While I am thinking about it...

My husband hates it when I start a sentence out that way!

But, while I am thinking about it...

*Why do I instantly feel so bad after punishing Noah? I have mentioned this before, but I am still struggling with it. I know discipline is important, but this is the worst part of parenting for me by far. Especially now that he can say "don't be mean to Noah momma, don't hurt Noah momma". I am focusing on not getting onto him for every little thing, because sometimes I feel all I do is punish - some things really are not that big of a deal if you take a second to think about it.

* I was told recently that I "do not properly take care of my man" because he does his own laundry and he packs his own bags if he is going somewhere. He does his own ironing (I cannot tell you the last time I ironed something). I would just like to say, my husband can take care of himself and that is another reason I love him. I would and have happily helped him with these things (minus the ironing that is:) )- but I guarantee he won't be yelling at me for not doing them or expecting them to be done for him. That just isn't how I roll.

* Without fail, every night I instantly miss my kids when they go to sleep. Don't get me wrong, I am telling myself "just have to make it to bedtime" every night while chasing, cleaning, feeding, bathing, etc. But, as soon as it is quiet and they are asleep I want them awake.

* I feel that I have just enough energy to make it through my day once. Once I have everything done and am ready for bed, the thought of having to do one more thing is too much!

* I let my kids wear new clothes before they are washed. This partially goes back to my ironing problem. I know they will never look this good and neat again if I wash them, so I will let them wear them while they look good! (This does not apply to previously owned clothing - that all gets washed!)

* If I am at your party, I probably ate right before I got there. I don't eat at a party to get full. I just think they are for snacking. I don't want to pig out at a party in front of everyone, plus I have two kids, making sitting down in someone else's home practically impossible. So, don't be offended if I don't chow down :)

* It is still strange to me that I am a mom. The words "son" and "daughter" still sound funny when I say them. I don't feel old enough for these things. I feel strange that God trusted me with their lives (grateful, but strange).

* If I am driving and realize I haven't seen anyone for awhile, I will wonder if something is going on I don't know about. Where are all the cars? Apocalypse? Holiday I am unaware of? Both?

* I sometimes wonder if I am in a coma and that my life is a dream I am having during my coma. It is sort of like a deja vu feeling. If it is, it is going to make on hell of a story!

* I don't post my views on most subjects on Facebook. My views on politics, abortions, homosexuality, etc. are not up for debate therefore I don't see a reason to blast it out there how I feel on the subject. Nor will you ever see me posting problems with people I have on there. Trust me, I have plenty of complaints about people, but Facebook is not the place to vent them.

* I love Hootie, I do not like Darius Rucker. I was trying to be nice and then the whole Wagon Wheel incident occurred. Nope, not a fan.

I made the move to Bloglovin! You can find me there if you want :)

Spring Breaking Momma :)

With a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old and a husband that has to work, a long, far away vacation is not ideal. So, we went on a mini vacation. My mom always goes to the zoo and Discovery Museum in Little Rock on Spring Break and Noah, Ryan, and I joined her - along with 10 other family members! We got our parade together at McDonalds and then headed for the museum! It was supposed to be colder and rainy on Monday so we decided to do the museum and swim at the hotel on day one. The museum was awesome! I didn't take Noah last year because he was in the wild and crazy almost 2 years old stage and I was pregnant and I just didn't see it being any fun. I try to avoid situations where I will have to scold Noah more than have fun with him. He was SO good this year! I am glad we waited. He had so much fun! He would run from exhibit to exhibit saying "momma momma yook dis!" I was a little disappointed at the lack of dinosaur stuff - only because Noah is obsessed with them right now. They did have 2 dinosaur skeletons for him to look at though and he seemed ok with that.

I looked down and Noah was holding Ryan's hand and talking to her, it was the sweetest thing ever!

Going inside our mouths to discover what goes on in there :)

His favorite part - putting a skeleton together to make it look like the one in the case.

