Misty Watercolor Memories

I'm at the office today working for my aunt. Sophie is snoozing in her stroller beside me right now. And I had a chance to go back through old files on this computer and found some pictures, so I thought I would share!Them boots were made for walkin! Tres got a hand-me-down pair of boots from one of his cousins and wore them constantly for about a week! I think he was 2 going on 3 in this picture.This is me when I was about 11 years old. I was taking a riding lesson at Triple E Farms. I loved riding horses! It makes me sad to think about Triple E because it has since been developed and sold as neighborhood property. I used to have a crush on my riding teacher's son, Max. He passed away a couple of years ago from a brain anoruism. He was only about 5 years older than me. He left behind two daughters that adored him. Here's Tres riding Buttercup at his old Mother's Day Out program he went to when he was 3. This one is Bry with Aunt Jennie. Look how chunky monkey he looks! Still got those killer brown eyes going on!Here's an interesting one! Me on my senior prom night. I asked my friend, Ronnie, to be my date that night. I had missed out on Junior prom for some reason or another and didn't want to miss out again. It was a rough night though, cause Ronnie wasn't the best date (sorry Ron!). He didn't dance with me, cause he said his feet hurt, he wanted to go home early cause he was tired. He brought me the UGLIEST corsage imaginable (Mom had to perform emergency surgery on it to make it workable). And when I got cold, he simply pulled his jacket closer around him and said, "Yeah it is chilly, huh?" It's a funny memory now, but I was a little let down then. He also thought my dress was inappropriate and told my dad that he "wouldn't let his daughter out of the house in that dress." You be the judge. I felt like a Barbie in that dress and I still love it!My wedding day. One of the best days of my life. This day led to the other three best days of my life and I am so happy and honored to be called Hank's wife! I remember a lot of little things about my wedding day. I remember Hank went to Build-A-Bear and built me an elephant with a wedding dress on. I remember his face when I surprised him by singing 'Forever's As Far As I'll Go,' to him. And I remember the moment when he slipped my ring on my hand vividly because I was supposed to have only a diamond band, but got a solitaire that day. I will cherish my ring always! I remember Hank leaning over and whispering some joke to loosen us both up, and I couldn't stop laughing even though I'm sure the joke wasn't that funny. It was a good day.

Well, I guess that's enough of memory lane for now!

Bathroom Make-over

Our hall bath has almost completely gotten it's makeover. I spent a good portion of the weekend searching local stores for new bathmats, towels, and a shower curtain to make it look good! I found what I was looking for at Target on clearance, no less! So I got two rugs, a shower curtain and decorative towels for about $30 total! When I put it all in the bathroom, it really made the new sinks and bathroom faucets stand out! And did I tell you guys that Hank put up crown molding and framed in the mirror? The only thing left to do is tile the floor, and we're just waiting on a decent block of time to get it done!

Small town business

Here in my town lately, there has been a commercial boom! I mean, we went from a Wal-mart and McDonalds town to having multiple department stores, a movie theatre, restaurants and much more!

I remember when I was in high school, my brother and sister and I used to say, "Man, if there was a Chik-Fil-A... Olive Garden... Jim 'N Nicks... Movie theater around here it would make a killing!"

I still think there are some franchise opportunities to be had around here. I mean, if some industrious business man put a Milo's down the street from my house, I would be there at least once a week... So well, maybe it's for the best that it's not!

Allergy Sneezon

My family as been hit HARD this allergy season. My boys are coughing and gagging on drainage. They are telling me they have headaches and just having off days lately. I've been struggling too. But when the baby got a runny nose and woke up with puffy eyes, I knew it was time to break out our humidifiers and try to get some moist air circulating in our house! We haven't invested in one of those deluxe air o swiss humidifiers, but we do have a handy dady Hello Kitty one and another one for the boys' room. When we turn those suckers on full blast and treat the cough and headaches with over the counter meds to keep the symptoms in check. If it gets really severe, we'll have to head to the doctor and possibly invest in one of those big daddy humidifiers!

Three's

Three things happened this weekend: First, Tres got sick on Friday night. He ran a fever of 101.8 and just wanted to be in bed. He tossed and turned (with me in my bed) just about all night. I alternated tylenol and motrine and we used a cool rag cause he felt like he was on fire. At around 4:30 am, he woke me up and said he felt better, so I got him comfy and he slept. I wasn't about to wake him up so I told Hank to take Bry in Tres's place to soccer. His little soccer team was already down one of six players, so without Bry they couldn't play. So he was a 'pinch kicker!'He did pretty good and seemed to have a really good time! Later that day, between Alabama's win and Auburn's loss, Hankie got himself a new toy! He went and bought himself a scooter. He loves it and it should cut our gas bill by half, even after the monthly payment, insurance, and fuel! Hank loves it!And so do the boys! The third took up a lot of my weekend, but it was so worth it! Tres had his birthday party and it was a success. He was all better from what must have been some sort of fever virus... and a full 24 hours had passes since his fever broke, so we felt confident that we could have a party without infecting everyone.

