Christmas Came and Christmas Went.....

Every year, I tell myself that I am going to try to slow down and really enjoy the holiday season. I tell myself that I am going to get all of my shopping done early and wrap all the presents up , so that I can take time to do the simple things that are so wonderful at Christmas. Those are great aspirations, but unfortunately they don't take into account life's little roadblocks that always seem to come up at the worst of times. My personal roadblock this year was sickness. Everyone in my family got some form of bronchitis and believe me when I say that it was anything but fun. Thankfully, the blessing to be had in the suffering, was that we were all well by the time we had to travel. Merrily, we drove to Dothan, singing all the way. Well, maybe we weren't merry and maybe the singing was actually the bickering my children took part in, but we did arrive in Dothan safely. We ended up having a lovely Christmas. The girls and I did lots of baking with Sue-Sue. Sue-Sue was a good sport about the whole thing. I broke her candy thermometer and burned her arm all in a matter of minutes!!! We got to hear Paw-Paw preach TWICE and enjoy all of our wonderful family traditions. We played several games of Scattergories, attended Nathan's basketball game, watched movies, and even managed to convince my parents that they needed to move into 2007 with high-speed internet access. Yes, I would say that a good time was had by all. I am just a little letdown that as quickly as it came, it went. Another year is almost over and I am finding that I now say the same thing every December 31st. "This year went by so fast"!

Picture with my 50 mm lens

It took forever to get here, but I finally received my 50 mm lens. I heard from 'experts' that it is a great prime lens. I did a little dance in my driveway, after checking the mail and finding it had arrived. I couldn't wait to put it into use. Unfortunately, I had to beg Noah to sit there so I could experiment. You might wonder why I wouldn't try to use the girls, but they are on vacation and most hours of the day, their hair isn't even brushed!!! This is definitely my best one that I got out of about 15 shots. Isn't he cute? It's ok, you can say it!!! I have a LONG way to go!!!

Noah's New Haircut

I am used to girls hair. It doesn't require much upkeep. If they wear it long, then all we do is wash it and worry about keeping the tangles out. Having a little boy means getting haircuts more often. Noah's hair has been getting so long and Greg keeps taking him to get it cut, but we haven't been very happy with the way it has looked. I don't think he was taking him to the right places. Today, I wised up and took him to my hair stylist. I think it looks really cute. Of course, I am his mommy and I think everything about him is cute ( well ok, I don't think it is cute when he is throwing a fit or talking back to me). ;)

Andrea's Rules for Ballet Etiquette...

I took the twins to another Christmas ballet this past weekend. We enjoyed it, but it has come to my attention that certain members of the general public do not know the do's and don'ts of attending a ballet performance. I am taking the liberty to enlighten them. (Actually, I doubt any of that public will read this blog, but in order to get this off of my chest, I am going to write)!!!

1.) THOU SHALL ARRIVE AT THE THEATER EARLY! If the ballet begins at 2pm, do not pull into the parking lot at 1:55. Sufficient time is needed to find your seat and get settled. Trust me when I say that finding your seat in the dark is quite difficult, especially if you are in the middle.

2.) THOU SHALL NOT WEAR JEANS!!! Simply put, Sunday dress is best. What you wear to a football game is not appropriate for attending the theater!

3.) THOU SHALL LEAVE ALL CELLULAR DEVICES IN THE CAR!! I know this one is terribly hard to understand, but will it harm you to go 2 hrs without talking to Aunt Betty?

4.) THOU SHALL LEAVE CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 4 AT HOME! In theory, it may seem like a fun idea, but in reality, are they really going to be able to sit in a seat QUIETLY for two + hrs? A better idea might be to take them to a 'Wiggles' concert. They allow you to get up during that performance!

5.) THOU SHALL KNOW WHERE THY SEAT IS LOCATED! Look at your ticket and find the section, row, and seat number. Now, if you have any further questions, ask the ushers. That is what they are there for! It can be quite embarassing accusing someone that they are in your seat, only to figure out that YOU are in the wrong section!

6.) THOU SHALL USE COMMON COURTESY WHEN "CRAWLING" OVER OTHERS TO GET TO THY SEAT!! " Excuse me"," I am sorry for the inconvenience", and" thank you" are generally well accepted by the theater crowd. And why would you wait until intermission is almost over and people are settled back in their seats, to decide it is time to get up?

