Welcome baby Clayton!

Well, I am offically an aunt! Clayton was born today at 12:24pm, weighing in an 4 lbs 15 oz. He is 19 in long, and has black curly hair:-) He is about 5 weeks early, so for right now he is in the nursery as he is having a little difficulty breathing.

The kids were very excited--Caleb and Emma were singing "we have a cousin" over and over loudly. Jake was just being loud because they were, so you can imagine the fun.

Dale and Marie left this am to head to Baton Rouge, and are hopefully arriving soon. Marie kept me up to date and called as soon as he was born to let me know the details. I really wish we could be there, but it would be complete chaos with the 3 kids.

It is special today not only because of Clayton, but also because it is Shon's birthday. He is 38 years old today! What a wonderful birthday present to have his first nephew born on his birthday!

I don't have much more to report--Shon and Caleb were gone all weekend, and we hung around the house and went to Sam's and Wal Mart. Hope everyone is well!

Adabacadoes, Cannibals, and more

So it has been quite a long week. Not for any reason in particular, just the busyness of having all 3 kids here and "bored". I heard that phrase a lot, especially from my oldest. Nothing was fun, he had no toys to play with, and he was bored. It's really funny to me that his room is full, he has access to tv, games, dvds, etc, but still can't find anything to do. Not to mention the backyard with the swing set. I guess he was used to going and doing with MeMe and Papa, and our slower pace here was "boring".

I am not to feel the need to entertain my kids. I know there are some people out there who feel differently, but my kids need to learn to entertain themselves and use their imaginations. He was put out a few times, but managed to find legos to build or drawings to complete to keep himself busy.

I have also been noticing how his appetite has been increasing--I really think he about to hit a major growth spurt--he ate 4 biscuits, eggs and bacon for breakfast this am alone:-) Then he wanted 2 turkey sandwiches at lunch, along with carrots w/ranch, strawberries, and grapes.

Mom said she was talking to Caleb today and he asked is she would bring Emma some legos when she comes to see them next week. We both thought it was really sweet. He really does seem to have a heart for trying to make everyone feel better. He is very sweet with Jake (most of the time) and always tries to help me with getting things for him.

So for the post's title, Emma has just been so funny to listen to lately. Last night we had quesadillas, and I made Rotel and guacamole. Emma wanted to help, so she got up on a stool and watched. She asked what I was making, and I told her guacamole to go along with our supper. She said, " Oh yeah! I love adabacadoes!". You just have to laugh! Then today she and Shon and Caleb were wrestling and playing around, and she stands up and yells, "Cannibal!" and jumps on Shon. I am sure she was trying to say cannonball, and it came out totally wrong. I really do think she has some roots blond somewhere in there.

Jake is still pitching fits--I am getting more used to them, which is probably a bad thing, but he has taken to also hitting you and thinking it is funny, so we are definitely going to have to stop that behavior. He is truly more strong willed than what I expected him to be, but he is definitely a mommas' boy--Shon and Caleb left this evening to head back to Lepanto, and Shon asked if Jake wanted to go, and he clung to me even tighter. It's really sweet, but sometimes it would be nice if he let daddy do more.

Well, this post is all over the place, but these are the thoughts in my head. Hope everyone is going to enjoy a great weekend!

The kids are back:-)

Well, it was fun while it lasted, but I now have all 3 kids and my husband back under one roof:-) The older 2 have been gone for a week visiting MeMe and Papa, and Shon went to Lepanto on Friday to work more on the screened in back porch he is building for them. They were going to come home yesterday, but Shon was still working at 5pm, and it ended up being too late to drive back (5plus hours).

So, for the short time that they have been back, I have already broken up 2 arguments, threatened to remove all the toys from both of their rooms, and grounded 1 from the play station. Keep in mind they have only been home for 4 hours:-)

I have missed them this weekend, but it was nice only having to make meals for 1 child and bathe 1 child. Mom was here last week, and we spent 4 days cleaning out and organizing my home. I can't believe the difference. I am kind of at a loss now for what to do:-) Actually, I have plenty--I still need to clean out the craft/computer/guest/kids tv room. I also need to strip Emma's dresser and re-paint it.

