So this is Christmas....

I feel like I am a hamster running in circles on that squeaky wheel! I know there is a million things I have to or need to get done! This morning I woke up (again not by choice) at 5 am and just couldn't believe that it's Christmas eve! Where did the month go? Anywho, I know I am not going to have time later to get some photo's up so wanted to post them now...yes...at 6:11am! We did some running around last weekend and had only a small list of errands to do. Starting with fixing the spare bedroom bed. I'd love to say I have no idea what happened to it or that the kids broke it by jumping on it. But, that is not the case...I sat on it! Well, actually I plopt down on it. Is that a word? Plop, plopped, plopt? Either way it was quite sad and maybe a tad bit of an eye opener. In my defense it's a home made bed, bed frame and head board! Yup! I'm going with that! Bad craftsman's ship! So anyways I wanted to get a few photo's of this past weekend posted because I have a feeling I'm not going to have that much time to do anything here in the next week or so. It was a pretty good low key weekend which is always nice! So we headed to Lowe's to pick up some wood to fix the bed and actually got there right when they had started their Lowe's kids craft making class. We decided to stay and do the craft with the kiddo's and it was great fun! We were making Pet treat keepers or at least that what they said they were suppose to be. I am not great at following directions and am a totally hands on or visual kind of person. I think Brent was leaning away from me so I couldn't peek at him and Memphis's "Pet treat keeper"! So mine...um...I'm mean Sawyers and mine ended up looking like an actual "pet treat keeper"! You may be saying to your self "Yes, you already said that and what is the difference between their (Brent and Memphis's) pet treat keeper and your pet treat keeper. Well see below...I think we just kinda gave up. Well after that we headed on over to Ace Hardware. Memphis asked if we could go to the MAN store and go look at all the dead stuffed animals. So that's just what we did! I'm not sure about anyone else's Ace Hardware but ours sells guns, ammo and has an outside shooting range! Simple and free entertainment for the boys! ALL THREE OF THEM!When we got home we decided to do a Christmas craft and that to was great fun but always stressful when they'd rather play with a tub full of glue then actually do the craft! Mom what can I glue now? Mom what can I glue now? Hmmmm? Your Mouth?!? Nah! I didn't say that but I'd wonder if they'd do it though. We ended our evening the same as usual with a little computer time for Memphis after the kiddo's bath. It always makes me laugh because that poor boy can't do anything with out his brother being right next to him. Sawyer just adores his big brother! As crazy as this month has been and as fast as it has flown by. It was nice to have a simple down time kinda weekend! If I don't get to do it later I want to tell everyone to have a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas for the kids and fun with friends!

Wordless Wednesday: Grandad O. & Memphis...long ago!