7.) IF THOU ARE BLESSED WITH HEIGHT, THOU SHALL KINDLY REFRAIN FROM CONSTANT HEAD MOVEMENT. This is especially considerate, when the people seated behind you are small in stature. Remember, we can't see THROUGH your head.

8.) THOU SHALL REFRAIN FROM ALL PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION DURING THE PERFORMANCE. Save the hugging, snuggling, kissing, sweet nothings, etc, etc for the privacy of your home. People are there to see a ballet performance, not watch a re-enactment of "Love Story'.

9.) ONCE THE CURTAIN IS UP, THOU SHALL WHISPER WHEN THOU NEEDS TO SAY SOMETHING. Need I say more?

10.) THOU SHALL REFRAIN FROM TELLING "OFF COLOR" STORIES, WITHIN EARSHOT OF OTHERS. The ballet scene is not the same as the 'Bar' scene!

In case you are wondering, I experienced all of the above on Sunday. I may sound mean and irritable, but I am just tired of people not using common sense and some manners! I paid so much money for our tickets and we didn't have a very good view because of #7 and #8. It was quite frustrating, but I feel SO much better getting this off my chest! :) Maybe I have helped edjucate someone!

Merry Christmas to me.......

Santa Claus came early to my house. Yesterday, I ran to the door when I heard the Fed Ex guy pull up in my driveway. He delivered my brand new 'Digital Rebel XTi'. I feel like I am 10 years old again. I am so excited! I have been reading on a photography board and today I tried the first "lesson", which is shooting in manual. I have always just shot in Auto, which is where the camera picks the settings ( ISO, shutter speed, and aperture). Manual, is where you select the settings. It isn't as easy as it sounds. So, while Noah napped, I wandered around the outside of my house looking for subjects to practice on. The flower above was one of my attempts. While it is by no means a masterpiece, I was thrilled that it came out relatively clear! I can't wait to take lots of Christmas pictures when we go to my parents. I have told my husband thank you so many times, that I hope he understands how much this gift means to me. Now I wait for two more lenses that were on back order. My kids better get ready to strike a pose. If you ever feel the need to be overloaded with pictures, then my blog will be the place to visit. I plan on putting my new "toy" to lots of use! :)

Observations from the carpool line...

First of all, I am going to say how incredibly grateful I am that I could even be in the carpool line today. I have not been enjoying dragging Noah up from his nap every afternoon to go sit in a line of other parents waiting for dismissal. However, the fact that my children were well enough to attend school, made me shout for joy that I could be in the line!!! How is that for perspective? Anyway, I usually end up sitting in the line for a good 10-15 mins and I probably should bring reading material but I usually just people-watch! Yes, you read that correctly. I find it very interesting. There are 3 moms in particular that I look for every afternoon. One mom arrives very early to get in line and she always parks and gets out with her younger child and lets her play at the playground area. I sit there watching while Noah is strapped into his seat, bored out of his mind. I think, "wow she is such a thoughtful mom". I am too lazy to do that. Then there is the mom who just appears through the trees that border the school property. They live in the neighborhood behind the school and she always comes walking with a mini cooler in her hand. She brings her children a cold drink and then they head home and back through the trees. I have even seen her bring a drink to the music teacher, who is always for some reason standing by the side of the school. I think I am secretly envious that the school is in her backyard! Then there is the "fashion mom". They live in a nearby neighborhood too, so she walks over to get her child. I have never once seen her in sweats or without makeup. She is always dressed to the nines! I have even seen her walking over in her stiletto boots! She has at minimum 10 different coats! I have 2!!! There I sit in my car, with my hair piled on top of my head, looking like death(no makeup on my pale face), and feeling pretty pathetic! She is always smiling too. It really is true that when you care about your appearance, you feel better about yourself! I wish I cared enough on Mondays, to actually follow that advice! ;) So there you have it, I obviously have too much time on my hands. Maybe I should make better use of my time. I have a Bible and a devotional in the car and I have tried to read them. Somehow, getting interrupted every few seconds by a question-asking 3 year old, does not make that task easy. No, I would rather just stare out the window and be nosy!!! :)

When it Rains, it pours...

