A Boy and his Dog

I have to give Andy (our dog) some credit...he is absolutely wonderful with Landen. For an 8 1/2 year old Rat Terrier, he has been truly phenomenal with him. Andy is such a "Daddy's boy" and I was very afraid he would show some jealousy toward Landen. And I was also afraid that he might snap or bite at Landen if Landen played a little too rough. But he hasn't shown a hint of jealousy and he is so tolerant of Landen! Landen loves to give kisses and so when we asked him to give Andy some, he didn't mind at all! When Landen is in his walker and Andy is walking by, Landen is just mesmerized by him. I think there are many days of fun time between the two of them to come! I thought these pictures were just too cute!

Landen's 1/2 Birthday!

Landen is 6 months old today! It has completely flown by....I am so bittersweet about it. I am enjoying every minute of having him, but I still can't believe half of his first year is already gone! He is getting such a personality and just the other day when I was looking at him, he even has the hints of a "little boy" look to him. I think this is a lot harder because I truly know he is going to be the last baby and I want to relish every single minute with him. Richie says he is such a Momma's boy, and you know what? He is! I just love snuggling with him at night in bed, toting him on my hip as I race around the house, rocking him to sleep, and even those midnight (actually 2 a.m.) feedings he still insists on!

Some of his accomplishments in the first six months include giving kisses, rolling from his belly to his back, throwing a temper tantrum, and trying to wave bye-bye.

I love you little buddy!!

Busy Bee

Ok, I promise I haven't posted in a week because I was THAT traumatized from the scorpion...it's just been a chaotic week! I got sick Wednesday night/Thursday morning and still wasn't feeling wonderful when the weekend started. We did manage to make it to Big Cedar this weekend to hang out with my parents at their cabin and had a great, but very short time!! It never fails that when you do something to relax, it goes by twice as fast! Poor Landen (and Richie)...Landen is cutting his second tooth on the bottom and it is killing him. He was SO fussy all weekend, so the relaxation part wasn't as much as we wanted. We did manage to get some shopping in and to Richie's delight, we finally found some new lamps for the top of the entertainment center. He has never liked the lamps I have up there, but to my defense, I don't like to just buy stuff to being buying it--I want it to be something I really like. However, I have had those lamps since my the last time in F. Hills, so yes, it was time to replace them! We also bought a gorgeous new standing lamp for the hearth room that I really love! I will try and put some pictures on here soon to show you....This is all stuff that was in addition to a few things we picked up the weekend before. Richie has also been begging me to ditch the greenery above the kitchen counters. I wasn't attached to it or anything, but again nothing had come along that really struck me, so I just set that up there until I found what I wanted. We also got a new rug for the living room and a new print. Again, things Richie didn't like, but AGAIN things I was using until something better came along! I am not a big "print" fan, in fact this was a picture we bought for our bathroom, but it was too big. When we got to looking at it closer, it went perfect in our living room! Man, I guess we have managed to redo every living area in the house!! It is finally starting to take the shape of "our home"! I love how it is coming together!

On the Easter side of things, I am hosting the big dinner at my house this year. My Meme is not doing very good and Mom isn't up to hosting it at hers, so I guess it's my turn. I am excited though! Wish me luck that I don't burn the turkey! :)

Traumatized.

It snowed 10 inches plus at the house yesterday. It's cold. It's wet. It's the end of March. And there was a SCORPION IN MY HOUSE tonight!! Yes! What's that all about? It's not time for them yet! I can't handle them yet! I'm not ready! I have stuff on the floor, a baby that needs to figure out how to roll over and sit up and those stupid critters are already out and about! I was in the kitchen cooking and looked down and saw something about 4 INCHES from my foot and started to walk toward the oven when I did a double take. Then, I screamed. Then screamed again. Then I remembered Landen was asleep. But then I screamed again. Richie told me that was the most horrific scream he's ever heard. I told him that was a contained scream because I was afraid I'd wake up Landen. I think he was shocked that the scream could be worse. Anyway, I ran out of the kitchen until he killed it, got rid of it, and then convinced me the coast was clear. Good thing I worked on the garage Friday because I'm not going anywhere near that stuff now. In fact, I put out a glue trap Friday night and when we saw the scorpion in the house, we went and checked it and there's a scorpion tail on it!

