Happy Thanksgiving

This blog could be about so many different things. I know this holiday means a lot of things to a lot of different people. It means nothing but good food and Christmas shopping to some. I would just like to take a minute and really reflect on all the Lord has blessed me with. I want to be thankful for all i have and sometimes writing is a good way to do that. This will be a "short" list. Some are material things and some are not. They are all things the Lord has blessed me with. This list could go on and on but i will try and keep it concise. Here goes.

I am thankful :

for waking up each morning in a nice warm bed

that i live in a free country

that people are willing to sacrifice for my freedom

for waking up next to my husband

that i am able to hear my children laugh

that i can see my children grow daily

that my children behave

that my children use their manners

for having two dogs that sometimes drive me crazy

that my butt will not always be this large (hopefully)

for having more than enough food in the fridge and pantry

for clothes to wear in every season and often new clothes

for shoes to keep my feet warm

for my cell phone (yes, i love it)

that i have a husband who works so hard to provide for our family

that the Lord is blessing me with another beautiful baby

that i was special enough for Christ to die for

a husband who loves me unconditionally, even though i drive him crazy

a husband who is honest and faithful

for always being able to find a church to nurture me as we move

for always having a roof over my head

for having the best mother, she is the reason i am such a good mother

for being able to call my mom for advice when i have no clue what to do (this includes sick kids!)

for having a father who would give me the world if he could but knowing it is probably best he couldn't

for having a brother that is my best friend (i think that is hard to find)

for being raised in a christian home

i have a family full of love and support and some dysfunction

that all this baby weight will come off

that my hormones will go back to normal and i will no longer feel like i am on a roller coaster

for my TV

for the Internet

for the nice car i have to drive

for children who mind

that John is giving up his baby status

that Ella is so smart and loving

that Jack is such a sweetheart and so funny

that Eric, the kids and i are all healthy

that i have Kim to keep me organized

that I have a best friend like her that cares so much for me and my family

that my children have a safe and happy home

that i have some of the best neighbors i could ever ask for

that i get to enjoy a girls night on Thursdays

that my husband is smokin' hot (heeheee)

that this is my last baby (hopefully)

that Eric's vasectomy worked (don't know yet but i am claiming it)

that this job is almost over

i have my Mawmaw to set such a good example of a christian woman

i have my Papa and Grandma to fight with :)

i have my Grandma who understands what it is like with a house full of kids

that i got to see my Grandaddy and Mawmaw grow old together

that my Grandma and Papa are still growing old together

i will get to see my Mom and Dad do the same

that i can be a stay at home mom

that one day i will be able to get a job

that Alabama WILL beat Auburn this year

that two out of my three kids say Roll Tide and Jack on the occasion

And most of all i am thankful that every morning i wake up that this is the life God has blessed me with. Full of abundance. As we sit down to eat tomorrow i will be with Eric and the kids. I will sit down at the table and look around, smell all the good food i have slaved to prepare and i will be most of all THANKFUL.

25 week check-up

I had a doctor appointment this morning. I am 25 weeks today. Baby and butt are still growing. Almost at the same alarming rate. :) The baby is sitting lower but that is common with a fourth pregnancy. It lends itself to more discomfort but overall we are both doing well. The heart rate was 150 this morning. I like a nice happy baby. I start going to the doctor every two weeks now. I think this office starts them earlier than my other doctors. I guess i will be heading into my third trimester pretty soon. I have to do the glucose test at my next visit but overall everything is well. Many are wondering about the names. Eric has his list at James and Eli with Jed on the side and i stand firm with Benjamin, Fraser and Joe on the side. I guess we will all know when the baby gets here what the actual name will be. The kids are excited and no longer think of John as the baby. The baby is now"in mommy's belly". John likes to pull up my shirt and poke my belly button. Quite often I think he believes it is a built in pillow for his enjoyment. He likes to lay on it and talk. I am sure the baby likes the company. John is still without his pacifier. The first two days he had to figure out what to do without it but he doesn't seem to notice that it is missing now. He is so much more vocal/talkative without it. I love hearing his voice. I didn't realize i was missing it. John is also taking to his bed. He has fallen asleep in front of the door a few nights but we simply move him into the bed and he is fine. He is back on his regular sleep pattern and not up until about 8 a.m.. Ella is more observant than ever. Sometimes that is good and sometimes not. Jack is still potty training. We are letting him take it at his on pace. Eric is working 7 days a week now. It is really a busy time at the job site. He will be off Thursday and for that i am thankful. Maybe we will get our Christmas decorations up. The final inspection is on the 22nd of December so hopefully we will also get some down time for Christmas. We thought we would be moving out at the end of the year but looks like we may extend through January. Plans are always changing so you can never tell where we will be or when we will be there. No word on a possible next job. Eric is too focused on finishing this job to care. That is the update for now. I hope you all are doing well.