The title says it all. It is literally raining outside, but we have a storm of sickness in our house! Since the end of last week, every person in our family has been ill. I am battling sinus stuff and all 3 kids have upper respiratory/bronchitis! I was really hoping that Meredith would be able to go back to school today but she is still not 100%. To say that I am frustrated, is an understatement. Last month, all 3 had strep, and now this. I feel like I need to Lysol every inch of my house. It seems like we are never going to all be healthy again! I guess I am just having a little pity party for myself. Life just has a way of coming in waves. There are the mountain tops and there are the valleys. At this point, it seems like the mountain top is far out of reach! I know that we have so much to be thankful for, and I am. I guess when you are dealing with sick kids, and circumstances that are beyond your control, the only thing you CAN do is trust in the Lord. Unfortunately, I feel like I am struggling in that area too. So, to all my sweet friends ( and my mom), I just ask that you pray for us. We need our health restored in this house. I need the pharmacist to forget what I look like, and I would like to be able to go a full 5 mins without hearing someone hacking up a lung!! My big accomplishment for this week, will be if I actually get to go to my hair appt on Thursday!!! PRAY!!! I am a sad sight! ;)

I don't have good "mommy" radar!

I thought I did but I don't. I just can't seem to pinpoint when they are really sick and when they are not. I totally thought that Noah just had a cold. Greg told me to take him to the dr several days ago and while I called the dr, I elected to try over the counter medicine. I just knew it was only a cold!!! Well, I took him in today and he has bronchitis. I am so tired of sickness. Last month, all 3 kids had strep, and now Noah is sick again and I have a bad cold. To make matters worse, he is extremely clingy. All I really want to do is lay in my bed ALONE, drink hot tea, and rest! Unfortunately, I can't! I really want MY mommy!!!!! :(

My story of the day.....

Yes, I am odd. I have some very strange things that annoy me. One of them is CROWDS! You can ask any of my close friends, but I can't stand to be somewhere, and have no breathing room. I think I am a little claustrophobic! I have even been known to leave certain eating establishments because it was so jammed pack with people!!!! Well today, Noah and I went to the mall to do even more Christmas shopping ( it never ends). We were at 'Limited' and he told me he was hungry and wanted some chicken nuggets. Well anything for my sweetie!!! So it is only about 10:30am, and the food court was sparse and just the way I like it!!!! I got some Chik-fil-a and we went to a back corner to sit. Seriously, there was probably about FIVE people in the huge court area!!! We are sitting there eating, chatting, and minding our business when this older couple starts walking towards us and they chose the table RIGHT next to us. One of them must have had a hearing problem because they were doing sign language. They didn't just sit down, no they moved chairs back and forth several times, making that loud scraping noise (cringe). Noah just stared. They didn't even have any food. They just sat there making very big sign language gestures and not once did they look at us. I just found it very odd and couldn't help but think to myself that " this kind of thing only happens to me". I mean, there was empty space ALL over the food court. Why come sit on top of me and my son? I could understand if the place was crowded with people, but it wasn't! Now before anyone tells me that I need to loosen up, let me just say that it was just frustrating because I purposely sat in the back so I could be invisible. Do I have a shining light on my shirt or something that draws people over? I really do not think so! Do you think God is trying to teach me something in the area of flexibility? Quite possible!!!! Ok, rant over! ;)

Sweet Noah

I never get tired of taking pictures of this boy. He was being a little ham for me today. He doesn't even feel 100%, but he would sit there and I would take a picture, and then he would run over , and want me to show him what it looked like! Noah has a cold and a cough. I probably shouldn't have taken him to "school" yesterday, but I was a bad mommy. I had so many errands to do that I gave him some medicine and off he went. In my defense, he didn't have a fever and his runny nose was clear. However, when I picked him up, one of his teachers was *kind* enough to tell me that maybe if I washed his blankie, then he would get better! Huh? Believe it or not, I do wash the blanket, but it is so "loved", that it will never look the same! I felt so stupid as I left his school . Apparently, I didn't pack him enough drinks either! Do you ever wonder if people just assume that you haven't got a clue how to be a mother? I sure do! I am not the type to have a quick retort. I just stutter and get out of dodge as fast as I can. Thank the Lord there were no other mothers around when I got my reprimand! Next time, I am sending Noah to school with at least 3 drinks, and he will take an "unloved" blanket. They better not call me when he cries at naptime!!! ;)

The Nutcracker..

