Crazy Days

It has been CRAZY around our house. Let's see, all 3 of the boys have been sick, I've been sick & Kevin has been working all the time! So, since my last post alot of stuff has happened.
First, Will & Amy got married on January 17th! It was a simply gorgeous wedding!

Of course, the day before the wedding I had to take Jacob to the doctor & we were told that Jacob not only had a double ear infection but also RSV. So, we have been dealing with illness ever since then. I guess I've been to a doctors office about 9 or 10 times in the last month. Eli has had an ear infection, Joshua had a HORRIBLE cough & cold & poor Jacob battled the same ear infection for the entire month, complete with 4 rounds of antibiotics, including three shots, ugh! Well, that ended this past Wednesday with tubes! He's already a new baby! Here's a couple of pictures of him before he went in for his tubes.


I'm so happy to have that out of the way. Ear infections mean no sleep for any of us!!
In the last month we have all done some growing.
Eli seems ready to start learning to read. By "seems ready" I mean he doesn't run away when I mention it. I guess we will see. I ordered Hooked on Kindergarten. I would like for him to have some idea about reading by the time August gets here. He will be 5 in August & we will be starting Kindergarten. I'll keep you posted on that one. I am resigned to the fact that I may very well lose my mind trying to get him to sit still long enough to learn to read!



Joshua turned 3 on February 1st. I can't believe it's already been 3 years. He is turning into a little man so fast. He IS potty trained!!! YAY!!! I thought it might not happen, but just as I was about to be sent away to the nut house he decided he would start using the potty!! I am VERY proud of him!




Jacob has decided that he wants to be on his own. He does a crawl/drag himself thing to move around. It's adorable. Of course, in the process he has discovered that he likes the playroom! He heads that way as soon as he is put down! He is so funny & he loves being able to "play" with Eli & Joshua.


All in all we have had a good time as a family, once you get past the being sick!! The boys are growing & changing every single day. I am so happy to watch them grow & I am looking forward to what God has in store for our family. I'm thrilled to be wife to a wonderful husband & mommy to some of the sweetest boys I know! Here's a picture from Joshua's birthday of all 4 of the men in my life!

What an honor it is to be the woman in all their lives! I love them all so much!

Teething, runny noses & coughs

Well, my boys all have various issues this week! Eli is coughing & has a runny nose, Joshua has the most horrible cough you've ever heard & a runny nose & still has not mastered the potty completely & poor little Jacob's nose is so stuffy that he can't breath & he's coughing, too! It really makes for some LONG nights.....Oh yeah & Jacob has 2 brand new teeth & a couple more about to make their debut! Can you say fussy baby?!?!?!
This week has been pretty uneventful for our family. We bought a new dishwasher, YAY!! My old one went out around Thanksgiving & so I've been handwashing since then, yuck!! I'm really excited about that. Of course, now there's a problem with the cloths dryer...I don't think it will ever end!
It's supposed to be really cold, you know, for Mississippi tomorrow(high 28) which makes me really long for the pool!!



We just had the pool put in last June at my parents place, so this will be our first whole summer with it. The kids LOVE it!! They turned into little fish last summer. It was so much fun to watch all the kids learning to swim.
My boys got to go to the Monster Truck Jam in Memphis on Saturday night. Oh my goodness, we are still talking about it. I love to see their faces when they are explaining what happened. Their eyes get big & they are so excited that they can hardly contain themselves! It is so funny!
This is the Gravedigger. I know, nice name but he always wins so the boys like him.

This is Eli, Joshua & Charlie in front of the Donkey Kong truck after the show. They already had the big wheels off of the truck by the time they got to the pits.

I am not one of those mothers that just loves her kids to go off without her. I prefer everyone to be with me at all times but I also had no desire to go to the Monster Truck Jam so Kevin & my brother-in-law, also Kevin, took our 2 boys & their 2 boys. They had a great time & I'm really glad they got to go.
Well, that's really all that's been going on. Just getting everything ready for the wedding this weekend & trying not to lose my mind in the potty training game...UGH!!!

Back to Normal

We are getting back to normal, finally! I love the Christmas Holiday season but, gosh, it's tiring! The tree is disassembled & safely back in the attic. The house is almost livable again & the boys are having a blast with their new toys!
Now on to the next BIG event in the family! My brother, Will, is getting married on January 17th. We all have new clothes, except Jacob. We will be shopping for him Wednesday. I am so excited. My sister-in-law to-be is a sweetheart. She is a perfect addition to our family. Eli & Joshua are ring bearers. I'm a bit nervous about that. I think Joshua will walk down like a champ but Eli gets so nervous. I am just worried that he'll be too shy to walk in front of everyone. I keep reminding him of what he has to do & he seems to agree but I know that can change quickly around here.
Joshua is full fledged potty training now. I have been half-heartedly doing this for a couple of months but he had no desire to cooperate so I haven't pushed the issue. Well, now I'm pushing the issue. Of course, he's still less than enthusiastic but we're trying!! Hopefully, neither one of us will lose our minds in this endeavor!
Kevin bought me a sewing machine for part of my Christmas gift. I have been wanting one for a while now. I know how to sew but it's been a really, really long time since I've done it so I am looking forward to trying again. I've always thought if I ever have a little girl I want to smock & make dresses for her. I'm not sure why I haven't tried for the boys, but maybe I will now.