Cheese :)

This rope stretched out the length of the human intestines - he loved it. It kind-of grossed me out :)

Noah, there is a snake on your head! :)

Getting a lift from Momma :)

After the museum we headed to the hotel to eat and swim. I was really missing Nathan at this point! 2 sleeping kids in the car and all our stuff. How was I supposed to get this up to the 3rd floor of the hotel? Take the kids in and leave them in the room alone? No way! Leave the kids sleeping in the car alone in Little Rock? No way! Thankfully I had family to help with this, but I seriously don't know how single parents do it. Don't get me wrong, I missed Nathan the whole time. I am not much on traveling without him. I do it, but I don't care to. I like having him around :)

The hotel had fish in the lobby in a stream with a waterfall so Noah was WAY more interested in that than eating, so thankfully Aunt Kesha took him out there so I could sit and eat with Ryan. I was disappointed with the pool. First of all it was a salt water pool. I may be alone in this, but I HATE salt water pools. I know everyone says they are easier to maintain and you can't even tell the difference, blah, blah. Well, this girl can! I feel like I am swimming in a pool of sweat and it gets in my mouth and eyes, and is so gross feeling. (I don't even salt my food, so I really don't want to swim in it). Ryan was not having it - I think the water was too cold for her. Noah wanted me to hold him the whole time and was flipping out - so we literally swam 5 minutes and I took them back to the room for baths and bed.

The next morning we were up bright and early for the zoo! I get excited each time it is zoo time because Noah gets older and understands more and gets more exited to see the animals! He had a blast! His favorite was the "Daddy Yions" and the "Dumbo Elphants" of course. Ryan was the best baby on this trip - she never cried, I mean at all. I did have my first experiences of nursing her in public - poor Ryan has second child syndrome and I just feed her wherever so I can keep an eye on Noah instead of going and hiding like I did with Noah. That went good - not too many stares - of course I covered everything up, but people still stare. Also - I must brag on Noah. He went potty in the potty the entire time we were gone and told me when he had to go most of that time! I was SO proud! I was not even going to push it since we were going to be running around so much and in the car alot and he just amazed me!

All the kids at the cousin tree we take a picture at every trip!

Here are a few things I learned on this trip:

1. I can travel and take care of my kids alone - it is easy, but it is possible.
2. I am not ready for pre-teens - thankfully Noah will ease me in to that.
3. I HATE traffic in big cities, especially with constructions. I panic.
4. Just when I think Noah will not want a stroller because he will want to run and play he will want Momma to carry him through the zoo - and Momma will carry him. That is what mommas do. I need an aspirin.
5. You learn to pack alot less when you are the only adult traveling and you know you will have to be the one to carry the bags.

Hope everyone had a good spring break and got to get out and enjoy it before the weather went all cold and crappy again!

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Big Boy Bed Time!

I put it off as long as I could, but the day finally came. We had to convert Noah's crib to a toddler bed :( Granted, he is almost 3, but until he was climbing out or too tall I wasn't going to push it! He has been able to climb in and out for awhile. I figured this out when he would go to his room and bring me something back that he would have to get in his crib to get and I also noticed him missing on the video monitor a few times :) But, for the most part he wasn't getting out when he was supposed to be sleeping. Then he showed me his not so graceful way he gets in and out of the crib and for fear of him breaking his neck, I decided it was time. I bought him a rail to keep him from rolling out of the bed at night, and it is pretty tall so it still kind-of has the crib feel to it, but is open on the end for him to get in and out as needed. As soon as I showed it to him, he climbed in and then tried to climb over the rail instead of out the end - he is such a climber! But, he has it down now!

Here is Noah showing me how he gets in and out of his crib all by himself:

This is a BIG step for my first baby and it feels strange to me. But, I can't keep him little forever!

Excited to take the side off his crib!

Last picture with his crib :(

He seems to be fine with the new rail!

So proud :)

Ryan Maelynn is 6 Months!

I blinked and Ryan is half way to her first birthday! It flew by with Noah but for some reason I thought maybe since I knew it would go fast it would not feel so quick this time - wrong! My life seemed to crawl along until I had kids - now it is going by so fast! Here are this months highlights:

* She weighs around 16.5 pounds and is 27 inches long

*She is still nursing when she is with me. She takes a 6 oz bottle with a tablespoon of cereal  at 10:30, eats a half to a full jar of baby food and a 5 oz bottle with cereal at noon, and a 3 ounce bottle at 4:30 with her sitter.  Her favorite food now seems to be squash! You can actually hear her saying "mmmmm" when she eats it!

* Her sleeping is still awesome! She is still going to sleep around 10:00 I am actually having to wake her up around 7:45 to get ready to go through the week! She is officially sleep trained too! I lay her down in her bed at 10:00 and she puts herself to sleep and only cries occasionally and if she does it is only for a minute or so. (I promise Meme) :) She is still sleeping in her nap nanny in her crib so that she is elevated to protect her from any more choking episodes.

* She is wearing 6-9 month clothes now! Size 2 shoes! She has worn some 12 month stuff too.