Last Friday evening, the twins and I had a "girls only" night. We went and ate dinner (their choice), and then to see 'The Nutcracker'. Oh the memories it brought back. Madeline and Meredith could not believe that their mom was actually "Clara" in 'The Nutcracker' almost 20 years ago. I still have the wooden Nutcracker my parents gave me the year that I danced that role. It is sitting on my mantle ( the small one on the left). It is very fragile! I have to keep the kids from playing with it. I managed to dig out my old video from 1987!!! We watched some of it yesterday and I could still remember most of the choreography. I think that it will always be one of my favorite times in my dancing career. I still remember the excitement when my ballet teacher called me at home to tell me that I was going to be Clara. It was such a magical experience from beginning to end. As we sat in the balcony on Friday night, the music and the dancing really stirred something inside of me. I have taken 3 years off from teaching and I am starting to get the "bug" again. Who knows what will happen? God has always faithfully provided every single one of my job opportunities. I am excited to see what doors may open. On a side note, the girls informed me after watching the performance, that they now want to take ballet next year!!! All it takes is watching a ballet, to make you want to dance! ;)

Ten Things I love to do:

I am having so much fun reading other blogs. One thing I have noticed is that they "tag" each other with different lists and favorites. It is a great way to get to know different things about other people. So, I am starting one, and I am "tagging" Jennifer, Christy, Diane, and anyone else that reads this. Let's do 10 Things we Love to do :

1. I love to get up early on the weekdays, workout ( very happy when that is completed), grab my coffee, and sit on my sofa in the quiet and converse with God.

2. I love to take LONG hot showers.

3. I love to go to my girls soccer games ( soooo much fun).

4. I *secretly* love that I have a mama's boy! I love hugging him and kissing his sweet face.

5. I love taking pictures, looking at pictures, uploading pictures, scrapbooking pictures. If it has to do with photography, I love it.

6. I love trying new recipes and I especially love it if I get my family's thumbs up!

7. I love surfing the web on my laptop.

8. I love Mother's Morning Out days when I have FIVE hours to myself!!

9. I love to SHOP. I especially enjoy shopping when I have store coupons, which 'Limited', 'Express', and 'Ann Taylor Loft' are so kind to send me! Only requirement, is that I have to be in the shopping *mood*.

10. I love to go on dates with my husband! We especially love to go eat Sushi and go to a movie! :)

Who is next?

Oh the things he says.....

I think one of the best parts about having a three year old, are the things that come out of his mouth. Granted, sometimes it is defiance, and I want to pull my hair out, but there are the occasional moments that have me rolling!!! Today, as we were waiting in carpool line for the girls, Noah asked me for a book. We have several books in the pocket behind my seat. He was very insistant, that he wanted a certain book. He kept saying, " I want the dark one". I kept grabbing different books and handing them to him. I thought for sure he meant a dark colored book. Well he kept saying " no, the dark one". Well come to find out he meant the ballerina book and on the cover is an "african-american" ballerina. Now I in no way laugh at this in a racist way. I just thought it was so funny that he chose that way to convey exactly the book he wanted!!! Maybe I should also think it is funny that he wanted a "ballerina" book in the first place! LOL ;)

Noah also has taken to carrying around a "family". We literally have to take a duck, a bear, and a tiny bear with us wherever we go and they must be tucked in with him each and every night. I asked him who they were and he told me that the big bear was the daddy, the duck was the mommy, and the little bear was the baby. I thought that was absolutely precious. So, somehow the bear and the duck got together and had a little tiny bear!!!! LOL!!!

Just when I thought I had my act together......

Life is funny sometimes. It seems like whenever I start feeling like I finally have myself organized and on top of things, then a curve ball is thrown my way. Does that happen to anyone else? For me, there are the moments when I feel like, "hey I actually look decent and stylish today", and then I trip, or look in the mirror and have something stuck in my teeth! Today, I was thinking to myself, "wow, I have my tree up, my house decorated, and I made a dent in my shopping list. I still have TWO weeks of Noah being in his school to finish up". " I am doing great!" Well I should have kept my prideful mouth SHUT! As I was sitting at the church playground waiting for Madeline to finish up cheerleading, my husband called to let me know that I had a lovely piece of mail waiting for me at at home. Guess what it is? I have been summoned for jury duty! And, to make matters worse, it is for two weeks from yesterday, so that means my last week of precious shopping time without Noah is gone. Do you think if I went to the court and begged the judge to have mercy on me and the fact that I have THREE kids and no child care, he would let me out of it? Sometimes, I just have to laugh at the irony of my life! It is ALWAYS something! :)

O Christmas Tree.....