We've been so busy, that we just called our friends and asked them to come... instead of sending out invites. But it all worked out. I think only one couldn't make it. It was a sunny day and good for outdoor activities just the same! So I made sure to have plenty of water guns handy and we had the trampoline to jump around in. Tres had asked for a LEGO Indiana Jones cake, and then proceeded to pick out Indiana Jones napkins, GI Joe party favors, and a Spider Man pinata! He's such a boy, and we love it!His only other request was corn chips. He kept trying to tell us what they were and would describe them as the chips that smile or frown. How cute is that? He invited a lot of little friends over to Grandma's house for a final swim of the summer. None of the adults were brave enough to try, but the kids all did for a short time until they were all shivering... which was like, 15 or 20 minutes into it! After the kids all defrosted, we sang Happy Birthday to the birthday boy!


Did you guys see Tyler try to blow out the candle? I thought Tres handled that like a big boy! Then it was on to presents... Speed Racer movie, a small LEGO, a Transformer, a tee ball stand, and a couple of gift cards. He is a very blessed little boy!

Then it was time to work off the sugar and take a whack at the pinata! I thought Caleb and Zach were too funny cause they took it so seriously!

NOTE TO SELF: Do not put stampers in goody bags EVER, EVER, EVER again. Seriously, Jamie... what were you thinking? You had to bathe both boys twice, and use facial astrigent on their entire bodies to get nearly all of it off!My two boys, Mr. Green Chicken Pox, and Rudolf.

I'm ready to scale back on birthdays though... especially having Ava Sophia's and Tres's so close together!

One of the Last Firsts

We have been encouraging Ava Sophia to walk a lot lately, but she would just take 1, 2, or 3 steps then drop and crawl. I have noticed yesterday and today that she has been trying it on her own! So when I saw my little naked lady walking out of the corner of my eye while I was clipping coupons, I grabbed my handy-dandy camera and captured the milestone! I'm sad that this is the last time I'll see one of my babies take their first steps, but I'm excited that she is so pleased with herself!

She also points to her nose, eyes, and mouth (as well as anyone elses), and nods her head (also known as 'Bobblehead Sophie' at out house).

I am so enjoying my last baby... sweet baby girl!

Birthday with Family & Friends

Yesterday morning, we got up a little early and let Tres open his presents from us. We got him a Batman Lego set and a couple of small things like an Indiana Jones hat he's been wanting.

Then it was off to school, where I got to take a snack in to make his day special.

Then his Daddy got to pick him up. So on his way, he stopped and picked up Bry who had wrapped his gift for Tres. Bry picked him out a Star Wars game and a Hoops & Yo-Yo musical card. He loved it! My kids play with those cards until they are literally shreds!

When he made it home, I got him a little snack and he opened his present from Sophie, a few Star Wars collectible ships.

Then we let him pick where to go eat for the night. He wavered between Mexican, Milos, and Outback. He finally decided on Outback.

On the way, we decided to call out friends Chad and Mandy. They have a little girl, Kayleigh who turned 5 today actually, so we thought it might be nice to include them! We had a blast as always. And both Tres and Kayleigh loved having the staff sing their birthday song to them!Here's my buddy Kayleigh... does she remind you guys of anyone?Our birthday boy Tres!All the kiddos having fun!

It was a fun filled Birthday! His party is Sunday and there will be a lot more pics for you then!

Birthday at School

Tres was the Star Student yesterday since it was his birthday! I got to take snacks into his class. I let Tres pick out the special snack, and we ended up bringing in apple dippers, cheese sticks, and YooHoo drink boxes.Tres thought it was cool that Sophie got to come to his snack time too! He even shared his apples with her. One of Tres's little classmates, came up to me and said, "Tres never told us he had a baby!" That made me laugh!Sophie was like a Super Star in there... all the kids wanted to touch her and talk to her and make her laugh. I mean, they swarmed her like she was a super star and they were the paparazzi!

