My Thanksgiving Turkey!

It's weird to think that last Thanksgiving I was wishing and hoping desperately for a baby. I had no idea that this Thanksgiving that prayer would be answered, Landen would already be here, and I would be absolutely smitten with him! He's so adorable! I am so thankful for my family--for my precious children (all 3 of them!!), my husband, my home, and my career. I truly feel blessed!

Today I had my "tubes tied". I am sore and tired, but otherwise great. I don't think there is any way possible that I could go through pregnancy again--such big babies in such a small body. Plus, I think 3 is plenty for me! I am busy beyond belief!

Kylie and Landen

I had to share this...Kylie loves to read to baby Landen and I think it's just the sweetest thing! I sure hope she keeps reading as he gets older because he really seems to enjoy it and I know it's definitely a little bond just the two of them will share. What a great big sis she is!

How about this for a Christmas Tree?

Ok, no I didn't save this picture upside down (see the nativity on the table). It's an upside-down Christmas tree! I had never seen one before and thought it actually looked pretty cool. It's definitely an eye-catcher....

Thanksgiving in Branson

Once again Thanksgiving was spent in Branson (well, the first half of the week at least)! We went to Silver Dollar City and had a great, but very cold time. The kids rode rides, and I drank a ton of hot chocolate. Actually I rode a few rides too--it was weird to be able to get to ride some rides since last time we were there, I was pregnant. Kylie and I rode Thunderation which I love, but there was a twist. She made me ride it backwards! That freaked me out! Baby Landen stayed with Grammy and Papa at the condo since it was so cold and it was nice to be able to get out without having to haul the house. You should've seen the car--we were stuffed. Actually, we had to give my parents and grandparents things to haul up there for us because we were so full. Boy, I can't wait until I get to order my new company car....mini-van here I come!!!

Erika's Getting Married!

One of my really good friends from high school, Erika, who now lives in Oregon, is finally tying the knot! She can in to visit this week and we were able to find some time to get together to visit. I am going to get to be a bridesmaid in her wedding next August in Oregon--I have never been to Oregon, so I can't wait to see it!

The drought is over! I can stay!

Ever since Richie and I met, he hasn't gotten a deer. I was afraid my days were numbered....but on last Sunday (Nov. 22) he got himself an 8 point! Yes, the HOLE in its side is huge...I think he must have shot it with a potato gun or something! Congrats Richie! Thanks for letting me stay.... :)

Holiday Market Blast!

Yesterday Mom and I went to Holiday Market and I had such a blast! I got some really cute clothes, too! I haven't ever been much of a "boutique" fan because my impression was that they are all pricey, but I found a cute boutique that had such great prices on their stuff. Then, we found a "wine-arita" booth and I bought the "cosmo-rita" pack--it was so good! Now that I have shed much of my baby weight, it was such a blast to shop for cute trendy clothes again! Boy, have I missed that....heck, I even bought a pair of "skinny" jeans, too!

While I was out shopping away, baby Landen stayed at his sitter's house for the first time--that way he could get used to her before I go back to work.


He had such a ball! Before I could even leave, he was smiling and cooing at her....I think he had a crush! Then, his friend Lakyn showed up and she just loved having baby Landen there!

Little Love Notes

Is this not the cutest "little man" you have ever seen? I got such a kick out of how he sits in his swing. He looks like such a man with the leg up and all leaned over relaxed!
Both of my kids gave me love notes today....Here's Weston's note (it says, "Dear Mom and Richie, I love you. You are AWESOME. Love, Weston. You may rerace and write. P.S. Use marker on counter.")And here's Kylie's note...it says, "To Richie and Mom. From, Kylie. Your awesome. I love you very much and I'm sorry for all the stuff I've done so forgive me. P.S. Mom, I asked Mrs. Kindle what I was suppost to do for Student of the Month."
Note: I typed exactly as they wrote the notes, so don't think I have a spelling/word usage issue! :)

I thought it was so sweet, but after Kylie read hers, I turned to Richie and said, "What has she done?" Too sweet to not be compensating for something!! Seriously, Kylie is becoming such a sweetheart. She really wants to be Student of the Month. She told me the other day that she's never been chosen in Kindergarten or 1st grade and she really wants to get it in second grade. So, I told her to ask Mrs. Kindle what it takes to be Student of the Month and then to try really, really hard to do what she tells you. She is really working hard at it, so if she gets it, we will have to have a big celebration!