Yes, my tree is up. I absolutely cannot believe that it is time for Christmas. Where did 2006 go? It feels like just yesterday, I was putting the decorations away! Oh well, time to go with the flow. I have decided to stay very simple this year. I literally put the tree together, strung the lights, and let the kids ( Noah too) decorate the entire thing. They especially had fun putting up their own personal ornaments that their Sue-Sue gives them each year. I think they did a very good job. I also, somehow managed to get a few nice pictures of them in front of the tree. The one above was one of my favorites but I chose a closer shot for *the* picture on our cards. I actually ordered them today from Snapfish. Hopefully, I will be happy with them when they arrive.

Every year, I strive to be more organized and to actually do meaningful things with my children. I don't want them to get caught up in the Christmas "hype", but at the same time I do want them to have fun. I loved Christmas as a child. I hope my kids will have fond memories to look back on while still knowing that Christ is the true reason for the season! Hang on everyone......it's the most WONDERFUL time of the year! :)

A Thankful Heart......

We had a very nice Thanksgiving. I made a pumpkin crisp, and brought the rolls and a salad to my SIL's house. She was so sweet and offered to host our family meal this year. We had a lovely lunch and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins outside and riding bikes all afternoon. Around 5pm, we took all the kiddos ( minus Noah) to see 'The Santa Clause 3'. All in all, a very nice day. I have so much to be thankful for ( see above pics for 3 reasons). I am ashamed to admit that so many days go by when I fail to count my numerous blessings, and instead choose to focus on things that I don't have or situations that I have no control over. I know God is asking me in this season of my life, to be thankful for all that I do have and not to worry about the rest. If I could just learn the lesson of contentment, then I think that would be a huge victory in my life. I must have one hard head because this seems to be a lesson that I have to be taught over and over. So on my blog, I just want to say Thank you to the Lord for all that he has done for me and for all of the many ways that he has blessed our family. We have all of our needs met and our cups are truly overflowing. Thank you , dear Jesus for loving me despite my struggles and weaknesses. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! :)

There was a crazy woman at Walmart today!!!

This mother must have had a temporary moment of insanity to think that she could go to Walmart TWO days before Thanksgiving, with all 3 kids in tow! When she got to the store, the three year old started screaming because he wanted to get on the little carousel ride that Walmart has so *kindly* put right by the carts. The mother said no and proceeded to buckle him into the shopping cart. Then the three year old started crying again because he didn't want either of his sisters to push the cart, but they were insistant upon doing it anyway, As the mother navigated her way through the store, she had to tell her twin daughters on numerous occasions to watch where they were going so as not to walk right into the MANY people that were shopping that day. When the group finally made its way around to the food section, she discovered that Walmart was out of all fat free organic milk, which was one of the reasons that she made this ridiculous trip in the first place. An employee said he would go in the back to check for a new shipment, but 15 minutes later all he could tell the mother was that they had NONE! The mother could feel her blood pressure rising, but she continued on. The twins decided to take that opportunity to try to beg and plead with their mom to buy them a lunchable which would be a rare treat. The mom told them a specific one they could have but of course they managed to come back with something else. The mom held her ground and the twins sulked off, but not before making the mom feel like she was the wicked witch of the south!!! A few aisles later, the 3 year old pushed one of the twins because once again she was trying to "mommy" him and so the girls were told to move on ahead and wait. As the mother was trying to figure out what else was on her list, she heard an argument in the distance. She looked up and much to her dismay, it was her daughters who seemed to think that the frozen food section at Walmart was the perfect time to pick a fight. The mother quickly made her way to them and in order to give them something to do, she sent them off to get some sandwich meat at the deli. They were back one minute later telling her that they just couldn't do it. They said they were too shy to stand in the line. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they made their way to the checkout line. An employee stopped the mom and asked her if she needed a second cart since the first one was practically overflowing and was a struggle to push. The mother had to bite her tongue so as not to say something she would regret. Would it be possible for a 5'1 1/2 inch female to push two carts ( one holding a 3 year old), keep up with the twins, and not manage to plow into innocent bystanders? As she made her way to the checkout line, her cell phone began to ring, AND ring, AND ring. One of the twins asked her mom, why she wasn't going to answer it? That would have been a near impossible feat since the cell phone was in the mother's purse, and the purse was buried two feet under all of the groceries. In the end, the mother managed to get all of her groceries loaded onto the conveyor belt at the register, and $$$.$$ later, it was time to leave. It was with a very THANKFUL heart that she told her kids that this was a prime example of why most mommies shop when their kids are at school! *** In case you didn't realize, the mom in this story was me. No, my kids are not always this unruly. I am just going to tuck this away as one of those bad days that we all have from time to time! Right? ;)

Yes, they are twins!!

