"Birthday Season"

Birthday season is what I call this time of year..... starting in March, somebody has a birthday each month (sometimes 2 or 3 in a month), for the next few months....

This time of year is hectic and mind-frying for me!!! Now, don't get me wrong..... I love birthdays and birthday parties.... I love to plan a theme and decorate.... I love to see the joy in each child's eyes as their big day comes along!! But it is HARD....it is busy...and crazy....and time consuming....and, well.... you get it!!!

Last weekend was Angie's birthday and we took her to Disney on Friday and had a mom/daughter day on Saturday; but her party is this weekend....so I have been busy, busy, busy planning and ordering and spending!!

Next month will be Joseph's birthday....... we are taking him to Key West for some boating and fun in the sun..... but when we come back, I will be planning his party too!!!

And the June will be CJ's birthday.... the big "1-3"...yikes!! And I am trying to plan something BIG for him to start is journey into "teenage-hood".... plus, I told him he could have a BIG party for that BIG birthday...so I will be planning that one too..... **sigh**

All of that to say..... please be patient with me during our "birthday season".... I do still come and visit...and I try to comment.... but, I will be M.I.A at times...... and please don't leave me.... I will be back!!!

Ever Have "Just One of Those Days".....?

Yea....me too.........like TODAY!!!! arrrggghhhh!!!

Today My Girl is 4!!!!!

Happy Birthday to you, Angie!!! You have brought so much joy to our family and I thank God for you all of the time!!! You brought joy to my life at a time when things were so sad for me....and I truly believe you are the little angel that I needed after losing my mommy!!!
I look forward to many, many,many more fun times with our family....thanks to you!!!
Love you lots, honey.................... LOVE, MOM!!!

So, yesterday we took Angie to Disneyworld as an early birthday trip; and she loved.every.bit.of.it.

It was so great watching the joy in her eyes........especially when she finally got to meet Mickey & Minnie Mouse!!!

Move over Dora......... Minnie Mouse is her new favorite!!!

I will post more pictures later, but now we are off for some more birthday fun!!!

Photo Story Friday: A Few of My Favorite Pictures

Tomorrow my little girl will be 4..... and I still just can not believe it!! Wow...my baby girl.... my little angel (well, she's not always a "little angel") will be 4 years old. At the risk of being one of those moms who jumps too far ahead, only one more year until Kindergarten.... a little school girl... before I know it she will be a sassy pre-teen..... :)

For one of her birthday presents, we are taking her to Disneyworld!! She is just so excited about that...she can't wait to see Mickey & Minnie and meet all of the princesses!! And I can't wait to see the joy in her eyes when she does all of that!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

For my Photostory Friday post, I will share a few of my favorite pictures from when she was a wee little baby.... 4 years ago....

I love this picture wih her little mouth open....that natural instinct..."rooting" for her food.... and look at all that hair!!!

Her oldest brother got to hold her first:

I love this picture because Joseph was so amazed that the baby was out of my belly and really in his arms!!

One week old....

6 weeks old:

9 months old...this is one of my all-time favorites...ever... I even submitted it into a "cutest baby photo contest" (no, she didn't win):

Oh and in all this cuteness, I just realized that this is ny 200th post.... I can't believe I have been writing this much... I mean, that was the whole point of this blog, but still, I thought I might get too busy to actually keep up with it!! I'm sure glad I did!!!

And in honor of my 200th post, I'd love for you to leave me a cool comment....or "follow me".... or send your friends over...or "grab my button" and share the love!!! (it does seem like I am always asking you guys to do that, huh??)

This Is Why You DO NOT Pick Your Toe Nails!!

WARNING: This a bit GROSS....so, if you get squeamish easily, then STOP NOW!!!

I remember my mom used to say "Don't pick your nails and/or your toe-nails"..... That wasn't that hard for me because I never, ever mess with my feet.... now, I do pick my cuticles when they get dry and I will pick at them sometimes until they get raw..... my feet....no way!!!

But my son....my sweet, big boy CJ.... he is a picker... he picks his fingernails AND his toenails.... all.the.time. And when I say pick, I mean he digs into them until there isn't much left at all!! About 2 weeks ago we noticed the two big toe nails were getting a little swollen..... and then alot swollen....and then full of puss...and the dark red all around.

The left one obviously worse than the right.....

Assuming that they were ingrown and infected, I took him to the podiatrist yesterday!! They were very nice and very gentle with him.... but very firm in saying "Don't pick your toe-nails ANYMORE"!! You see, when you pick your toenails, you are pushing the nail inward; therefore it cannot grow staright out...and will inevitably become ingrown!! Always, clip or cut with scissors!!!