My favorite time is also my saddest

The photo above is of Grandpa Weller. Grandpa Weller is Brent's grandpa but feels very much so like he is mine and as if he has been my entire life. I truly love and adore all my grand parent in-laws. I am also lucky to have married into an ENTIRE family that I love so much. I know that's not always the case with a lot of people. Right now Grandpa is in the ICU in Pennsylvania and of course we are sad that we can't just pop over to see him. Grandpa is almost in his 90's and has been married forever to grandma. I wish I could figure out how to work this darn scanner because I would have posted the sweetest photo of him and grandma on their anniversary. I have the photo on our fridge! we received an e-mail this morning from Brent's mom letting us know whats going on with him. I had previously stated in an older post about how Brent's mom had recently taken on the position of caring for Grandma and Grandpa and let them move into their house. Grandpa became ill maybe days after they moved in. I told Brent it's almost as if his mind and body new that grandma...the love of his life...was in good hands and now safe and being taken care of. Grandpa has ALWAYS been wide eyed and aware of everything at least until yesterday. He has now been talking about things like an airfield in Rhimersburg and smoke. Obviously, Grandpa was in the military! These times in my grand parents lives are my favorite times and they are my saddest times. My favorite because they are so often remembering things about their pasts and I get to learn so many things about them but it goes hand in hand with the fact that they are elderly and they aren't in a right state of mind.Dementia of some sort maybe.
This makes me actually think of my grandma. I was never a really great kid growing up and at young ages I was crazy naughty and fought alot with my brother and the teen years..well...that's a whole long drawn out story! I was never real close with my Grand mother on my dad's side and wasn't even sure she actually cared. When I married Brent later in my mid 20's I took Brent to Tennessee to meet her and by this time Alzheimer's had already kicked in pretty bad. She would repeat everything..alot! But, I got to hear amazing stories. My grand mother was CRAZY SMART and had a ton of degrees she also taught in Africa and wrote books that were published. I can only remember her watching one show my entire life and that was Jeopardy! To be fair I don't think that I truly appreciated her until later in life either. While we were there she told us a story of her in Alaska and bob sledding with sled dogs. She even pulled out photo's of the whole experience! Our visit was good and a bit short. While we were there we hit up the pink palace and the Memphis Zoo and of course Graceland! She only met Brent once and that was the last time I saw her but til the day she died she said how proud she was of me because we went to museums when we visited her and how much she adored Brent. She was proud of me and I am so thankful for her being so proud of me and as much as I wished that I had taken the time to see her again... I am good. I have this glorious image of her standing next to sled dogs like in the photo and great stories whether she meant to tell us or not.
We never got a chance to make it to Pa. for hunting season this year and that's when we usually get to see all of Brent's side of the family. We just moved to Alabama and we aren't financially stable enough to make the trip since the big move. We will be going up during the spring and have had the trip planned now for a while. I can't wait to tell Grandpa how much I love him and give him a hug. Of course Brent feels the same way. He has an amazing love and a truly amazing respect for Grandpa Weller. Please pray for his healing!

Yee Haw!

 

Making Cookies with grandma!

 

Obviously not my cookie!

 

So as I posted before we were heading to mom and dad's to do the annual cookie decorating. This was Brents masterpiece! Yes, by the way that is Deer blood he had made dripping from the arrow and I'm thinking the deer was someones pet by the silver collar it was wearing...Hmmm...maybe Santa's!

One for the "fam"! Beautiful brown eyed boy!

 

One for the "fam"! Sawyer's smile!

 

Don't touch, Don't touch, Don't touch!

 

This is the first year that Sawyer has been mobile and we have had a tree up. I'm exhausted just writing Don't touch! I have said this for a couple weeks straight now! He's just so darn cute!

Creepy little lady bugs!

 

So one more crazy new experience here in our new home of Alabama. All of a sudden we have lady bugs EVERY WHERE!!! Honestly there are like 30 in each window ledge of our house. Not on the outside either! I have no idea how they are getting in or where they came from. I have no idea if it's their "breeding season" or what. But, I do know that it's all male lady bugs because girl lady bugs aren't the pretty red and black ones. So I guess that throws out the whole breeding thing...I think?!?! Seriously where did they come from and why are they clinging to my window screens? It's not like the were in the house and screaming to get out now. They have to know how all one million of them got in. Memphis walks around with them on his hands and that's kinda creepy too. But, it's even worse when he tells me that he wants to take his "lady bug brother" to Walmart with him...to which he did! I later found him dead on the floor board of the car!

This face...that smile!

 

Shhhh! Don't tell me your name cause' I can't sleep as it is!