* She is still in size two diapers, but I see seize 3's in our near future.

* Her favorite things to do (besides have Momma hold her of course) is to jump in her bouncer or lay on her playmat and kick the keyboard and chew on the toys.

* She is being very stubborn with her tummy time now. She will do 5 minutes max and is screaming. She is still not rolling over either direction - she apparently wants things done HER way or no way at all! Not sure where she got that from :)

* She got her first tooth! Her bottom front left tooth came in on February 24th! Now the top front left tooth is trying to peek through! I miss her gummy grins already, but little teeth are so cute too!

Rockin the leg warmers ;)

Besties :)

Happy 6 months sweet girl!

Getting my resale on!

If you know much about me, you know I love a good resale! There is just something I like about getting a good deal on perfectly good gently used clothing, especially as fast as my kids grow! I have heard of several biannual children's resale clothing events, but the only one close to me is Rhea Lana's and it is awesome! It is ran so smoothly! Everything is organized by gender and size. There are a ton of toys and baby equipment also. I seriously look forward to this sale every 6 months - it is like a holiday to me! :) If you volunteer to help out with the event you can get passes to shop early - which I highly recommend! I help hand out postcards and put up yard signs to get in early and next year I plan on working a shift in addition to that so I can get in extra early!

Here is my haul! Plus some movies and a big Mickey Mouse keyboard for Noah to
dance on! Where else can you get all these good quality clothes,
shoes, and baby equipment for $200?

Poor Noah has outgrown most of his shirts from last summer - he has a long trunk like me so his belly hangs out if his shirts start getting small at all. He can still wear 18 month shorts if they are long enough because he is so skinny! This will be his 3rd summer in the same shorts! I did get him a few more pair of adjustable waist shorts in case he decided to plump up any this summer. I have a hard time finding him used clothes because boys tend to wear things out - they are a little wild ya know! ;) Also, Noah is a 4-5T on top and a 2T-3T (adjustable waist) on bottom, so I can't buy him sets that come already together, so that can be a challenge also. He is already almost in a size 10 shoes though, so I scored some adorable leather GAP sandals and some Columbia sandals, and some Spider Man rain boots - his favorite purchase of course. I also got him some new DVDs - one of them was Disney's Dinosaurs and he is wearing it out!

Some of Noah's new clothes

Ryan was easier to shop for because there is so much cute stuff for little girls and a lot of 12 month stuff - which is the size I got her for this summer. There were double the racks of girls 12 months as there was Noahs sizes. She is set for the summer and she finally grew out of her size one shoes and got some new size twos. I also found her a playmat that I had been looking for everywhere! She loves to kick her chunky legs so I wanted one with a keyboard at the end that played music when she kicked it - and found her one for $10 in perfect condition! I also got a new girly diaper bag! I have always carried my plain black Columbia one and it just wasn't cutting it for two kids. I was SO excited when I found an adorable Kalencom diaper bag that retails for $150 for $30!

Bathing suits!

Adorable shoes!

I love this diaper bag!

Ryan loves her new playmat!

I went back later in the week for the half-price sale and got the kids 20 outfits for $50! It doesn't get much better than that! I am already counting down to the next sale in September! Once I finally decide if we are done having kids I will be selling all my kids clothes, toys, and equipment in that sale and make enough to get them new clothes for the next year!

Aunt Jessie

Today i am linking up with Kelly's Korner in the "Show us Your Life" link-ups!  This week's topic is nieces and nephews!

I come from a big family and have 11 nieces and nephews so far! So blessed! I am very proud of my nieces and nephews and love to show them off! I have a lot so I will do them in order of age:

First is Tori (age 20) - the first person to ever call me Aunt Jessie :) It melted my heart. Tori has grown up from an adorable little bald girl to an amazingly driven young woman. She recently moved to Los Angeles and seems to really be in her element and loving it! She has really gotten into fitness lately and I am very proud of her. She is so strong and beautiful inside and out!

Next is Christian (age 16). Christian is in the middle of being a typical teenager and testing his limits, but everyone learns on their own. He is very funny and I love his sense of humor. He is very sweet and always offers to help me carry things or opens doors for me. He is a lot smarter than he lets on, but that can work to his advantage too. He has not had it as easy as most kids but he is doing so well now thanks to a lot of people who care about him.

Photo by Ann Price Photography

Bridger (age 14) is Tori's little brother and he also lives in Los Angeles. Sadly, I haven't got to see him much in the past year and a half since they moved. Bridger is wise and so smart and he loves to read. When they were here visiting over the summer I was amazed at the depth of the conversations he wanted to have with me.