Today I had to take the girls to the ENT to have their tonsils looked at. They were quite nervous about the whole thing. I had to explain to them that the doctor was just going to look at them today and if he needed to remove them, it would be on a different date. We dropped little brother off at Paw-Paw's house ( thank GOD) and drove downtown. From the lobby to the elevator, to the dr.'s office, we got asked if they were twins. Now, I understand that sometimes sisters ( or brothers) that are similiar in height, could cause that question to be asked. However, when my girls are standing next to each other in identical coats, with the same hair/eye color and facial features, then I just don't understand the question. I am thinking of making them shirts that say "YES, WE ARE TWINS", and then listing all the stats that are inevitably the next round of questions from curious bystanders. I do not say any of this to be ugly. Maybe if I didn't have twins, I would go around asking the very same thing. I remember when they were babies and we would be in the store or the mall. I would have them in my side by side double stroller wearing identical PINK outfits. I would get " are they twins" all the time. My favorite had to be , "which one is the boy?". Uh, I don't know, the one in the PINK!!!! Ah, life with twins, it may be tiring, it may be crazy, but it is NEVER boring! ;)

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I got this recipe off of a website that I accidentally found. It is so easy to make these and they taste delicious. I have always just substituted unbleached white flour but one of these days I am going to make them the healthy way! ;)

Garlic Cheese Biscuits ( from The Family Homestead website)

1 C milk
1/3 C mayo
1 T cane juice crystals ( I use organic sugar)
2 C WW pastry flour ( I use white)
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1/4 C grated cheddar cheese (I add a little more)
1/2 t garlic powder or chopped garlic
3 T melted butter

Mix milk, mayo, sugar, flour, baking powder, & salt until smooth and combined. Add cheese and use spatula to blend until it streaks through the batter. The batter should drop from spoon not pour so you can add more flour if needed. Divide batter into 12 greased muffin tins. Mix butter and garlic and spoon over top of biscuits. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 mins until golden brown. Cool on rack for a few mins. These are best served hot. ENJOY!

What is he talking about?

You know that commercial on tv for Volvo? The one where the little girl is in the back seat, just rambling on about this and that. The dad is trying to get her buckled and trying to close the door while listening to her talk. She just goes on and on about nothing really. Well that was Noah today! We went to Target which was I have to say, a HUGE thrill for me after being stuck inside all of yesterday with my little sickie. We are in the checkout line, and I am trying to load my very full basket with TWO huge storage containers, Diet coke, paper towels, and the list goes on! A lady behind me was being very nice and waiting for me to move out of her way and she started talking to Noah. She asked him if Santa was coming to which he replied "no"! I am not sure why he said that. Well then he just started talking and talking and talking. I haven't the faintest idea what the story was about. He was telling her something and he was very serious and he knew what he was saying. I told the woman that it was like the girl in the commercial. He would not be quiet. And to think, I was worried after his one year birthday that he had either a speech or hearing problem because he wasn't saying much! ;)

Noah ( my *little* boy)

The twins have always been off the growth charts through the years. We knew from the very beginning that they were going to be tall. It is just a matter of time before they are looking down at their mom! I always said that I would probably have my tall girls and a short son! Well after Noah's last dr visit, it looks to be the case ( although I have a feeling that one day he will shoot up ;) ). I had to take Noah in and it turned out that he had his very first case of strep throat...poor baby! He weighs a whopping 31lbs and is 3 ft 2 inches tall. That puts him in the 45% for weight and the 65% for height. You have to understand that this is a first for me, to have an average sized child ;) !!! Noah and his best little friend are the exact same weight and height. In fact, they could probably pass for fraternal twins with their blonde hair!

For now, he is my little boy. I'd like to keep him that way and enjoy all the special moments. Time goes entirely too fast. I can't believe I have 9 year olds.