Later on, I was sweeping the kitchen and my husband thought it would be absolutely hilarious to yell, "scorpion!!". I jumped, threw the broom, and ran out of the kitchen. And screamed again. He decided that wasn't smart a idea.

So, let the scorpion count begin:

2010 Scorpions: 1

Dear Lord, Help me.

"Imma Be" sitting at home...in the snow!

Today is the first day of spring--but you wouldn't know it by the weather. What's this snow all about? It's because I planned to go to Tulsa today! I am so sad to be missing the Peas! I was really looking forward to visiting my step-sister. Oh well. So, instead the kids, Richie, and I went and got a new rug for the living room, some Easter outfits for the kids, and "test drove" some patio furniture to get an idea of what we are looking for. I think we may close in our patio area, so I want something a little more dressy than just patio chairs. It's hard to commit to a set because I'm afraid there will be something better at a lower price.

A Sure Sign I'm Old....And I Need to Clean Out My Garage!

Remember these? If not, they are called "cassette tapes". They are virtually obsolete! I found this box in the garage this evening while I was doing a little spring cleaning. (A sure sign it's time to clean out my garage if I still have cassette tapes in it...) My poor family came home and since it was so nice outside, I put everyone to work--it's spring, that means it's time to clean! During my cleaning, I came across my cassette tape holder and had some MAJOR flashbacks!

Do you remember the Nelson twins? The blonde guys? I had (ok, technically should say still "have") that cassette...how about Debbie Gibson? Tiffany? How about "Rump Shaker"? But I think my favorite to run across was DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. The tape with "Parents Just Don't Understand" on it....too funny! I think I remember some of the guys doing a skit to it in middle school....James, Mikey, Ben?

Anyway, all that box did was make me feel really old...my kids don't even know what "cassettes" are!

P.S. That's not my Adam Sandler tape....I have no clue where I picked that up from!

"Imma B" in Tulsa at the Show!!

Yesterday afternoon my step-sister texted me to find out what was on the schedule for this weekend. I told her just usual kiddo stuff--practices, etc, but nothing fancy....why? Well, she has an extra ticket to the Black Eyed Peas concert this weekend and wanted to know if I would like to go with her and her step-daughter Saturday night. Let me think...ummm..YES!! So, Imma b at the Tulsa Black Eyed Peas concert Saturday night! Woo Hoo! And bonus--the minivan does know how to play my Black Eyed Peas CD, so it's definitely a keeper now! This is such a treat because I would never buy tickets to BEP for myself--I know Richie wouldn't go with me and with 3 kids, I have a hard time paying $100/ticket for anything...but my sweet sister is GIVING me the ticket!!

In order to go, I have to take the big kids (aka Weston and Kylie) to Tulsa with me so that Richie isn't outnumbered. I was able to get the ticket to go because my brother-in-law Bill doesn't want to go, so instead he's taking the big kids to the movies, putt-putt etc....I told my step-sister Karla to be sure and tell Bill a big thank you from me for not liking them! :)

So, BEP here I come!!

NEVER say Never!!

There's two things in life I swore I'd never do......

1) Marry a cop. My old perception of cops? They are all egotistical men who think they have all the power! Well, I was wrong....there are a lot of good guys out there that protect us each and every day! They are not all like that--in fact, every job has good people and bad people in it. Shame on me for assuming that a career defines your character.

Love You Richie!