Here are just a few pictures of Christmas around our house!

This is Eli & Joshua waiting to see what Santa left for them, at 5:30 AM!

This is Eli & Joshua playing with some of their new stuff.

This is Jacob smiling at himself in his new mirror toy. He thinks someone is handsome!

This is David, Jacob, Peyton, Dylan, Eli, Joshua & Charlie patiently waiting to open their gifts at Mema's. (David isn't really waiting, just holding Jacob!)

This is Eli outside at Mema's, waiting to shoot his new BB gun.

This is Joshua waiting to shoot his new BB gun.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas & I hope you have a safe & happy New Year!

My Husband

My husband, Kevin, and I have been married for 5 years. He is so good to me. In my life I have made so many mistakes & bad choices but he is one of the best choices I've ever made. He is strong & kind. He is fiercly loyal to me & the boys. He is our protector & an incredible man. He has been through so much in his life & I think those things have made him the special person he is now! I am extremely lucky to be loved by such a man & I hope that I am always worthy of his love.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town!

I took the boys to see Santa Claus on Monday. It was so funny. Eli is extremely shy when around someone he doesn't know. When Santa, or Santie (as Eli calls him) asked what he wanted for Christmas he wouldn't say anything. So, here I am standing next to Santa trying to get Eli to tell him what he wants & finally Eli wispered that he wanted a "light saver", aka a light saber like they use in Star Wars (the newest obsession in our house). Joshua marched right up to him & got in him lap & said he wanted a puppy. Of course, Kevin has told Joshua that when he starts using the potty like a big boy he can have one. I guess Joshua thought he could get around that by asking Santa for one. Then Jacob just sat up there like he'd known Santa all his life! He was so sweet & never got scared or upset. I was very proud of all of them.
I love this time of year with little boys! They are so much fun!!!

Busy week & weekend

Well, we were on vacation from last Saturday until Tuesday. We went to Gatlinburg, TN & had a wonderful time! It was so nice to just get away & the kids loved staying in "our new house". They were so funny while they were exploring everything. They've never stayed anywhere but at home or at my mom's house. We rented a chalet & it was beautiful. It was just up the mountain from downtown Gatlinburg so we were close to everything. I recommend visiting there! Here's a picture of the boys at Cades Cove.

Now we are preparing for Christmas. We put our Christmas tree up on Thursday because we were home all day. I love our tree. It's really pretty. We have lots of lights & lots of ornaments. The boys love it & really haven't messed with it as much as I thought they would. Pictures don't do it justice but here's one anyway!

I've also spent some time taking pictures of my boys today. They weren't dressed up or anything. Actually they were still in their pajamas but I thought they looked cute!






I am almost through with my Christmas shopping!!! Yay me!! I never, ever get up & go shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving but this year Walmart had 2 items that I was sure I needed. I got up Friday morning at 4am & headed to Walmart. I got there & walked in & there were hoards of people standing around all of these pallets full of stuff going on sale at 5am. Well, stupidly, I thought "Well, I'll just check out the electronics department since everything I want is there". BIG MISTAKE!! I couldn't get within 100 feet of any part of electronics. There were so many people! Apparently the budget crunch isn't affecting people around here! Everyone in Olive Branch was at Walmart.Well, needless to say, I promptly turned around & walked to my minivan & was back in bed by 4:45am. I did go back around 9am & got 1 of the items I wanted & it was much less crowded!! Saving that mental note for next year because I decided that Walmart couldn't give away stuff to get me there that early again!
Anyway, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! I have so much to be thankful for this year. My husband is wonderful & my sweet boys are happy & healthy! What more could I ask for!

My Little Men

I have the best little babies! I'm looking at them & I am just amazed that these wonderful little boys are mine. They are all so unique. They all look very similar but their personalities are so different. They have all been super babies. Now as they grow older their own personalities are coming out more & more.
Eli is kind & gentle. He is strong & protective. He knows just how to take care of his brothers. He's never mean to Joshua & he knows exactly how careful he has to be with Jacob. He remembers everything & always knows the best way to do what he's doing. He is also somewhat headstrong & definately a first born. He is so smart & very inquisitive.
Joshua is thoughtful & very smart. He loves to work with tools & figure things out. He loves to help me with any number of things. He's extremely headstrong & relentless & he forgets nothing, especially if it has to do with him getting to do something. He has an angel smile & when he's up to something he curls his nose.
Jacob is still so young but he has a wonderful personality. He loves to be talked to & cooed at. He loves being held & cuddled. He doesn't mind laying in the floor on a blanket & playing with his rattle. He adores his brothers. They are the funniest things in the world to him. He is a chubby little butterball & he sleeps best when he's next to me.



Anyway, that is what I've been thinking about today. I am an extremely lucky mommy. I have been blessed beyond words 3 times. They take my breath away every single day & I love them with all my heart!