Savannah (age 11) informed me she is a "pre pre teen" - oh Lord, here we go. She is absolutely beautiful and her Daddy (my brother Eli) is going to have his hands full with the boys very soon. Savannah is in the stage where she isn't fond of her little sister (just like I didn't like my little brother Eli) but I am hoping they grow closer over the years. Savannah loves little kids and kids love her. Whenever she comes to my house she wants to clean (oh, by all means, knock yourself out) and play with the kids.

Jaxon (age 10) is Tori's other little brother and he also lives in Los Angeles. He is so funny and I love hearing what he has to say about what is going on. He says things sometimes that sounds like something an old man would say. He is adorable and likes taking crazy pictures. He seems to really like living in California, even though I am sure he misses me :)

Kayden (age 8) is such a smart little boy. He loves to play video games and to read, and anything Star Wars, Lego, or Ninjago. He also likes to gross me out with the dead animals he kills when he goes hunting and he loves riding horses. He is such a sweet and smart boy - and he cares a lot about others.

Eliza Nell (age 6) is Savannah's little sister. Eliza Nell is so special. She is SO smart and goofy and clumsy just like her momma. She loves to cook and has the best imagination - she can tell stories like it is nobody's business. She started school this year so she is full of stories about what is going on in kindergarten every time I see her. She is also becoming quite the beauty queen - she has been doing pageants lately and loving it. I never know what is going to come out of that sassy little mouth of hers, but usually whatever it is cracks me up!

Marley (age 3) is such a sweet and quiet little girl. (Her momma might disagree with me on the quiet part but she is always quiet around me.) She lives about an hour and a half away so I don't get to see her very much, but when I do, she is coloring, painting, or playing with baby dolls.

Greyson (age 1) is Savannah and Eliza's little brother and the baby of their family. He is already sports obsessed thanks to his Daddy! He has a certain charm about him and this look he can give to get you to do almost anything! He is very smart and talks up a storm!

Madden (age 1) is Marley's feisty little sister.  They are night and say different from each other. Madden talks to me or anyone and runs around playing. She knows what she wants and will fight to get it - which is an awesome quality to have, even if her parents can't see that right now.

Last but not least is Paxton (age 9 months). He is the only niece or nephew I have on my husbands side! He is adorable and growing so fast! He has took off with crawling and pulling up and it won't be long and he will be running! I just love how he smiles at me when I talk to him :)

You throw my two in there Noah (age 2) and Ryan (6 months) and it is pretty crazy at family gatherings! I love being Aunt Jessie and I am so glad my kids have lots of cousins!

Groundhog = Liar

The groundhog may be cute and all, but he is a liar! He said we would have an early spring and here it is 2 weeks from spring and it is still cold! It is still below freezing at night for Heaven's sake. I used to be all about winter - my favorite season! I loved layering on clothes for two reasons - one is I can layer up and eventually I am warm, but in the summer I can only take off so much and I am still hot and could possibly be arrested for indecent exposure. Secondly, I do not like to tan (in a tanning bed or the sun) and I fit in better when I have a majority of my pasty skin covered up :)

Well, now that I have kids I prefer spring and summer temperatures. There is less sickness going around, I don't have to pile clothes on the kids and then figure out how to buckle their carseats over the top of all those clothes, and I don't have to try to explain to my 2 year old why we can't go play outside. Unless it is snowing, winter is just a bummer now! Then, when it does snow, I have to be the bad guy and drag my kid in screaming to keep playing in the snow even though he has snot running down his face and he can't feel his feet or hands. Warmer temperatures makes mommas life a little easier.

We had one day in the past month that was warm enough (65 degrees or above) and Noah wasn't coughing or had a runny nose so we rushed to the park as soon as I picked them up from daycare to play before the sun went down. Noah was SO excited! He chanted "swing slide, swing slide" the whole way there! We only got to play about 30 minutes before it started getting cold again and the sun went down, but for that 30 minutes Noah was so happy!

Langlois Park

This is the only way he would go down the slide for some reason :)

Climbing back up the slide - typical kid :)

Ryan just watched Noah play and smiled and cooed. She just loves watching him play. I can't wait until this summer when they are both playing at the park, it is warm, and the sun doesn't go down until 9:00! I never imagined myself a summer girl, but kids change everything! So, if you see me half dressed (trying to cool off) with my pasty skin this summer, just look the other way - I am making memories with my kids!

Noah picked me flowers :)