2) Own a minivan. I swore up and down over the years that I would NEVER own a minivan. To me, that was like conceding--that's saying, "I give up. I am a Mom and I have no choice but to drive a minivan." Well, let me just say that when it came time to order my new company vehicle, I couldn't order a minivan fast enough! Three kids and work supplies makes a car cramped beyond belief! I just got my van yesterday and absolutely LOVE it! Tons of space and the doors and rear hatch open with a push of a button! That's just too cool! Why haven't I driven a minivan before now?

But to my defense, I still don't "own" a minivan, so I guess I must admit that if I had to go purchase a vehicle, it would definitely still be an SUV....you just can't beat them. They have looks and space! But for now, I have no shame sporting the minivan!! :)

Lovin' the van---even if my "coolness" just went to obsolete!

So, moral of this post? Never say never! 'Cause you never know when you'll have to "eat crow"!

Tooth News!

Baby Landen cut his first tooth today! He has been working SO hard on that little tooth--tons of slobber, lots of crying, plenty of chewing on his fingers. I was at a baby shower today for a friend and he was fussing, so I rubbed his gums to see what that "bump" was doing now. Low and behold, there was little bitty razor bumps in its place! You can barely see it, so it wasn't worth trying to get a picture just yet, but maybe in a few days. Richie asked me if he thought he would finally not be cranky anymore--I just laughed and told him that he has a whole mouthful waiting their turn to break through!

So far, we've had a great weekend. Richie had to work tonight, but other than that, we've had some great time with friends and family. Last night my mother-in-law made me a homemade birthday dinner--it was so good (and even better because I didn't have to cook!) Today, after the baby shower, Landen and I took a long 2 hour nap together....so nice to just relax! Then, we had made plans to have a grown-up night with Jeremy/Catina without the kids, but both babies were a little under the weather, so we decided to just stay in instead. Catina made a wonderful Mexican pizza casserole thing and cookies (she cheated though and made no-bake cookies since she has watched me burn the cookies the last two times they came to our house!!). We really love hanging out with them--no frills, just good times! Baby Addi is a mover and a shaker! That girl is already sitting up and bounces like crazy...she reminds me so much of Weston when he was a baby. She also loves giving Eskimo kisses--it is SO CUTE! She puts her nose to yours and just looks at you--I got so tickled when she kept doing it to me over and over. She's precious!

Kickin' My Rear

Have you ever done something and just not been 100% pleased with the results? That's me today. I am making a cake for a friend's baby shower....supposed to be chocolate icing w/orange dots, but had to go to Plan B. Then, Landen was pretty fussy last night so I had to constantly stop and start, now the cake doesn't look perfect--and that bugs me. Instead of the polka dots plan, I decorated it with chocolate covered strawberries, shaved chocolate, and sprinkles. I hated that it wasn't the way Andria had requested, but she was so nice about the little change of plans. So, let's pray all of the girls are blind at the shower and see with their tastebuds instead! :)

But don't worry, I'll get my revenge on the cake at the shower--I plan to have an extra big slice!

The Mother Load...and the Mother Post!