So, they gave CJ 2 shots in each toe to numb them, which had him cringing in pain.....I mean, the toes were already hurting and infected, so to then have needles stuck in the them.....well, not so good!!!
Then the doctor scraped out all the infected tissue and cut off the ingrown toenail (and a small portion of the good toenail)!!

yuck!!

CJ did so good.... he didn't complain at all....and listened very intently as the doctor gave instructions on how to care for/clean it!!!

I am fairly certain that he will be using clippers from now on!!!! So, there is my lesson to all of you--- "Only use clippers and/or scissors to trim your nails!!" :)

Wordful Wednesday - In the OR

In honor of Angie's upcoming 4th birthday on Saturday, I have decided to do my Wordful Wednesday post about her birth story....or parts of it anyway!!

I had a problem-filled pregnancy with Angie...... because of my histpry of pre-term problems & labor, they did all kinds of precautionary steps to keep that from happening again..... I had a cerclage put in, weekly doc visits, bi-monthly sonograms and then bi-weekly NSTs. And although those things were kind of a pain to do (because I was constantly at the doctor), it was very cool to watch her grow via sonogram every other week!!

After all that, at 34 weeks, Angie and my body decided it was time for her to make her entrance into the world!! I had gone in for my NST, feeling great....and as soon as they hooked me up to the monitor, we could see the contractions coming.... every 2-3 minutes.... what...how can this be.... I'm not even feeling any pain....? So, my OB came in to check me and I was 2-3 cm, and he says "well, it's time to go have a baby"!!!

As soon as I stood up to make my phone calls and get Joe to the hospital, that is when I began to feel the pain!!! OWWWWWW...... I am not a good pain person.... I don't like to feel any of it... so I was not "enjoying" that moment!!

Because I had a c-section with Joseph (an emergency c-section, that I will explain another time), and because I was going to get my tubes tied, I already knew that I was going for surgery!! The problem that morning was that Joe had made me a huge breakfast that morning (obviously we weren't expecting this)....eggs, bacon, toast and grits...mmmm, sounds good right now!!! :)
But, after alot of pleading from me, they didn't make me wait (they wanted to stop the labor and make me wait a few hours because of all the food in my belly) and we were ready to go!!

Now, I was pretty worried about Joe because he does NOT handle blood or juices or any of that stuff well...and I was fairly certain that he wouldn't be able to handle it!! But, he was a trooper and stayed for the whole thing.......and then we met our baby girl.....

I sometimes look back at this picture and wonder why they put her in my arms....I was pretty loopy because they had to give me an anti-emetic that made me out of it....and if you turn this picture upside down, you can see how my eyes are barely holding up!!!!

Anyway, she was 5lbs 13 oz, which may sound small, but she was the biggest of all of my babies..... and she cried the loudest of all of my babies.....and she had more hair than all of my babies!!!

We weren't totally sure of her name yet, so for a few days she was known as just "baby girl".....well, actually she was originally going to be "Lily", so alot my family was still calling her that!!

Wow, I can't believe it has been 4 years!! We definitely needed that little angel in our lives and I thank God for her all of the time!!!

What a Weekend.... Part II

After my busy, busy Saturday, I slept in on Sunday morning...... I slept in and then lounged around in my pajamas until I had to get showered and dressed for my BBQ.

Joe and my Dad had planned a nice family & friends birthday party/bbq for ME... both of them knowing how much I enjoy get-togethers like that!! It was a day full of family, friends, LOTS of food, gifts, cake and FUN!!!

Joe made his "famous" ribs and I made my "famous" homemade mashed potatoes and fresh green beans.... I know, I shouldn't have cooked on my day, but since Joe really wanted those potatoes...and since he did peel them (all 10 lbs. of them) for me....well, I just did it!! And my dad my my favorite cake of all.... yellow cake with chocolate frosting...yummy!!!

Some pictures of our day...........

Joe and I waiting for the crowd to show up:

My dad worked up a sweat watching Joseph ride his bike:

Hanging out.....

....waiting for Joe to finish cooking.....

.....his famous ribs (and WOW are they good...I mean, great!!!)

I had to get a good picture of the kids before they ate and got all messy (yea, I'm a bit anal like that!!)

And mommy had to get a bit silly with them too........