Henry John, III ~ 6 years old

-You have lost two teeth on the bottom, and you think it's cool that you can put a straw there.
-You love to have us read to you!
-You love playing soccer and you really think about how to play and what to do in the game.
-You wish that you could play goalie!
-You have discovered that showers are cool, and you like to do it all by yourself.
-Tying your shoes is a new accomplishment.
-The first week of school, you were relentless about wanting to buy your lunch. We finally had to come to a compromise that you could buy your lunch once a week. You make us read the lunch schedule and pick your day every Monday.
-You also think that it would be really cool to ride the school bus. You told me that kids that get to ride the bus are really lucky!
-Your favorite TV show is Max & Ruby on Noggin.
-You say that your favorite food is fish sticks and shrimp... but I think it's chocolate and Mexican food.
-I think if you could go anywhere on a moment's notice, it would be to Disney... you are your father's son in that respect! You love the magic of it all!
-You really love being a big brother to both Bryant and Sophie.
-Your best friends are Bryant,Luke, and Donovan at home; at school your good friends are Jacob, Cayden, Ethan, and Grant.
-You really like it on the weekends when you get to sleep as late as you want and we let you sleep on the pull out sofa in the toyroom.
-You still do the Tres-man rewind... where you suck in a breath and repeat what you just said when you're excited about what you're telling me.
-You are so good with numbers, and you seem to learn things very easily!
-You still don't mind giving Mommy and Daddy hugs and kisses.
-You love Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and LEGOS.

***EDITED AFTER SLEEPING ON IT:***

-We have a lot of nick names for you... Tres, Tres-man, T-man, T, Mr. T, and Booger Boy. They all just seem to roll off of our tongue. When you were itty bitty, and you got your first cold, I started calling you Booger and it just sort of stuck.
-You have ALWAYS been a happy baby and boy. You smile constantly. I have always called you my joy.
-You like to please Mommy & Daddy.
-I went to our first meeting with your teacher and got the news I already knew: You are way off the charts smart!!
-You are a defender of your brother and sister. Just the other night at Chik-fil-A, you made sure that a little boy who pushed Bry knew you weren't happy and then hugged Bry until he was better. I just love watching you guys love on each other.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Henry John, III turns six today at 11:15 am.

I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant and went to work on a Tuesday morning. When Hank came to see me at work that day, I remember telling him that I felt like something was gonna happen soon. I just felt restless that day. I remember hugging him and just feeling so vulnerable in the office.

At lunch that day, I went to the Dollar Store and stocked up on snacks, paper plate, cups, and stuff for when Tres came and our house would be full of company. While I was at the Dollar Store, I heard a pop... but ignored it cause I needed to get back to work.

I got home from work around 5:00 and went to the bathroom. I remember sitting there going over what all I needed to get done, and then it dawned on me that my body wasn't stopping... I instantly became alert and grabbed the phone.

I first called Hank. He told me to call the nurse.
Well, what did he know, after all? So I called Traci.. I asked her what she thought, and she said to call the doctor. I still wasn't convinced... I mean, after all, this was my first pregnancy and Traci didn't have kids yet either... so I called my Mom. Here's how that conversation went:

Jamie: Hey, Mom?
Mom: Hey, baby.
Jamie: What's it like when your water breaks?
Mom: WHAT?!?!?!
Jamie: I mean, I think I'm just wetting my pants or something, but I don't know.
Mom: JAMIE!!! CALL THE DOCTOR!! THEN CALL ME BACK.

Well, still not convinced, I called Hank and told him I still had the same problem. He instantly told his boss he had to go home.

So, I decided I better call the doctor then. They told me to come straight in. While I waited for Hank, I got in the shower and washed my hair, then checked my hospital bag and sat in the nursery waiting.

Hank got home, a bundle of nerves. We hopped into the car (hopped in a relative term when you are that pregnant), and headed downtown. On the way, I vividly remember looking at Hank and saying, "When they tell me I went my pants, you are taking me to Outback!"

We got to the hospital and they tested immediately and sure enought my water had broken. They monitored me overnight and started me on pitocen at 6 am in the morning since my contractions didn't regulate.

My 10 am, I was 8 cm and our entire family was gathered in the waiting room. By 11:15 Tres was here... all 5 lbs, 14 oz and 18" of him! He came out with an old man combover hair do! He instantly stole my heart and simultaneously made us a family.

I love my little man. I can't believe it was 6 years ago... I feel like it just happened.

The Countdown Started A LOOONNNGGG Time Ago!

"Hey Mommy! Did you know that my birthday is in 2 days?"

Hmmm... let me think... did I know that? Yes, son... I vividly remember when I didn't know what it was like when your water broke and just thought I was wetting my pants. I believe I do remember that, honey.

Yesterday, Tres announced, "Just 3 days till my birthday!"

I've been getting the countdown for 10 days now and before that, I would sporatically get the question, "How many days is it till my birthday?"

