and they resort to hitting, pushing, pinching or (on the rare occasion) biting. I am hoping that this is a small little stage and that the craziness of two three year olds will calm down. Here's hoping...

Randomosity

Jason graduates with his Masters of Divinity from Lipscomb University in 34 Days!!!!

Jason and I are celebrating this long journey with a Western Caribbean Cruise. We leave port in 36 days! I'll post more about that later.

Today I was asking Abby Kate some math questions while I was fixing lunch. I asked her "What is 5 minus 1?" She just looked at me so then I asked her, "What is it when you have 5 and you take 1 away?" She replied by saying, "Not being very nice!". After we all had a good laugh, she told me 4!

Jackson is crawling EVERYWHERE!!!

Can someone please tell me why my son wore 6 pairs of socks in the last two days?

If you ever need a good deep "belly laugh", you can take my daughter through the car wash. She absolutely "freaked" the other day!

Jackson is pulling up on EVERYTHING!!! He has the bumps and bruises to prove it.

My house is a disaster! I am in the process of "changing out" the closets of my THREE kids! Boy am I exhausted!

What is up with all of the Mayflies buzzing around my house?

Chocolate is my weakness!

I am really addicted to finding a good sale. I love saving all of the money that I can. A lot of times this means that I have to play the waiting game. Well, the coupons finally came out for Michael's, so I'm off this week to get my frames.

Should I get a Facebook?

I think that Jason should do all of my grocery shopping from here on out. Abby Kate and I left the boys Saturday morning to run some errands and pick up the groceries. Why is it that I always come out with more than what is on my list?

I finally got a new cell phone and a new plan. Hopefully we can save a little more money by sharing a plan.

Our first week of recycling is going really well!

My DVR

Last year when we moved into our new house, we got Dish Network. I was a bit skeptical at first. (If you know anything about me, you know that I like to keep things the same. I'm just not that adventurous. Case in point - I just now signed up for on-line banking. Who knew that paying your bills could be so EASY!) Anyways, there were MANY days where I called Jason at work asking how to just turn ON the TV. I've pretty much figured the whole thing out and now I sit back and wonder how we used to watch our shows.

Our lives are not consumed with our TV, but it is nice to have something to watch every now and then. Our TV usually gets turned on for the first time each day around 5:30. I don't know what it is, but when Jason comes home, the TV goes on. He doesn't sit there and watch it, he just likes to have it on. Personally, it drives me crazy. We have enough noise in our house WITHOUT the TV on!

Since this writer's strike has finally come to an end, I am really excited about the shows that are coming back. I really enjoy having my DVR.

Here are some of my favorite shows!

Flip That House

Trading Spaces - I'm an old-school Trading Spaces fan! Yeah for Paige Davis!

American Idol - We've been watching since Season 3!

The Celebrity Apprentice

Survivor - Jason and I have been watching since Season 3! This is our standing Thursday night date!

Ellen

Oprah

The Office - Jason introduced me to this show this past summer. I really love it now!

Lost - Another show that Jason got me watching. I'm not as hard-core as he is, but I enjoy the show.

CSI-Miami - This is the first one that I started watching. I like this one just a little more than the original.

CSI

Chuck - This show is really great! I started watching it last year when Jason had his weekly grad class at Lipscomb every Monday night.

The Biggest Loser

1 vs 100 - They've already finished the season, but Jason and I really enjoyed watching it.

So what about you?
What are some of your favorite shows?
What is the most random thing that you have on your DVR?
What's your favorite "new" show?

Oh Boy!!!

I put Jackson down for his nap, only to find that he had pulled himself up to STANDING!!! (He also wiggled out of his sleeves and pant legs). He couldn't be prouder!

Part Two - Let The Hunting Begin

This weekend, the kids hunted Easter eggs. They really enjoyed hunting this year. (They are finally old enough to really understand what they are suppose to do). Jackson sat this one out (being that he is only 9 months old and that we have 2 other kids to look after and help). After finding their eggs, we all enjoyed the nice day and played outside.

Playing Catch Up - Part One

Last week was Spring Break. We all enjoyed some time away together with family and friends. On Tuesday, we headed to the Birmingham Zoo with Corey, Alisha, and Will. We all had a great time together! I've posted some pictures from the trip. On Wednesday we headed up to Nashville to spend time with family. My mom and I took Joshua and Abby Kate to see "Horton Hears a Woo!". It was such a cute movie that we all enjoyed. Thursday, Jason and I took the kids out to Opry Mills. We are not really big "mall" people, but we enjoyed a little shopping. We followed up with lunch and DESSERT at Cracker Barrel. It was really great! While in Nashville, we were also able to visit with my sister-in-law, Tara, and her family. We really enjoyed our Break!

Our family at the zoo!

Checking out the fish and turtles.

Joshua and Abby Kate enjoyed playing together.

My big girl!

Jackson and the girls getting ready for his first train ride.

The boys getting ready to ride the train.

Abby Kate and I posed for a quick picture in front of the train.

Happy Easter