Just to let you know this is gonna be a super long one! So it seems as the days and weeks are just flying by. I can't seem to slow down and that just happens sometimes. The last time I posted or actually "wrote" a post I talked about my mommy meet up group and a few people here and there. It's amazing what just a few weeks can do to a person. I know not many of you know this but I have posted it time and time and time again that I am a thinker, a stewer, a dweller,and a wonderer! After I received the news about Margo and her cancer coming back I think it all went down hill from there. I have been keeping up with her and the next steps that they are taking and you can to by going here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/margomenger .Anywho, the night before Thanksgiving we drove to my folks and I spoke with one of Margo's friends and she was trying to give me the run down on whats going on but for the most part people are trying to stay away from time frames and doing a whole lotta praying for God's healing! When I was at my folks I was taking a shower and sat there for a few and just thought... why? Why her? Why anyone? Who does the picking and choosing? I know I haven't known her long but I cry for her and adore her. I want to do all I can for her! That day...Thanksgiving...was great! But, I need to add in some where that I have had a headache since Nov. 21st and it was now Nov. 26th. So great as it was my head was throbbing and couldn't believe it had been so many days in a row that I had been dealing with not just a mild but a severe headache! Through the days I started to feel like a bad wife because I felt that I wasn't showing Brent any such attention a husband should be shown but I was physically spent and hurting! I received another e-mail from the woman from the mommy meet up group (not a pushy or ugly one) but just asking if anyone had been willing to donate anything used for Christmas for them. I just became angry and hurt and sad and I know I shouldn't. I was mad that we now have 89 members or so and only ONE PERSON mentioned about wanting to help out! I know times are tough and trust me when I say we know what it's like to be a day late and a dollar short! Goodness! Have you ever seen me post ANYTHING on here about us doing something or going somewhere...NO! But, don't think I wouldn't cut some corners somewhere to figure out how to help some one at least a little bit. I know I shouldn't be mad and sad but I am and it's eating at me. Now I am on to my 9th or 10th day with a headache! We then received a message from my mother in-law that My grand father in-law was very, very ill and taken by ambulance to the hospital and he was in the ICU. We didn't even realize how sick he was until the Doc's reiterated it to everyone! I feel bad for my mother in-law and some times wished we lived closer to her so we could help out. She has recently let Grandma and Grandpa move into her house...Thank Goodness! This is a huge task and on top of taking care of them you have to completely re-do your entire life's ordinary day agendas and doings. She had a rough thanksgiving as well and I wished now that we had been there so I could have helped out. Grandpa is doing semi okay now but he is still in the ICU because he has Mercer now! Please continue to pray! By my 11th day of a head ache I told Brent I just couldn't take it anymore and he took the day of to stay with the kids and I head to the urgent care and there I sat for 1 1/2 hours for them to tell me they couldn't see me because I'd have to go to the ER to get a Cat scan! It wasn't all bad though because the Urgent care is a super Religious Urgent care with about 20 bibles laying about and a few "our daily breads" and scripture all over the walls. I say it wasn't all bad because I picked up a pamphlet on the story of Christmas and read it to pass the time. I know people were looking at me and kept thinking I must be in some serious pain because I was sobbing. Trust me I was in pain and did cry cause I wanted someone beside me and there was no one because my folks don't live here and Brent had to watch the kids and I was hurting. But, I was actaully sobbing because I was reading about how Mary was kneeling below Jesus as he was on the cross and how she looked up at his face and saw streaks down his face from which his tears were shed and wiped away the dirt. Every time I read this I for some reason put my self in the position of Mary as if I were looking up at one of my two sons and how bad my heart would hurt but still knowing that I had to have faith in my God and his plan. See here I go again...don't cry, don't cry! Anywho, I left there and headed to the ER and I new it would be a long, long wait so I took one of those Daily bread books with me to read. I like those! I read the story about Anna and Simeon again and it still amazes me...all that faith! I was finally called to the back after to which felt like an eternity. They asked tons of questions, stuck an IV in me, did a Cat scan and then pumped me full of drugs! Anti-vomiting medicine, anti-inflammatory, some kind of drug that made me seriously loopy! and two others before I left. I had to call Brent to come get me and we left his car there at the hospital. So much for the anti-vomiting meds because I got sick ALL THE WAY HOME! UGH! They said they really couldn't find anything wrong but they did say between poor vision, poor sleeping habits, stress, poor eating habits and everything else that this could be the out come...week long severe headaches! I have a follow with a neurologist next week some time and they sent me home with some medicine that I couldn't even take if I wanted to unless I could teach the dog to tend to the kids! Yesterday I was still woozy but I am feeling a bit better today although I still feel a bit anxious. I am Queen of anxiety attacks! They come and they go but thankfully don't stay as long as they use to. When I checked my mommy meet-up group when I got back home some one had posted something new. It was a message about a mom of four (real young kids) had just fled an abusive situation (husband) and left everything and I mean everything behind. They were looking for help and once again I can feel my head spinning and my stress level rising. I know I can't fix the whole world but I always feel compelled to try! Thankfully my friend Misty stopped me in my tracks and made me understand that this person has posted this on our site as well as one of the largest churches here in town and I can always pray for people to put aside themselves for a bit and to help out others. That's the key...pray. Isn't it strange to say that you have to PRAY for others to think not only of themselves. Trust me when I say that I do know we are all human and all have flaws and all do this from time to time...think of only ourselves. I'm tired and stressed and am going to find a couple Asst. organizers for my group because I need to relinquish some control now that we are so close to 100 members. The Holidays are approaching and I want it to be enjoyable and not stressful. I know I always come up with these odd titles to my posts but honest to goodness I spend half my night praying for people I know, people I don't, people I wish I did and our president! If I meet one more person I think I might never sleep again!