CVS Run

I made it over to CVS today. I got to go with no kids! Can you just say 'ahhhh!' It felt nice to not have to focus on anything but deals. So here's what I came home with for about $7.50 OOP:I'm always thinking in terms of Christmas and plan to use some of those Covergirl lipglosses to go in the teacher's bags I got last week. I also picked up all the bagged candies for $.16 a bag, and the portable charcoal grill for a whoppin' $1.79! Then I had to ask, since it was sitting right next to it, about the charcoal. It was also marked down and I got that bag for $1.25.

And if you're coming over to my house to eat anytime soon, plan on enjoying peanut butter sandwiches or spaghetti with tea, and candy bars for dessert! Ha!

Raised with Cameras

Our children are no strangers to cameras! All we have to do is hold the camera and we start getting poses!
We went with my in-laws to the Cracker Barrel today, and I had the camera out snapping a few pics (yeah, what else is new, huh?) and Soph started cheesin' for us.

One Of My Fav Home Improvements

I love that we have a TV wall mount in our kitchen. It sure does make that room a hub in our house! They actually sit at the kitchen table and eat, and even play, color, or want us to read books.

I have had to make a rule about no TV in the mornings when we are getting things ready for a day at school. There was really no fussing about it! They just said, okay! I'm so proud of my boys! On days when everything goes smoothly and they are fed, dressed, haired & teeth brushed, and bag packed I let them watch for a few minutes, but that is only when everything is done!

It makes it super convenient though to have that tv right there!

Oh, Baby

So, I have a confession to make. And for some reason, I have a feeling that I might get a few comments on this. When Tres and Bry were little, I was very strict about my kids sleeping in their own rooms. And after a few weeks of a little crying and whining at bed time, they went right on to sleep.

With Princess Sophia, this is not the case. She was doing well in her crib until she went through cutting four teeth at once. We had about a weeks worth of long, long, long nights and I finally just gave in and let her stay in our bed. That was about a month ago. And she hasn't made it back to her bed yet. It's not that we don't try. We've tried letting her cry it out... and she cries herself into a tizzy. We've tried letting her fall asleep in our bed and transferring her. On a good night we can get her into the bed, and within 30 minutes she wakes up mad as fire! But on any other night, she wakes up (no lie) as soon as we cross the threshold into her room. It's like she senses the atmosphere change or something.

We've gotten her music, night lights, comfy crib bedding, fuzzy blankets... anything we could think of, and nothing seems to make it more appealing or even as appealing as sleeping between mom and dad.

Hank says he doesn't mind, and most nights I don't either, but I would like a little down time at night without a little warm body pressed up against me or on top of me or sticking her hand down my shirt!

Model Behavior!

"CHHEEEEE!!!"

Bryant's Photo Assignment

Bryant's favorite subject when he gets to do a photo assignment is himself. He likes to capture the many faces of Bryant over and OVer and OVER again...

And when he isn't focused (literally) on himself, his next favorite subject is his sister.

Grandma's New Therapist

When Grandma gets up to do her exercizes, Soph is usually right there with her! Nothing better than a little Sophie smile to get you motivated!

Soccer, Baby!

Here's are future David Beckham! Tres's number is 3... appropriate, I thought! :)Even super stars need a little help tying there shoes once in a while! I'm so very proud of my little man. He loves soccer... no complaining about running too much... no whining about not wanting to go to practice (and that's twice a week)... just excitement and fun!

Still here...

So, it's been a bit tough to find time to do things I want to do lately... you know, like blog! :) I'm gonna find my groove soon, though. Once CVS is done with this silly test market thing and I can go back to doing that on Saturday, and not have to take up my week days without the boys driving around... and once my Mom feels semi-recuperated, then I think it will be a pleasure to stay at home a bit more! I want to get some closets organized and some serious house cleaning done soon. My house has been a little neglected lately. It's not nasty, but don't come eat off the floors, either! Ha!

I'm also wanted to establish some sort of blocked off time to exercize. That probably is going to require me to get on the treadmill either really early or really late. But, hey, exercize is exercize, right?

Our computer died on us last Monday night.... I was in the middle of typing up class notes and the screen just went blank. I was strangely calm about the whole thing. My mind was thinking about how Mel nearly lost all of her pics when this happened and how I wasn't sure that we had ALL of our pics backed up... but for some reason I just didn't freak. My brother-in-law came over on Tuesday night and fixed it. It turned out to be simple bad ram, and it was fixed quickly and more nothing! Thank you, Lord! And thank you Brett too!