John is Offically a Big Boy and Our "First" Snow

Last night Eric and I made the decision to turn John's crib into a toddler bed in preparation for the move. I know that he is not the recommended 2 years old but neither were Jack and Ella and they turned out just fine. We already have the furniture for the boys picked out. It is just a matter of going and picking it up, well, and figuring out what and how many pieces to buy. (All bedroom furniture donations can be made payable to Eric and mailed to the house.) :) He did so well. Especially, considering he is still without his pacifier. He only woke up when Eric's alarm went off and then he was back to sleep. I couldn't resist opening the door this morning to see where he ended up sleeping and there he was....my big boy sleeping in the bed. I left the door cracked and about 10 minutes later i could hear the unmistakable pitter patter of John running around upstairs. I met him at the top of the staircase and he was so happy. I love seeing the kids in the morning. They are always so excited to get the day started. It is so full of adventure for them. Where does that go when you grow up? On top of John's first big night, the kids and i came down stairs to get breakfast started and let the dogs out. Snow! Yes, snow. Technically, it snowed Tuesday afternoon but there was no accumulation so i missed it BUT not today. I saw the flurries and what little covering it left. I am from Alabama and yes this counts as snow.

No where near the beautiful snow fall in Idaho but i don't expect much to compare to that. I am hoping for more snow before we move so we can really enjoy the big hill in our back yard. Going to get ready for gymnastics day!!

John's First (self-imposed) Timeout

I was late this morning. Not that running late in itself is unusual for my crew and me but this morning it was all my fault. Yes, I know that most of the time it is technically my fault but only because i have forgotten something for the kids. This morning was not that kind of late. I called my Grandmother. I probably could have waited but better to do things when they cross my mind. If i wait it will be another week before i get to it. So after some good conversation i started Ella's preschool. Only an hour late. :) While we are working John is going crazy. If it isn't a pencil ticking him off, he and Jack are fighting over one green chair when there are two sitting there. I have no idea what all the screaming was about since the issues kept changing. Maybe it is just time for this "stage". Utter frustration because he can only partially communicate and can't quite do everything he wants just yet so he gets mad. He has no patience and after about 20 minutes of him not knowing what he wanted and screaming about it my patience had run out too. I try to ration my patience through the day. Finally, as he was standing in front of me crying i just told him the same thing i tell the other two. "If you don't settle down you are going to time out. That is your warning". In my head i am thinking that it is a good time to start him in timeout. Realistically, i am putting myself in a big hole. Trying to get a one year old to stay in a corner while working with Ella. What was i saying??? I can't not follow through now. Apparently John knew just what i was saying. He began to push a little chair across the floor. I am thinking he is pushing it to the living room which is fine as long as the screaming stopped. Wait, no not in the direction of the living room but the timeout corner. Maybe he was going to stand up in the chair and look out the window. No, he is sitting down, facing the wall and crying! Did my son just take himself to timeout and stay??Why yes he did. Is this awesome or foreshadowing that maybe timeout isn't really a good discipline for him? He stayed over a minute. Actually, he stayed until i told him to get up. Then i gave him a stern talking to and told him to say he was sorry. He said something and off he went. I am very pleased with myself. My one year old knows that what i say is what i mean and i have been consistent enough with the older two he already knows what to do! I thought i was going soft since there are some many of them to keep up with. I guess they don't see it that way. Patting myself on the back for being a consistent dictator. :) Did timeout work for John? The long lasting effects of consistent timeouts is yet to be seen but for this instance (even though he put himself in the corner) it was a success. No screaming since. Probably doesn't help we took away his pacifier. He is to old for it now. We were going to ween but it looks more like we are going cold turkey. Maybe his moodiness is the withdrawals. I am loving every minute of them growing up!

Georgia on my mind

So last weekend we took a family vacation. I mean the whole family. Mom, Dad and Wes drove in and met Eric, the kids and me at a cabin in Suches, GA. It was just north of Dahlonega, GA. The drive was a hot mess, as Ella would say. Those back roads are tricky and so with the beloved GPS and the mapquest directions we navigated our way to the cabin. We arrived late but the kids were so excited. It wasn't until the morning we realized how beautiful the place was. Three ponds, cobblestone bridges, water wheel (that is somehow beside the water instead of in it), apple trees, and a stream that meanders through the property. Everywhere you turn are mountains covered with trees in magnificent shades of yellows, oranges and reds. So much space to run and enjoy. The kids and dogs were thrilled. They could run free. We took an afternoon to go to Dahlonega for lunch and to check out the shops. They were such neat shops. Full of old antiques and unique little trinkets. It was such a cute town. It was like taking a step back in time. Headed home to watch the game.......oh, wait we didn't have TV!!! What??? Well, we had a TV, DVD player and dish network. Too bad the dish didn't get any other stations than PBS and QVC. I should have checked that before i booked it. After many rotations between the car and the blackberry we were thrilled to hear Alabama won. I bet i leave my DVR on next time! Mom, Wes, Eric and Ella did attempt to do some fishing in the horseshoe pond. No bites but on an up note Mom did see one. HA! Sunday, we had a "girl/guy" day. Mom, Ella and I drove down to Dawsonville and hit the outlet mall and the boys stayed at the cabin and fished. I think they took naps through the day too. I had a few good finds at the outlets and while we were gone Jack caught his first fish. He told me all about it when we got back. He was so proud but still talks about the fish biting his finger. Time to head home on Monday. We all took the morning to explore outside. I love walking through the woods. Makes me feel like a kid again. Eric looked like a kid the whole weekend. I was glad he was able to go with us. I would have hated for him to miss it. Staying in a cabin was much different from the beach houses and condos we are used to. Mom was caught wiping the windows here or dusting there. She couldn't help herself. I am glad she did. Maybe we just aren't as "rustic" as we thought. :) I am waiting on pictures from Mom and Dad's camera so i can put them all up at once. I would like to share a video of Ella and Jack playing the player piano in a local shop in Dahlonega. Thanks Uncle Wes for the quarters. These are videos i will cherish. Eric and i had such a relaxing weekend just being kids again.