Chowing down..... yummy, yummy!!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!! (they thought it would be funny to put 34 candles on the cake.... ha-ha)

It's all mine...don't try to take it from me!!!

Some of my gifts.... Some of my favorite things.... I love Brighton and Bath & Body Works and I love, love, love Willow Tree figurines!!!

Happy Tuesday Friends!!!!

Give-away, Give-away (no, not mine)

Do you remember when I had my give-away??? The one where you could win a mini blog makeover from LeeLou Blogs?? Well, the girl who won it, over at Hair Bows & Guitar Picks, is now having a give-away of her own.... a green give-away!!!

She is on a mission to "do her part" in cleaning up our planet.... and in the past few weeks, she has made many green changes around her household..... and since she has some extras and since she wants to encourage the rest of us to "do our part", she is giving away some cool green stuff!!

Go HERE to check it out!!

What a Weekend.... Part I

This weekend was the close of my birthday week, so you know I had to finish it off with a bang!!! I had a really good time, but did SOOOOO much that I won't fit it into one post.... well, really I just don't want to "lose you" by the end of it; so I will split it up into two parts!!!

Friday evening was pretty uneventful.... I took Joseph to t-ball practice and then we all went to Chic Fil A (of course!!!!!) for dinner!!

Saturday was jam packed.... I had to bring CJ to school for a symphonic band performance assessment that lasted all day (but I just dropped him off and picked him up at the end). Then it was on to Joseph's t-ball game, then home where I dropped Joseph off with Joe so I could get a pedicure, run out to the mall to get a gift, go grocery shopping and pick up some lunch!!
After my errands I went back home and rode bikes with Joseph, bathed the dogs and then back out to pick up CJ.... whhhheeewwww... all that in just a few hours.....

CJ came home and got ready for his friend's 13th birthday party... it was a boy/girl, pre-teen party that lasted until 11:00pm.... yikes.... but, I was the cool mom and let him stay for the duration (although he did tell me I embarassed him when I picked him up and was talking to the people there.... )

Cool Cat ready to go...... He had me go out and buy him plaid shorts so he could look cool!!

Mommy and her big boy... I can't believe how tall he is now....

After I dropped him off, I went home and made a quick, fun supper...... "Pigs in a Blanket"

I then took the kids out for our evening bike ride...... and when we got home all the craziness came out.... They all decided to be gymnasts and flip and cartwheel and hand-stands and somersault and run in circles and whatever else they could do to maneuver their bodies differently!!

Joseph doing a hand stand:

Ethan doing a cartwheel:

Angie doing a "flip":

AND then............. at 11:15 pm, I went to pick up CJ..... came home and finally.sat.down.

Later, I will tell you about Sunday, and my SUPER fun birthday bbq that Joe and my Dad planned for me!!!

Photostory Friday.... He Spoiled Me!!!

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

I haven't done a PhotoStory Friday post for a while now...well, actually, I haven't done a "Friday" post for a while.... but I actually have a little bit of time before I head out for the day. It's funny how even though I am off of work, I still feel like I am going and going and going!!!

Anyway, last night Joe took me out for my birthday....we went out to dinner and to the mall for a shopping spree for me!! Now, this is a feet in itself because Joe does not like to shop at.all!!!! But he was such a trooper last night...he hung in there with me and didn't give me a hard time....even when we spent 45 minutes in Victoria's Secret...... and he did spoiled me!!!

I got shirts, shorts, a dress, sandals and some intimates from VS (but those are a bit too personal to show on here)!! Anyway, we had such a good night (and not just because he let me buy whatever I wanted)....just hanging out like school kids in the mall......people watching and giggling!!! Thanks baby....you are so good to me!!

Writer's Workshop & 34 Years Ago......

34 years ago today, I was a brand new baby… snuggled up in my mama’s arms… beginning my life!!! Happy Birthday to me…. Yay…. I am not one of those people who like to keep their birthday hidden; or don’t like for people to acknowledge!! I love my birthday… I love for people to oooohhh and aaaahhhh over me!! Ever other day of the year, my life is dedicated to taking care of my children & Joe (and I do.not.mind. that AT ALL, of course); so on this one day, I like for people to take care of me… I don’t have to cook or clean or have any responsibility other than having a good day!!

You know, two of my biggest birthdays in the past, I was pregnant for--- on my 21st birthday, I was pregnant with CJ… But I did still buy alcoholic drinks….just not for me…. Any time anyone needed a new drink, during our night out, I would go get it; you can imagine the stares I got as a 28 weeks pregnant woman carrying around beers… hee-hee!! Oh, and then on my 30th birthday, I was pregnant with Angie… so, instead of the big 3-0 birthday bash I had planned on for soooo long, I was waddling around with a baby up in my ribs!!