Yesterday was absolutely wonderful--no kids, no husband, no problems! Just me in a nice quiet, dark room with soothing music playing as the girl rubbed some goop on my face and body. Two hours of pure bliss--I highly recommend this as the ONLY way to celebrate any birthday beyond 30!
However, I must've had WAY too much time to relax and think because I have decided to go back to school. Lord. Help. Me. (not a cliche, but a sincere cry to God to help!!) It's been really bugging me as to how I can help what I have witnessed over the past week or so. I have no more space in my home right now, so I can't take anymore kids in! But a few years ago, I started working on the Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. Then, life happened. I got divorced and felt that who was I to tell people how to solve their problems if I can't solve my own? So, I switched majors and got my Masters in Leadership and Ethics. It seemed the perfect idea--at the time ABF paid 1/2 of my tuition and it really helped me to get my current job in pharma sales. I am so happy with my new job and glad to have the degree, but I have always thought that I would love to finish the MFT program. But I was so insecure about pursuing it--now I am divorced, so am I qualified to counsel anyone? I felt that I wasn't good enough to do it. But yesterday, I had some good quality time to read Beth Moore's book "So Long Insecurity". If you don't read Katie's blog (and you should...what a sweet family!), then you might not be familiar with the book. Katie has a great story about how it has touched her and I can say that it is an absolutely WONDERFUL book so far!! Thanks again Katie for your candidness about the book--I don't know if I would've gotten it out of the bag or not. Why? Because again, I felt that if I have to read some book on insecurity, then who am I to help anyone? Beth sent me the answer straight from the Big Man himself in her book. I am the perfect person for the job! Why? Because I have been through a lot. I have had a lot of life experiences--challenges that have made me so much stronger. Challenges that have made me a better wife the second time around, a better Mom, and a much better friend. I am NOT a perfect person--I have made my fair share (and then many more) mistakes in life.
I had always had this perception of Beth Moore as this perfect little Christian woman who is much more competent and much better at helping people than me. But two pages in the book and I learned a lot--she's not perfect either! What? Nope, she's not and that has helped her to help others!
In just the first 40 pages of the book, I have seen many places where insecurity has sabotaged parts of my life. It's been such an eye-opener for me to see that it's so common among women, too. I struggle daily with the guilt that comes with being a Mom who works outside the home. I feel like I am not fulfilling my womanly duties by not being with my kids or being able to volunteer. I do my best to go to as many activities as I can for my kids, but I can't do it all. And I hate that. I also struggle where so many women struggle...is my husband going to leave me for someone else one day? So sad, but that is such a huge concern. And by being insecure about that, all that I accomplish is worrying myself to death over something that honestly is not something to worry about. Worrying over something won't make it not happen. Like Katie, I recently had a "friend break-up". But, over the last two months, I have fully realized that I made a decision to end the friendship for the right reasons. And I have to admit that the lack of drama in my and Richie's life has reduced dramatically! I hate the outcome for several reasons, but I know deep down that if this was a healthy friendship for us, then the results would've been completely different.
Heck, as I type these things, insecurity tries to eat away at me....will I offend someone with what I am saying? Will they think less of me? Will they use my faults against me? Will they think I am bragging about something? Insecurity is SO debilitating!
So, back to the MFT program--I set several parameters that had to be met before I would even consider it. First, I wasn't going to pay for anymore schooling! Guess what? My company offers 100% reimbursement! Secondly, I would only consider it if I didn't have to "retest" to enter the graduate program. Answer: the guy at the school told me I am good since I have already completed a Masters with them. Thirdly, I wouldn't do this if my hours from my last attempt at the degree didn't carry forward AND if my 2 core classes required by the university from the other degree didn't transfer over. Answer: ALL of it counts, giving me 18 hours of the program already completed before I start! That's nearly 1/3 of the program under my belt before I ever take another class. What a blessing!
So, I guess God can't thump me on the head any harder with all of these messages....I am going to finish the degree. And I just hope that somehow I can find a way to use it to make a difference somewhere. I don't have any intentions of changing careers--I love my job right now. But I know there are many other opportunities out there--church, etc.
So, everyone pray for Richie.....he's gonna need it.

It's All About Me....at least for part of the day!

Birthdays just aren't the same anymore, especially when you're a Mommy. To be honest, I don't look forward to them, but this year is different. I am so excited about today! I took the day off of work and I am getting a facial and body wrap!! I can't wait--wait a great treat!

But first, I am going to Weston's book fair to help him pick out books....gotta still be a Mommy, even on your birthday!

New Babies!

My Mom and Dad's miniature donkeys had not one, but two babies last week! They were out of town and came home to two little babies. The Mommas wouldn't let you get very close, so I put the "big" lens on to get some cute pictures of the little ones. They think they have one boy and one girl.

The donkeys are such cuties (especially now that I don't have to live near them and deal with their antics)!

A couple of posts today so be sure and look back.....