Note:I have to send a shout out (that means thanks) to Mom for finding out about Dahlonega and getting everyone together to make this happen!

Ella's words of wisdom

A conversation Ella and i had this morning as she was getting ready to go to the dentist. Picture: Ella is standing with her hand on her heart because she has a boo boo on her elbow and won't bend her arm.

Ella: Mommy God is washing my heart.

Me: What?

Ella: God is washing my heart.

Me: Why do you say that.

Ella: Because...because, when your heart, God is, when your heart goes bumpty bumpty bumpty that means God is giving your heart a bath.

Me: Why would God be giving your heart a bath?

Ella: Because it is dirty and that is where he lives.

Me: Why is your heart dirty?

Ella: Because that is where all the food you eat goes through so he washes it.

Me: HA. No, your food doesn't go through your heart but sin goes in your heart. Like when we aren't nice or don't tell the truth. That makes our heart dirty.

Ella: Yeah, God doesn't like a dirty heart. He is always washing mine so it is clean. See feel.

So glad that God is willing to spend his days washing my heart. :) Ella is wise beyond her years.

Baby names

Who knew that naming a baby could be so difficult?? You always want to give your children a name that people can't make fun of or that is not hard to spell or pronounce. Well, at least Eric and i do. With a girl it is fairly easy, see Eric and i have our favorites and it usually is the same name. With a boy it is the complete opposite. So i am glad that when we were pregnant with Ella we worked out a system to name the kids. Eric has a list and I have a list. We each get one name. How simple. How fair. I mean really, i think i should be able to name them whatever i want since i am the one that carries them, has them, feeds them and then for 90% of the time cares for them. But, Eric did contribute to the creation part and the monetary support so i can stay home and raise them so this is the fairest system to have. We will never agree on a total boy name. I will be okay with his choice or not like it at all but it is still his choice and he will feel the same about my choice. Whatever we come up with will fit the baby and will be wonderful, i know. Still i am concerned because we have used all the boy names we were passionate about. Now we just have names we like. We did already take care of the girl name just in case the ultrasound was wrong (thanks mom). Eric says he is not worried but here we sit with a long list of names. I just want to get it narrowed down to a few options and then we will name it when we see it, like we did John. So, i am throwing up the names we have so far for a vote. Pick your top three. There are names on this list that Eric is totally against and a few i won't even consider. Feel free to put together two names you like if i haven't and leave a comment for us. Eric says we have plenty of time but that means he wants to discuss names while we are holding the baby. :) Here are our lists:

Eric likes: James, Jed, Jeb, Eli, Evan,

I am partial to: Fraser, Joe, Campbell, Benjamin and maybe Alexander and Judson.

Check the side of the page to vote! :)

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Our neighborhood is fairly new and still in the construction stage so there are more empty lots than there are houses to trick or treat. I am not real big on Halloween so we kept it simple. Down the street and home again. We got in about 8:30 and our freinds came up so we ended up hanging out and the kids played until about 11. It was a fun night. I am so glad we live in a neighborhood where we have friends our age and can really enjoy doing things at home. The kids had a blast and the weather was beautful. I couldn't have asked for a better Halloween.

Pumpkins

A few years a go Eric and i discovered that we could carve really neat pumpkins with the assistance of those handy dandy tools and a pattern. We were really pround of them and then of course they started to rot the next day but we enjoyed carving them. Fast forward a few years and things have gotten out of hand. I have the tendency to try and out do myself every year. It never ends up well for me. :) Back to the pumpkins. Last year i thought it would be cute to do a pumpkin that matched each of the kids Halloween costumes. The pumpkins were huge and i ended up carving 6 pumpkins! How would i ever top that??? This year the pumpkins were not as large and i am thankful. I think it helped keep me reasonable. We only bought four this year and in an effort to let go of my control and learn to delegate, I delegated one of the four large pumpkins to Eric. I told him it was all his and he could do whatever he wanted. In all honesty, had it been ugly i would have probably carved something on the other side to show or just "accidentally" dropped it. :) He did a wonderful job. So now to the unvailing of this years pumpkins.