Thanksgiving...a little late posting!

Family Traditions! (I almost broke out into song..Ha! Ha!)

Wow! This one is easy and I'm sure for the most part every ones answer to this blog hopping question is going to be some what similar. Decorating, cookies and the story of baby Jesus! My ENTIRE life my parents have gone over the top when it comes to decorating. I honestly couldn't stress the words over the top enough. It takes my folks a week and a half (that is working diligently) to set up their entire house. They have a Christmas tree in every room in their house and have themed bedrooms for the holidays. Memphis's favorite is the "snow man room"! It is CRAZY! My mother has always gone all out when it comes to cooking making. She mails them all over the world as well. I think when my brother was in Iraq or one of those places she even mailed them to him. She makes cookies ALL DAY and EVERY DAY for a solid week. Thousands and thousands of cookies. Once again I cannot stress the word thousands enough. The sugar cookies of course is where the family tradition part falls into place for us. We have always gone over to their house to decorate them and that is exactly what we will be doing next weekend! I will be sure to post more recent photo's of us decorating them since I can only find photo's from a couple years ago. I say this because the photo's I am posting I am actually pregnant with Sawyer and he is now 18 months old! You are probably wondering why I don't do the cookies myself since I cook all the time and I'm almost 35 years old. I'm not quite sure?!?! I think because my mother has done this forever and my holidays just wouldn't be normal if she wasn't doing it. I guess that for almost 35 years this is what I have always known at Christmas time. Maybe one day I will do this for my kids but I hope that day doesn't come to soon. That is because it means my mom isn't doing them. Lastly, my mother has always ready the Christmas story from the bible every year right before we opened our gifts!My mom and Memphis!PREGNANT! I was probably helping him finish the cookies faster so I could snatch them out of his hands and eat them!I don't know how we kept him from eating the candy!
I'm not sure who's tray this one was but if you think they are pretty then it was mine!

Hunting Season opens soon....get your toddlers!

The boys are ready for hunting season! Can you tell? This photo makes me laugh alot! You can't tell but Memphis has on camouflage slippers to. He was so excited to see that he could finally fit his hands into the gloves that Brent bought for him when he was I think about 1 yrs. They are the type that flip back and expose your finger tips...but camo! Sawyer of course does what ever Memphis does at all times! Brothers! I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm Awesome..now I'm sad!