What sweet kiddos! I just love them to pieces!

Shop 'til Ya Drop!

Mom and I went Christmas shopping today--I am so close to being finished! Yes, finished! I ventured out last Saturday and was amazed at how bad traffic already was and I told my Mom there was no way I would fight that this year when I have time off from work to get the shopping done during the week. So, off we went...to Target, to Kirkland's, to Michael's. Poor Landen was absolutely worn out!
I got quite a bit accomplished, but I think my favorite buy were these "presents" and wreath I bought to decorate my front door and porch area. I have been waiting to have a house worth decorating for the past 5 years and I finally have it. Poor Richie has his work cut out for him when next weekend when I get out the indoor decorations! I love decorating for the holidays, but I just haven't had a house worth spending the time and effort on until now!

Black Nails and Skunk Smells!

These are just two things my husband is not loving right now! A few days ago I got a hankering to paint my nails black--it seems everyone I see on TV has theirs painted black and I wanted to give it a try. So yesterday, I painted them--well, my husband noticed them and was like, "Are you going goth??" UM NO! It's called stylish my dear!! Anyway, he's not too fond of them....oh well, that's the good thing about nail polish, it's removable. But I think I will keep them a few more days 'cause I kind of like them!
So, we went to the Gwd football game last night (Landen's first football game) and it was such a blow-out. We ended up leaving early because Richie wanted to get all of his hunting gear ready for today and we were bored with the game, not to mention Landen was getting hungry. We get home and start getting some things done and we are FIVE MINUTES away from bedtime. Richie asks Andy (the family dog) if he wants to go outside and pee-pee before bed. I hear him open the back door to let him out and then I hear him yell at Andy in a very panicked, loud voice. I knew something bad was wrong. We had just been talking about coyotes in the area. I just knew that's what it was. So, I ran to the back window to look outside and what do I see? Not a coyote...a skunk. Spraying the INDOOR dog. And standing on my back patio doing it. GREAT. LOVELY. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. What luck.
I couldn't believe it--I was furious beyond my little mind's ability. A skunk? A skunk! About that time, Richie comes in holding Andy...and so does the smell. Andy had gotten sprayed in the face. So, we are staring at each other in silence wondering what to do. I told him I would Google some possible solutions. I found this recipe: 1/4 C baking soda, a squeeze of dishing washing liquid, and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. There was also a recommendation to bathe them in mouthwash. We did both--no need to be picky. Richie jumped in the shower with the dog and scrubbed and scrubbed. He opened the shower door to grab something and out runs Andy and heads for the closet where his bed AND our clothes are and proceeds to shake. Twice. LOVELY. Well, the dog smells much better. But the house reeks! I have no clue how to get it out of the brand new house! I googled that too. There are suggestions to put coffee grounds out around the house. There was also a suggestion to boil apple cider vinegar on the stove or put it in a spray bottle. Kind of sounds like stepping on someone's toe to rid them of a headache (a close race as to which smell is worse to deal with).
So, I will open some windows, boil some vinegar, and set out some coffee grounds. Wonder what my house will smell like now?

Baby Landen is SIX WEEKS OLD!

My little baby boy is getting to be an old man! I can't believe he is six weeks old today--time really flies! He is so adorable and is starting to smile at you when you talk to him. I love the first diaper change in the morning because two mornings in a row he just grinned at me--such a happy baby in the morning! We are already out of newborn diapers and in size 1! I can't wait until his two month check-up to see how much he has grown. He is changing everyday!
I am still doing pretty good with my diet. I have officially lost 37 of the 51 lbs I gained and since I have been going to Let's Lose, I have lost 22 inches total on my body. Eight of those inches were in my belly alone! I was so happy! Best of all, I am up to 2.7 miles and I am alternating between walking and running. Last night, I ran for a total of 8 minutes! That's awesome for me because I have never been a runner at all. I was actually able to get into a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans last week. Granted, they aren't my favorite, but they are pre-pregnancy! :)
So, here's to hoping the last 14 lbs just melt away!