Baby Kaden comes to visit

Ok, I am a little behind on this post, but baby Kaden came to visit us. He was 6 days old at the time of the visit and each of the kids took turns holding him. He was SO little! I am not used to teeny tiny babies! He is such a little sweetie (even if he did pee-pee on me!!).

These little guys will be in the same graduating class together! Landen looks like "Conan" next to him though!

Weston thought it was so neat how small Kaden was!

Another baby for Kylie to spoil!

She made a funny!

I loved reading Stacy's post about what her boys said...too funny! So, when Kylie made a "funny" today, I knew I had to jot it down or I would forget it. We were turning into our neighborhood and in front of us was a dually truck. Kylie was sitting up front in our truck and saw the dually truck and said, "Oh my gosh, that truck has some big buttcheeks!" Richie and I both burst out laughing! It was hilarious.

Open My Eyes

For three days in a row now, I have experienced something that has literally broken my heart. I'll start with Wednesday....while I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting to visit with the doctor, a lady walks in with a baby in an infant carrier. I thought to myself, "I bet that little baby girl is around Landen's age." The lady walks up to the receptionists' window to check-in and I overhear a comment made by the lady with the baby. She said, "I don't know her middle name, do you?" I thought how weird for someone to not know a child's middle name. Whose baby does she have with her? The lady finished checking in and went to sit down. That's when I saw her name tag....a DHS worker. I felt tears welling up in my eyes. I could not imagine my child being in someone else's possession. I asked around at the doctor's office and evidently the girl had just been removed from her home and DHS is required to bring her to a licensed physician within 24 hours for an exam before she is placed in a foster home. I felt my heart break. I love my kiddos so much and to know that something I have done is causing them to not be with me would devastate me. She was a beautiful little girl, very alert, eager for love. She had such a sweet disposition--she was trying her best to get the attention of the DHS lady.

The next day I was again waiting in a doctor's office and a lady in her 50's walks in with an infant carrier. She was a foster mom and the baby girl in her possession was just 2 weeks old and weighed 7.5 lbs. Evidently she had been removed from her mother's possession at birth because the mother already has 2 other children in DHS custody. No offense to the foster mom, but it was so sad to watch her interact with the baby--there was no bond, no love in her actions. The baby cried for several minutes while the lady filled out the paperwork--I wanted so badly to get up and soothe her! I again started crying....this baby girl was smaller than any of my children at birth! I remember the moment each of my kids came into the world--I could not grasp what it would feel like to lose my kids from the moment they arrived. I wanted to just take that baby girl home with me (as Richie is reading this, he has stopped breathing and is in sheer panic I am gonna show up with a kid one day).

Today at another doctor's office, I saw a grandmother who had been granted custody of her 3 grandchildren. The mother, a meth addict had burned down their house. She is now in prison. There were two boys around 2nd grade and kindergarten and another baby around 18 months. The boys were talking but not acting horribly and as I walked by, the grandmother just hauls off and kicks one of them. I was so shocked.

I don't know why I am witnessing these children's struggles with no parents...I am not sure what it means to me. Maybe it's just to ask for one more voice to pray for them. Pray that these kiddos get good homes with good people who really want to love them. Pray for our system--pray that these kids (like the 2 week old) don't have to stay "in the system" but rather are available to adopt by loving parents! Pray for the parents of these children--that they may be able to rehabilitate and learn to love their kids as they are called to do.

C25K....hopefully!

C25k

While I was pregnant, I had this wild hair that after the baby I wanted to be a runner. Ok, background on me--I DON'T RUN. But some of my pharmaceutical rep friends are runners, and so here I was a big pregnant girl, thinking "I can so do that, too!" Well, not to disappoint myself, I am trying to hold myself to my promise. I also thought that if I post my intentions on my blog, then I am really holding myself to it! I have a really cool app on my iPhone that is all about getting you in shape in 9-12 weeks to run a 5k. It has prompts of when to run and walk and each week it adds a little more running to the mix. There's also great websites I have been visiting to get ideas (like the one above). So, I am "training" to run the 5k in July at the square...yep, it'll take me that long to get it. My goal is to run the entire thing...even if I run slower than all of the walkers out there! And, I have a partner....Kylie! Yep, she is running with me! She has been out training at night and plans to do the 5k!

