Crazy days...

Life has taken a few twists and turns since my last post...I am now a WAHM (work at home mom) instead of a SAHM :) I have started babysitting 3 boys (aged 8-11) in the afternoons. They needed a new babysitter and we needed to supplement our income...so here we are! It's definitely been interesting this week (it's the first week). Days 1 and 2 we were feeling each other out...Day 3 (Wed) Several of the boys (mine included) tried to ride bikes/scooters down the slide-out of the fort!!! I stopped that but then...Jared got hit in the head with a baseball bat!!! :( The boys (Jared and 2 of the babysitting kids) were in the backyard playing baseball. Jared was thrilled as he is alllll boy and sometimes I think gets bored staying home w/ mom and sisters...So, I was thrilled for him! Until I heard the scream from the backyard (now, Jared is not into dramatics-he is tough and usually does not cry when he gets hurt). When I saw him I wanted to throw up...but I didn't. I wish I could say I totally kept my cool, but I can't :(. I did think to call my mom though and when I briefly told her what happened and asked what to do she said "The Emergency Room, take him to the ER" So, off we go-me and 5 kids and a baby...to the ER. I thought to call the pedi on the way and they said I could bring him to the office instead (he wasn't bleeding, hadn't lost consciousness or vomited). So, I call Harold and tell him to leave work and meet us at the pedi office where Jared gets sent to the hospital for a skull x-ray!! Holy cow!! Ok, long story short he's ok! He even looks really good-and it hasn't even been 48 hours yet. I'll try to post a pic of what he looks like today, but it won't show much-thankfully!! Well, while all this is happening and we're in the waiting room of the dr's office I happen to remember I was BAKING COOKIES when we left!!! I had to call Leah (my friend who lives a few blocks over) and ask her (pretty please) to wake her baby and take her preschooler over and save my house from fire!!!! AAAAHHHH! Luckily since we were in such a panic getting out of the house I had left the back door unlocked. She said there was smoke pouring out of the stove and my kitchen was full of it...**rolling eyes** But, everything is ok thank God!!!!!
So, yesterday I prayed for "boring"-and it was a good day! LOL I took all the kids to the pool as soon as they got here and they had fun and I didn't have to worry so much. (Since they are bigger plus there are life guards alllll over the place. Haley and I sat in the shade while she slept and they played. Great day!!! :) :) :) With happy tired kids at the end of it all...
Today-we took Haley-girl to the dr for her 4 mos check-up. She is a big girl now!! She is 15 lbs 15 oz and is 26 3/4 inches long!! She's in the 85% for her weight and in the 90s for her height!!! Her new accomplishments are: eating rice cereal every night, sleeping through the night (yyyyaaaaaayyyy!!), rolling all over the living room and beginning to sit up for very short periods of time (supported by her hands). In general she is a joy to have around! She smiles and "talks" constantly! And just melts my heart!! (Especially now that she is sleeping at night!) I guess it's about time to put the cradle away :( :( and put her in Lindsay's room. That means the end of newborn stuff.
We are getting excited about our camping trip in August!! (I know it's a ways off, but I can look forward to it! LOL) We're going to Inks Lake state park and we've never been there. Hopefully I'll have some great pics to post when we return.
Ok, I'll end this post right now. And try to put some pics on here!!! :)

On happiness...

I have been inundated with emails and devotionals lately on attitude! Hmmm, maybe God is trying to tell me something??
The email that just really stuck in my head/heart was about an old man who had myriad of health problems (old age related) and he had lost his wife and decided he had no choice but to check himself into a nursing home...as he was waiting for his room to be ready (some would be grumpy that it wasn't ready when they arrived, huh?) he waited patiently. Then an attendant came and told him about his room-all the details. He said the room was beautiful. She looked at him funny and said "Sir, you haven't even seen it yet" And his reply was "I've decided I like it" He told her that happiness was a choice!!! It just makes me realize how ungrateful I am in so many situations. I can choose to be happy (this man had lost his wife, was legally blind...) no matter what the situation. And if I can't find the happiness in my own heart, maybe I can ask God for a happy heart!!!
The other thing I've read lately is a devotional from a book for mommies. (Mommy, hold you) It emphasizes that Parenthood is a privelege not a punishment. Wow!!! So often I huff around about the things I "have" to do. How blessed I am to have to do those things! My children are alive and healthy!!! There was also an activity to help your family count their blessings--list everything you have in life (dishwasher, a home, clothing...) then cross off the things you can live w/o! I haven't done it yet, but just the thought of all the "extras" I have in my life makes me cringe at the times I've complained... There will be a time when I long for the toys that are scattered on the floor now. My children will grow up and I can then have a "perfect" house, but will I want it then??
I know this is sappy and rambling, but it's really been on my heart the past 2 days...Ok, I "have" to go now. My kids need me! And I'm going to smile while I do the things that "have" to be done!!!!!! Pictures next time-promise! ;)