It's Saturday!

Isn't it funny how when you don't work Monday-Friday that Saturdays just don't have that same feel to them? Granted I am busy during the week with a newborn, etc, but there is nothing like a Saturday to cheer you up after a long 40 plus hour work week...it's nice though to still be Saturday!
I am so sleepy today--not much sleep last night, but I hate napping during the day and throwing off our schedule of taking care of Landen at night. So, I will get through the day....sleepily.
Baby Landen is doing so good--he's such a cutie and I love all the baby things he does. Which inspired me to list a few of my favorites right now....
1) Landen's sneeze--it has to be the absolute cutest thing in the world!
2) Landen's breath--what a sweet, sweet smell!
3) The way he snuggles with me at night and the way he wants to snuggle with me! Although I am not a co-sleep fan, I must admit it is so sweet to snuggle with your baby.
4) The way he sits in his swing and grunts and snores! Too cute--he looks like a little man with his leg propped up!
5) The way he stretches and arches his back when he's waking up and then squishes his face up and moves his head back and forth--how do you capture that image in your mind forever because I don't want to forget it.

Babies are just so much fun and so forgiving of you--they love you no matter what and want you there all the time!

Happy 40th Birthday, Richie!

Yesterday was Richie's 40th birthday! He doesn't like a lot of hoopla for his birthday, but I still wanted to do something special. So, the kids and I decided to have a small surprise party at the house for him. Well, Plan A didn't work which was to set up and have everyone arrive while he took Kylie to cheer practice--she decided she wanted to be here for the surprise. So, Plan B was hatched! We sent him to pick up Landen at my mom's house and while he was gone we hung balloons, signs and streamers and then hid when he came in. He was so surprised! The kids had such a ball with all of the planning! I bought him his very own netbook so that I can finally get my Mac back! :) He had asked for a card reader to use to download his deercam pictures, but I did the next best thing and got the netbook with a built-in SD card reader and that way he can have a place to download his pictures and then immediately post them. He was so shocked when he opened the present--I don't think he even knew what it was at first!
After all of that, all of the family arrived and we had his favorite dinner--pork tenderloin, au gratin potatoes, salad, bread, and coconut cream pie! That man is spoiled!
Happy birthday Richie! I love you so much you old man!! :)

If you don't, someone will!

I honestly thought I would get to tell my kids about Santa before talking to them about "it"! However, I quickly learned that as a parent, if you don't talk to your kids about "it", someone will....and yes "it" means what you think it means! Times have changed and I don't mean to sound like a cliche, but I had no idea just how young kids are learning about such grown-up things. So, because someone else decided to educate my children in a negative way about "it", I was forced to do damage control and have a discussion I wasn't prepared for. How do you explain "it" to a 7 year old girl? I want her to understand that she shouldn't just give it away to any guy that comes along and become a number to him, but I don't want to scare her into thinking it's a bad thing either. The conversation was soooo hard. I didn't want to go into specific detail, but I didn't want to be too general. Ok, what chapter is the birds and bees in the parenting manual? When I was 9, my Mom had "the talk" with me and I am glad she did because it opened up a line of communication with her. I didn't feel as if "it" were a taboo topic. That's what I want with my kids--the ability to talk openly about these things. However, I learned the other night that my daughter knows things that I wasn't prepared for and her "teachers" are surprising!
So, don't underestimate the importance of talking about "it" with your kids--if you don't, someone else will! And I promise their message will be a lot different than the message you want to instill.

Halloween Fun

Weston and Kylie had a great Halloween with their fun costumes...
Weston was Slash from Guns-n-Roses and Kylie was a man-eating shark. Landen was a Tootsie Roll! I dressed up as a sleep-deprived Mommy of a newborn! (didn't take much effort ha!)
This morning we are going to visit a new church and I am so excited--I hate being out of church and am ready to get back. I want to find the perfect church home though. I want one where my kids know kids from school so that they have friends that can keep them accountable at school, but I also want one that I can get involved in because I plan to take an active role once we find a church home. I used to be so involved in church and it kills me that it's not a part of my life right now. I really need it--I need the interaction with others and the weekly dose of "act right"!