So, thank you Erin for not laughing last night when you drove by and I was about to fall over and I am giving full permission for anyone out there to hold me to this! It's gonna take all the accountability I can get to do it.

My Parent's Handbook

First of all, Becky and Katie, thank you so much for your sweet words about Kylie's post and how I handled it. It meant a lot. You see, I struggled for a few days about posting about that whole situation--I was SO embarrassed. I thought, "I don't want people knowing about this, what kind of parent will they think I am??" But you guys made my day with your sweet words! We have been going to a new church for a few months now and absolutely love it. We also started a Home Group and we are studying "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Tedd Tripp. I have to give credit to the book for how I handled Kylie's situation. I have learned so much in just two chapters of that book. I was really moved by the concept of two parts of a child that you need to reach. Basically you can discipline a child all you want, but if their heart isn't in the right place, now amount of discipline will matter. So, you need to also help them align their heart with God. It sounds simple, but in reality, it's so hard to do! What I mean is that when our kids act up, it's a whole lot easier to spank, give them time-out, or yell than to sit down and help them understand the deeper issue at hand. It's going to take more time when my kids act up, but it is time well worth the investment. I have three wonderful kiddos and I want to make sure that they stay on the right path, follow God, and always desire to do the right thing.

I am by far not perfect in my parenting--trust me, I have yelled plenty! But I am really going to commit to stepping back and trying to get a little deeper with them. I have to give a ton of credit to Richie. He really tries to sit down with the kids and explain to them about what they have done wrong and why they are being punished. Now we both need to add the centrality of the heart to the conversation.

I strongly encourage anyone with kiddos to read this book. It's designed as a bible study, but you can definitely read it on your own and work through the handbook. Or hey, get a few people together and study it! You won't regret it!!

A Hard Lesson

Kylie disappointed me the other day. I know that our kids will make mistakes, but it's still hard when you think you've done everything right as a parent only to have them do something disappointing. She stole a "pointer" out of Mrs. Kindle's class (a pointer is a hand on a stick and the hand has its fist closed and it's pointer finger out). The sad part about the whole thing is that she has one at home already!! However, she felt the need to lift the teacher's pointer from the classroom! I was so upset--I was disappointed, mad, and sad all in one big bundle. I wanted to make sure I punished her, but I really wanted her to learn from this and not make a habit of it!! So, I made her write a note to Mrs. Kindle and return the pointer (I had already talked to Mrs. Kindle to let her know the pointer was at my house and it was coming back to her).

Here's the note Kylie wrote:

Here's the translation (with the authentic spelling and grammar of the letter):

Dear Mrs. Kindle

I'm very very very sorry I took your pointer. and you told me not to take stuff. and I did listen to you. and thank you for letting me spin minutes because it helps me learn not to take other peoples property. Alot I'v known But I don't know why I took it I guess I just whanted to play teacher. our write down names. again I always don't git what I whant and that's OK because every body don't git what they whant. and I'm going to think about what I did and not do it never again. but I'll think all night about it.

Love

Kylie Faith Cumbie

P.S. I'm really really really really sorry

************************************************************************************

I also had Kylie read 3 devotions out of her devotional book and tell me what they meant in terms of what she did. She read one on lying, one on the 10 Commandments, and one on doing the right thing. The girl broke down when she realized she broke one of God's rules. That's when it clicked I think.

She's a good little girl--she just wanted something she couldn't have. You know what? We all have done it!! As I disciplined her, it was a wake-up call to me to realize there's times that I want, want, want and don't need certain things. There are times I get upset when I don't get what I want--but that's life! So, the whole experience was a learning lesson for both of us!!