I'm really loving teaching my class! I plan to do it again next semester. I'll also be coaching volleyball. Then come next fall, when both boys are in school during the same hours (and will only require one carpool line), I plan to try and do public speaking and creative writing. I love the structure and finding creative ways to teach! Who knew?

Sophie is getting so 'big girl!' I was gonna say big, but that just isn't happening. She's still my lil bit. The other night, I had my camera out and was about to take her picture, she looked at me and went "Cheeee!" She's been going with me to Mom's house and loving all the girl attention!

I've been back to CVS again to get more summer stuff. I walked out spending only $.55 and got a ton more stuff! Including a quilted back pack, a diaper bag, Halloween candy, and water bottles for Tres soccer team.

Tres had his first soccer game over the weekend, and he did so good! I was so proud I thought I was gonna bust when he made the first goal for his team! He understands and loves his chosen sport! He has another game this Saturday.

It's another home game this weekend, so my in-laws will be back with us. We always enjoy it, but my house is in no shape for company! I guess I'll be doing some marathon cleaning when I get home today. I'm at the shop filling in for my aunt who is filling in for my mom while she is recuperating.

I have a bunch of pictures, but you guys will have to be content with this until I can get home and find a few minutes to download! :)

It Pays To Be Nice

So my CVS let me know yesterday that all their summer was 75 and 90% off! They like me there... they like my baby... and that generally prompts them to let me know when things are on super sale, like diapers and in this case summer. So I went yesterday and spent more than I like to spend in an entire month! I spent about $12 and this is what I got:I picked up a few ECB items, but mostly, I spent OOP on all that clearance stuff! Even the detergeant was marked down to $1.58 a bottle. I plan to use the bags (originally $19.99, purchased for $1.99) as presents for the boys' teachers. I will fill them with items I got at CVS! And the toy items will be split between Tres's school treasure box and donated to the children's church.

School Pictures

Tres had school pictures this past week. That morning, as I was running around making his lunch and Bryant's lunch... packing snacks, fixing breakfast, finding clothes, etc., he asked me if I would fix his hair like Daddy's.

So I sprayed their bedhead hair into submission, then I used gel on it. After that I hairsprayed it in place. Not exactly the hair that Daddy rocks, but they looked good. While I was fixing it, Tres says, "All the girls are gonna think I'm handsome today."

My little lady killer.

Swimming with Betty B. Hind

My friend Traci and her two daughters came in town last weekend. We decided to take advantage of the hot weather, and had a pool day. My Mom had just come home from the hospital, so I was running between the pool and checking on her for a while cause my Dad had to go do some things.

I always have fun with Olivia-Bolivia (as we call her... kind of like Hannah Montanna). My boys have met their match with this one! I heard her bossing them around! Here was one convo I overheard:

Tres: Let's go upstairs and play Star Wars! Okay, Olivia?
Bryant: Yeah, Bulivia, let's play Star Wars!
Olivia: No, let's go this way.

Then she promptly led them downstairs with not one complaint! Here are a couple of pics from our afternoon.Olivia Bolivia was not too happy about having to leave. Don't worry, Liv... I feel the same way!

We had a great time, girls! We gotta do it more often!

CVS last week

So, I've still managed to get to CVS even with all the business! Here's what I got last week for about $4.18 OOP. Then after I got all of this... I made it again because there were a few more things I forgot to get and I wanted to use that $2 CVS skincare coupon for all it was worth before it got gone! So here is my second trip.This trip was a total of $3.79 OOP.

My Mom, The Trooper

My Mom has been doing a great job since she got home. She's getting up almost unassisted, she's is walking around the house and doing some physical therapy stuff. We've all been pitching in to sit with her and make sure she's okay.

Here are a few pics of her hospital stay. She wasn't overjoyed with the idea of me taking pics, cause she knows me and she knows where they'll end up. Smile! So, first, I had to take just a pic of her hand...

Aunt Tonnie has been a favorite for Sophie lately! Tonnie keeps her while I do my class every Tuesday. Tonnie always find something to keep her entertained.

I did sneak a pic of mom while Sophie distracted her... babies are great distracting objects.

Bry Goes To School

Bry started K-4! We have a picture of Hank with Tres just like this from last year when Tres started... we wanted to do one like it, so we can maybe frame them all together once Soph starts, too!

We took him into his school the first day and he was so cute with his big brown eyes. He kept asking us if this was his school now. Tres went there last year, so that's where he got that from.He showed us around his class a little. Then we checked to see how his flower with the colored water did.It was a little wilted but it was definitely tinted red!! There were some that were absolutely gorgeous! I'm gonna have to keep that in mind for future use.