Ok, Ok, Ok… enough birthday talk….. BUT, if any of you want to “get me a gift”, you can just leave me a comment, or “follow me” or even “grab my button” and share the love….. or, the BEST yet, you could blog a birthday wish for me… oooohhh, that would be too cool!!! Ok, Ok, Ok… I really I am done now…. And I p-r-o-m-i-s-e, I am NOT a narcissistic person… it’s just like I said… I love my birthday!!

So, onto my writing assignment…. I haven’t been to MamaKat’s class in a few weeks; but I am back and ready for her challenge!! This week I have decided to go with her 3rd prompt: “tell about a local news story that is all the BUZZ”.

By far, the biggest news story around my neck of the woods is about little Caylee Anthony… I am sure many of you have heard of this story as well and I am sure it has sickened you as much as it has me!! Last July, a mother (Casey Anthony) finally reported her daughter missing after she had supposedly been missing for 6 weeks……her excuse for waiting that long was that she said she was doing the investigating herself…Uh yea, ok!! After months and months of lots of speculation, lots of searching for Caylee, lots of media coverage, the mom (Casey) being in and out of jail… that sweet 3 year pld’s body was found in a garbage bag in some woods close to their home….. so, so, so sad!!

There are so many twists and turns in this story that I can’t even write about them all or we would be here all night long…. But what I do know is that mama killed her baby…. I don’t necessarily think it was a pre-meditated murder, but I do think some terrible accident happened and then she tried to cover it up…. Either way, I think Casey (the mom) is a self-centered, self-absorbed sociopath and I hope justice gets served (and before anyone gets mad, I do know that legally she is “innocent until proven guilty”….but the cards are definitely stacked against her)!!

Take Me Back Tuesday: My First Five Years

Since it is my Birthday Week (remember this post), I am going to "Take You Back" to MY early years.... back to when I was a wee little girl..... back to when my mom was still alive and I had no cares in the world... back to when I was still a child myself!!

Hmmmm... not sure I was the cutest newborn around...

2 Months Old.... (what do you think of my dad.... woo-hoo....)

1 Year Old.....

4 Years Old... I tried to be a ballerina; but was really a tomboy at heart....

5 Years Old.... wow, wish I still had a tan like that... (i was a water girl too.... loved the pool)

Thanks for walking with me down memory lane.... I really enjoy these "Take Me Back Tuesdays".... so much fun to go through old pictures and reminisce!!!

Anyway, it's a rainy, stormy, yucky day here today..... I guess it's a good day to be at work, so I don't feel bad about not being able to go outside!! I am trying to decide what I "want" for my birthday.... Joe keeps asking me, but most of the time I prefer to "give" gifts instead of "get" them.... **Note to Joe & Dad: even though I just said that-- I do still want a gift!! hee-hee :)


And, I wanted to send out some Happy Birthday love to a couple fellow Aries, who have also become my friends through this blogging world!!
April - her birthday was yesterday
and
Amy - her birthday is today!!!

Head on over and wish them a HAPPY DAY!!!

Tinkerbell Lives With Us Now

Thanks to the Easter Bunny, we now have Tinkerbell in our home!!!

And isn't she just the cutest Tinkerbell you've ever seen...?!!?!

We had a really nice Easter day yesterday.... well, except for the fact that the boys were with their dad and thus the holiday didn't feel "complete"...... Aside from that, we had a really nice day!!

After Angie looked through all her goodies from the Easter Bunny, we went to Joe's sister's house for some Easter Egg hunting and mimosas. Then later in the afternoon, I dressed Angie in her cute Easter outfit and we went to my dad & stepmom's house for our Easter dinner!!!

(yes, she still has Tinkerbell's hair bow in....)

Oh and this is the new thing now..... she always wants to take a "booty picture" (oh geez, what have I done....)

We had a great time visiting at my dad's house..... Angie tried to get in the pool and swim, but it was still a bit cold.... and while normally, if her brothers were there, she would brave the cold-- blue lips and all-- she was not having it yesterday!!

Anyway, I always enjoy spending time with my dad.... he and I are very close and I wish we spent.more.time.together!!!!

After dinner we got into a game of Apples to Apples. If you haven't ever played it, you must try it....it is alot of fun.... especially with a big group of people!!!