BLT Soup

I am really enjoying reading a friend of mines blog. She will know who she is! ;) She posts really great looking recipes and that has inspired me to post some of mine. I LOVE to browse the internet for new things to try on my family. I especially love them if they are healthy, quick, and kid-tested! This is one of my kids favorites. It comes from 'The Moms Guide to Meal Makeovers' which is a great cookbook and we have loved 95% of what I have made from it. Enjoy!


BLT in a bowl ( I double this)

Two 10 3/4 oz cans of 30% less sodium tomato soup
2 Cans of water
6 - 8 oz of frozen cheese tortellini
One 6 oz bag prewashed baby spinach
Real Bacon Bits
Parmesan cheese

Pour tomato soup and water into a large saucepan and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook uncovered according to pkg directions, stirring frequently. Do not drain. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 mins. Serve in individual bowls and top with bacon bits and parm. cheese.

I am a proud daughter!

My entire immediate family came into town this past weekend. My father was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at the small Christian college that he attended. My dad is a wonderful father, husband, and preacher but he was also a very good basketball player in his day. It was great to hear his former coach and some of his friends speak so highly of him. I think the thing that brought the tears to my eyes was not his basketball accomplishments, but how he spoke of the most important thing that happened while he attended that college. My father was apparently a wild Catholic boy, but God in his wonderful grace chose to save him and call him into the ministry. I have always looked up to and admired my dad but it never ceases to amaze me how my respect and appreciation for him continues to grow year after year. I am a proud daughter and I am a truly blessed one to have such a wonderful Dad!

It is never a good time......

It is never "convenient" to have a sick child. It always seems to occur on a day when you actually have plans. Meredith came downstairs on Wednesday crying and telling me her throat hurt. I instantly knew it was strep. We got in to see the dr but had to wait for over an hour in the office. I was about to scream! I can't stand sitting and staring at the wall and of course, I also had my 3 yr old so that was incredibly fun!!!! She did indeed have strep and that meant two days of no school. I had plans for Thursday that I had to cancel but such is the life of a mother, right? Meredith went back to school today and I am praying that we can all stay well for awhile. I would really like to get through the holiday season with our health!

Noah's Morning Routine.....

My little Noah gets up every morning in a good mood. He will usually wake up and wait patiently for me to come get him. He prefers to be held by his mommy only, although the sisters have been known to try to steal him away! Noah likes his juice and something to eat(waffles, cereal bars, or a fruit leather). He really enjoys his morning tv watching. We have had many favorites. I am praising the Lord that 'The Doodlebops' phase seems to be over. We have also been through Teletubbies, Barney, and The Wiggles. The current show on the top of Noah's list is..................................'Handy Manny'. Hey, a boy has to watch a show with talking tools at some point in his life, right?

The twins turn 9 ( belated post)

A little less then a month ago, my girlies turned 9!!! For some reason, 9 just sounds so much older to me. I can already tell that they have some pre-teen behavior which is at times cute and at other times frustrating. Anyway, we had their party at the bowling alley . The girls had so much fun bowling in their socks with all of their friends. I got their cake at a local bakery and it turned out so nicely ( plus mommy didn't have to bake it). The twins told me after it was over that it was their best party yet. That made this mommy smile!!!

Fall Festival

On Halloween, we took the kids to a local church for their fall festival. The girls did not really dress up because ever option I gave them, they said "no". It is tough having opinionated 9 year olds. Noah was 'Bob the Builder'. He originally picked out Spiderman at the store but then when we got it home, he refused to wear it. Costume problems aside, the kids had a fun time and that is all that matters.

My Sweeties

These are my sweet children. The twins are *gasp* 9 and Noah is 3 and all boy. They are the source of laughter, joy, and occasionally tears. I feel so blessed though to be their mommy. I get asked all the time what it is like to be the mommy of twins and I have learned that when people say to me "double the trouble", I can say " double the fun"!!! The truth is that the twins were a piece of cake compared to running after a rough and tumble little boy! I wouldn't trade a thing though!

My first blog...

Well after reading several different blogs, I have decided to start one of my own. I love writing and getting my thoughts down on paper ( or the computer). My hope is to be able to share this site with different friends and family so that they can keep in touch with us and watch our kids grow. Everyone is so busy these days and it seems like we don't get to spend time with the ones we love as often as we should. My prayer is that this blog will be a blessing to everyone who reads it and bring a smile to each face. I tend to ramble so who knows what I will write about. Stay tuned......