Pictures at last! :)

After much procrastinating I have finally uploaded the pics I have taken recently onto photobucket (with slow internet this is no easy feat!)
Life has been sooo busy lately. Not bad, just crazy!
First I was on call until my friend Leah's hubby got home from Africa for when she went into labor!! Whew! He made it! They had their "little" boy a week ago tomorrow. He was 9 lbs 11 oz!! And 21 3/4 inches long!! He's a keeper! ;)
Other than that it has just been life w/ 3 kids! Busy! Trying to get school finished up, grad party to go to, b'day parties...and on and on I could go-but I won't! Aren't you relieved?? :) :)

Me, an angel? NOT!!

I recently got this email --see below--(I've seen it before) but I think there's been some kind of mistake. If the mommy is supposed to be the angel, my kids have been placed wrongly...I usually feel more like a mean ogre than an angel. :(
Why does Mother's Day make me feel so inadequate? I know I am not those things that Hallmark says I am. And I'm quite sure my kids know it too. I only feel like a good mommy in the morning before my kids wake up-I have such good intentions then.
Well, it's off to wake up the kids and turn into that other person...the cranky one with the scowl on my face. :( :( :(
Next time I'm going to find something happy to write about...


A baby asked God, 'They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?'

God said, 'Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.'

The child further inquired, 'But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.'

God said, 'Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy.'

Again the child asked, 'And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?'

God said, 'Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you >how to speak.'

'And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?'

God said, 'Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.'

'Who will protect me?'

God said, 'Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.'

'But I will always be sad because I will not see you
anymore.'

God said, 'Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.'

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, 'God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.'

God said, 'You will simply call her, 'Mom.'

If it's not one thing...

it's another.
Today, after we just recently borrowed the money from some very generous friends to fix the a/c in our van-and of course we haven't even started paying that back yet -something else went out on it. Granted it was something "cheap" (in the world of car parts anyway) but it's so frustrating. Harold was going to go air up the tires and the van would not start! It just made this awful "clicking" sound. We figured out it was the battery-and in looking for the up-side to this situation we decided it could've been much worse. It could've happened when I was alone with the kids-in Corpus at that. Or even at a time when Harold wouldn't have had time to fix it. "Luckily" it happened on a Sunday afternoon, nice weather, at home... I am glad for that, but can we have a break on car problems now? Or anything money related for that matter???
On top of that I've been struggling with homeschooling. My heart is not in it lately. I'm tired of being the "bad guy" all day. If my kids have a bad day at school (you know, the teacher was mean or something) I can't comfort them-I am the mean teacher. I just want to enjoy them sometimes-not direct them and be everything to them. I know part of the problem is that I have had no breaks in a long time, but I guess that's just motherhood, huh? I don't think I'm struggling so much with having 3 kids as much as all the hats I'm wearing lately-and by the way, if a stay at home mom is worth 138k per year-can I just say where is that $$?? I would settle for 1/10 of that! ;)
I guess I've complained enough. It's pretty obvious what kind of mood I'm in lately. :( But, this too shall pass, right? That's the mantra (and the lesson I've learned over the past 7 years) of a mom to keep her sane...

Ain't Life Grand

This past weekend we went to a nearby town (Rockport) and had a really nice day as a family-just wandering around. You really can find things to do with little or no money if you try. We walked on the beach and watched the kite surfers (and I thought about how if I had time and money for a hobby, that'd be a neat one-and a great work-out), then we walked up and down the main road with all the little shops and then went to a little park we went to almost exactly a year ago.
The pictures I'm posting are at this little park we found there. I just thought it was really neat, last year when we went there we were only hoping for our little Haley! :) There is a picture of Harold and me (that I took myself) last year, and so this time I took another, but Haley is in it!!! We helped Haley to "slide" and we actually caught Jared long enough to get a couple of pictures of him too! :p
I'm amazed at my kids every day-even on the days when they drive me crazy. I wouldn't trade them for all the money in the world!!

More Pictures

Haley is so cool it wears her out!!-ok, that was dorky, but isn't she cute?



Lindsay baked this cake all by herself and was very proud! As well she should have been-yummm!!! :)