Tomorrow we have hair cuts (me, Jake and Emma), and it really is coming at a good time. Today we were in Harps (me and Jake), and a stocker asked how "the ladies" were doing:-) He is wearing blue today, but I think the man only saw the back of his head. At least that is what I am telling myself:-)

Not much else going on. The older 2 kids have dentist appointments next week, Emma has kindergarten testing on the 31st, Caleb is getting baptized August 3rd, and then mom and dad are going to take him and Emma back to Mtn. Home for a few days. Then there are Kid's Day Out meetings and work days, Jake has a dentist appointment, and we have to get all the supplies for school.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday, and we will catch up soon!

Summertime Slump

So, once again, months have passed since posting. Where does the time go? Hopefully I can be a little bit more diligent with posting, since I really want to be able to look back on this and see where we were and where we are now.

Summer has, so far, been quite LONG:-) I didn't realize how it would be with everyone home, but at times I am ready to pull my hair out. We started off the summer with VBS the week after Caleb was done with school--quite early this year. We actually had our work week first, and then VBS, but all that means is we have to be at church for 2 weeks straight. Megan and I had 3 year olds, and we only ended up with 4, but that was alright. They were sweet (most of the time). Caleb really enjoyed his time, and he told me that on Monday he asked Jesus into his heart. I asked him several questions, and that Friday he prayed on the couch with me. We are very excited for him, and very blessed that he sees his need for Christ. So far, I am not really seeing many changes in his attitude, but I know that will come with time ( I still need to make changes in my attitude at times, so I don't expect him to be "perfect").

After VBS, the next week we went to Branson to stay with mom and dad ( Shon had to go to Kansas City). We had a great time. The kids loved the pool there--it is really neat. It only has about 1 foot of water, so Jake had a blast. He was a little timid at first, but once he went in and went down the slide once, he was hooked--and very fearless! That worries me a little for next year, but we will just have to watch him closely. The older 2 did great- they really enjoyed playing there as well. We also went to Silver Dollar City. I felt bad for Jake, as they didn't have anything he could ride other than the train, but he really did great. We saw the Veggie Tales show, at lunch there, ate funnel cake ( which he couldn't get enough of), and went on several rides. Emma definately does not like roller coasters:-) She was pressed up agains me as tight as could be. The only rides she enjoyed were the "dumbo" ride and the rapids ride (Jake and I sat that one out), and the train. Caleb, mom , Emma and I went on Fire in the Hole. She and I enjoyed it--the kids HATED it:-) Hopefully next year at Walt Disney World, they will do better.


Emma and Caleb had swimming lessons the last 2 weeks--they were in the same class and really enjoyed it. Emma refused to put her whole head under water until the last day, but I was really proud of her when she did it, and she also jumped off the diving board! Caleb did really well--he enjoyed the water a lot. I am hoping to get to take them swimming there soon--it will definately have to be with more than just me, though. Jake was a little hard to deal with during lessons--he really wanted to be in the water after our Branson trip. I finally figured out that if I brought food, he was happy to not be in the pool.

We had a pretty low key 4th. We had planned to go to Lepanto, but Renessa (Shon's sister) ended up with bleeding and contractions and was in the hospital all week, so his parents went to Louisiana.

This week is our first week of having nothing to do, which is good. Mom is coming next week to help Shon and I " get organized " (good luck witht that:-), and the older 2 are staying with Dale and Marie. As bad as it probably sounds, I am really ready for a break from them:-) We will probably all go to Lepanto this weekend and then just leave them there.

Well, hopefully I will stay caught up better in the future. I would love to start posting pictures of my latest creations--I have really been inspired by some of the beautiful fabric I have been seeing online. Talk to you soon!