I feel like I never have a second to spare anymore. My house is atrocious!I'm not exaggerating either! I have been so run ragged lately and I'm not gonna lie because I did it to myself. The holidays are approaching and I don't have a clue where to start. I'm actually multi tasking right this second by eating soup at a very small desk and trying to type at the same time while the youngest is asleep and the other is watching Yo Gabba Gabba! On top of the fact that I am tired....I'm truly happy right now as well. I know when we first moved here I posted and wrote about how sad I was and how much I missed my friends in Tallahassee. I still do of course but I take so many trips over there that it's almost as if I have never left. I did declare one thing when we moved though and that is that I wasn't going to wait around to make friends this time. I wasn't going to stay lonely and sad and wait for people to find me and love me. I was going to put my self out there and talk to everyone and love everyone and yes! Pretty much force people to adore me! Ha! Adore me! I crack myself up! I should've put tolerate me! Either way I could sit around and wait for people to approach me or I could make it happen and that's what I did! So I went through meet-up.com. NO IT'S NOT A DATING SITE!!It's a site that you can actually start groups based on things like Protesters of America, Moms with twins, or Owners of dogs that like to poop on mail boxes! Well, I haven't exactly seen that group yet but they could start one! I do have to pay for the site but I thought it would be so worth it...to me! Does that mean I am buying friends? The logo I chose is the one above and I entered in all my specs. Christian parenting, Stay at home moms, Hips moms, Fit mom's (don't laugh!), Mom's with toddlers, blah, blah, blah. Anywho, it e-mails anyone that was originally looking in this area for a mom's group and WOW! Did I hit the mother load! In three months there are now 82 members! Well, there were actually 84 but I'll get to that in a minute. I actually have it set up to approve people because I prefer for it to be a group of only women. There's a message board and I can start a poll if I want and monthly calendars that I attach events to. We have done krispy Kreme donut tours, park picnics, Chuck E. Cheese meet-ups,craft days and mom's nights out. Just all sorts of things.It started off exhausting since I was waking at 5am and doing research on the area so I could post events...remember I just moved here!I eventually met Misty that was so gung-ho and offered to be the assistant organizer of the group and I am so thankful for that because she is also now my closest friend here in town. I don't think there is a day that goes by that we don't call each other at least 2-3 times! So now I am good and have a friend. I love this group and we have a thread that is labeled "Tell us about you" that gives everyone a chance to share a little about themselves and I love to learn about everyone. But, it cracks me up a little each time because each message usually contains a "Gina, I am so thankful for you starting a group like this!" or "This is such a good idea and thanks for making the group" WOW! If they only new that it was all for me...okay...and for them! I sound selfish but it's true. Like I said I wanted friends and playmates for my kids so I made it happen....viola'! Only thing is now I'm sad....sometimes. I also hear from women that they prayed for a group like this and sometime I hear how lonely they have been or don't have any friends or are in need of friends because they are newly divorced. I have met two women that have recently lost their husbands! I met another family that's husband has been laid off from his job and they are struggling hugely financially. They are struggling to pay their bills and can't afford anything for their children for Christmas. We also have another woman that joined and I am so thankful for her. Her name is Margo and she is a wife and a mother of a two year old daughter. She has battled liver cancer after being told that she had 6 months to live and she had WON! A this moment here and now she is at a hospital a few hours away in Montgomery were they have just told her that her cancer has come back and I am now waiting to hear from her. I am now not sure who needs who more. When you are around so many people with so much going on and so many back grounds and so many different views to just about everything it really puts life into perspective. The two women that are alone have now found each other as a support system and we are in the process of raising money to buy a Gift card to Toys R Us for the family that is without. As far as Margo goes...we are praying. We had 84 members but two people have left the group without me knowing why. At first I took it personal but I realize that I shouldn't and I for sure can't please everyone. To say I am awesome for starting a group like this here in this town would be silly because I seriously think it was God's plan not mine. To say that I am sad is so true sometimes, but, mostly I am just thankful.

Pizza Makin' a new family Tradition!

So we decided that we were going to try a once a month new family tradition. Making homemade pizza's! Honest to goodness this is the funnest and funniest thing that we have every done! I really don't know who was sillier the kids or Brent! We tried game night once before but Memphis can't grasp the fact that games have rules and that you are suppose to follow them. He had a ton of fun but it about drove us...the competitive folks..CRAZY! Yes, I know he was only three at the time...Ha! Ha! Brent decided that he wanted to become the master pizza flipper but after it hit the ceiling a couple times (want to mention we have a popcorn ceiling) he decided to stop! The pizza's were yummy!

Brent and his pizza making abilities...NOT!