Seeing Double

6 1/2 months

Baxter's snack

What started out as a cute bouquet of flowers turned out to look like this

Don't be too impressed - this was totally a copied project! A little bit of nana's lb. cake in the bottom, chocolate ice cream/gummie worms for boys, strawberry ice cream for girls, then some crushed oreos on top made for a cute preschool treat. I inserted a straw into the lb. cake to hold the flowers at the end. They turned out very sweet but note to self...do not place flowers back in freezer - they will droop - majorly! Also, do not try to carry fifteen 3" pots in one hand and a 20 lb. baby in the other arm. 20 lb. baby will eat flowers and you will not have another hand to stop said baby.

I think Bax appreciated it??? Maybe for Mother's Day for Lillee's class? Maybe...

We decided to go down to my parents for the weekend since Scott had to go to Springfield on Friday. I don't think he minded working Friday since he got to tell people he was going to that Effingham County. It's the small things right? Friday the kids, my mom and I had lunch with grandma and hung out with her for awhile. Then we ventured out to the oh so exciting Glynn Place Mall. Wow - what a mall. Ha. I took back some shoes I ordered and then tried to take something else back to the Gap. No such luck. Gap was gone. So sad for the stink. Then we ran over to Michael's where I got 15 clay pots for a little project I will post soon.

When Scott got back we left nana and papa standing on the porch screaming, "Don't leave us with the babies." Laying rubber we headed out to......

with some great friends we only see about once a year. They have a 19 month old and are expecting. It's so much fun to visit with friends and share crazy stories. We are promising to get together with kids soon. Soon. We'll keep saying that! I had a yummy pineapple and shrimp taco and Scott had some salmon tacos. Delish.

Early Saturday morning Scott, Lillee and my dad headed out to some yard sales. They didn't find anything so my mom and dad took LG and Bax to Hoboken, GA to the BIG Z WAREHOUSE SALE. I mean this was a yard sale complete with pony rides and a big slide. Each kid had $5. LG got a telescope and Bax came home with some Incredibles McDonald's toys and a .50 Spiderman sweatshirt. They ate funnel cakes and boiled peanuts - what could be better? Time spent = priceless. Poppy got to drive his red car so they had an awesome time. I'm sure there were lots of characters such as this dude at the Big Z! My mom got a bed! $10. Oh, the treasures.

Scott and I went into town with Ben and had lunch at Spanky's. Yes, we go there every time we are in town. We joked over shrimp salad and shrimp quesadillas that Spanky's in Brunswick is like J Henry's in Griffin. Good, reliable, will see at least 15 people you know! We hit TJ Maxx and Books-A-Million looking for some Easter Bunny treats.

They got home and rode bikes forever. Nana found LG a new bike at last week's yard sale "Peaches to the Beaches" so she and Bax both have a bike there. I can't count how many miles they have been on those bikes this past weekend. I think they just enjoy the flat land!

Everyone had a quick nap and we took off to the movies to see Alice in Wonderland. Lillee and Nana had already seen it in 3D but she was eager to see it again. It was......interesting. A fun family outing and it gave nana and papa some quiet time with Ben. The picture above is Ben sleeping in the swing on the back porch with my mom rocking him. I think he enjoyed himself!

I had to capture this pic. I think it really says how "grown-up" Lillee has become. She is just lounging and hanging out with her friend who is "talking/texting" on her phone. They sat on the patio for 1/2 hour and chatted away while Bax and Constance played pirates on top of the Little Tikes house. Speaking of pirates, I thought I'd throw in a few pictures to redeem Baxter's last impression in his red nylon pajamas. He really is a rough and tough little dude. We went to the playground Friday after they got out of school and before we attended the QU wedding at Lillee's school. It was such a pretty day out finally and we were ready for the sun. His haircut is really cute right now. I'm pretty sure he knows that.

If the manly stance above was not enough, here's his gut hanging out and his skull and crossbone boxers poking above his jeans. I'm not quite sure why the shirt came off in the first place but I think he's very comfortable like that.

He loves playing on his new playset Poppy built him. The steering wheel is his favorite part. Concon is still unsure what to think of him at times. She gets in her car and drives off, with her Hello Kitty purse of course!

This is Ben at the playground. I'm definitely going to have to find a larger blanket as he had gotten off of this one very quickly. He's a mover I'm telling you and a happy one at that.

Happy Spring

Spring is here. We are so happy to be able to get outside. With Easter approaching, there is talk of egg hunts and blankets on the grasses. The camelias are in full bloom and all of the other blooms are beginning to come out. Now let's hope April doesn't shower us with rain.

My grass is doing well. Had to get out the scissors and give it a little trim. This is 2 1/2 weeks so I think it's reached it's optimal growth. I think it turned out quite Marthaish.

Should I really post this?

Ok, I had to. Sorry Bax! This is what happens when you adore your older sister so much and mommy has her hands full with Ben and I ask your sneaky big sister to go help you put your pj's on. The funniest thing to me were the skull and crossbone underwear that you had on underneath! However, you seemed to think it was the funniest thing you'd ever done so I had to get a pic. No worries.... I changed you into your pirate pants and Spiderman shirt for bed! That sister.

Sweet baby

Ben, you are so sweet. No crawling and no sitting up. There are two little razor like teeth coming through. They are giving you a really hard time. You are rolling over and rolling all over the place. Sleeping through the night when you want to...sometimes 12 hours! Some nights not. You still love your swing and playpen. In the mornings it's pretty quiet around here. As soon as Baxter gets home you light up and interact with him. It's the cutest thing. Then, around 3, Lillee Grace gets off the bus and things at our house really start shaking! You like to be on the go and entertained a lot! There's hardly a time when you are hanging out and still. You've earned the reputation of being a little bruiser in the church nursery. We think you'd turn chairs over if you could. This summer is definitely going to be interesting because you are a busy little guy.

Happy Birthday Baxter!

Ok, so I'm still learning on this linking thing but I'm pretty sure if you click HERE you can see Baxter's 4th birthday party! Hope it works!

Rachel Ray? Paula Deen? Emeril? Bobby Flay?

Progress of eggs - I'm very proud of them. Almost time to trim!

I found a yummy compilation of recipes on a fun blog. I bought all of the ingredients last week. Saturday morning I checked the recipes and they served like 8 adults! WOW! So, I got on the phone for some help to eat this yummy stuff.
This is why I don't dice vegetables for dinner each night. Quite a bit of time. Computer on the counter for quick checking.
So you take these vegetables and add them to this

Matt Certain will be so proud of us for this butter melting!!!! I think the first blog I ever posted referenced a cardiologist! It was really cool seeing these bell peppers and onions simmering in this pan of cholesterol.

This yummy mixture was added to 2 lbs of ground beef and 1 lb of ground pork and some breadcrumbs for some DELICIOUS meatloaf.

As if those little dollops of butter were not enough, I added 1 3/4 sticks of butter to our small and shallow iron skillet to make a yummy looking apple cake.

So......the meatloaf came out total perfection and came out looking just like the pictures from the blog. I made some homemade mashed potatoes with heavy cream, cheddar/monterey jack cheese and sour cream. I mean I wanted to slap my momma so good. And, before you ask, I will begin a fast tomorrow. That is, after Baxter's birthday cake is gone. Yikes, Jenny Craig and Kirstie Alley I need your help!

Look how great!

Now, before I begin this story, I must tell you that iron skillet apple cake did turn out edible. Edible is a word you should remember as you read along.

Our company arrived and we were visiting in the den. Kids were inside/outside having a blast. Ben was in his swing sound asleep. Things could not have been any better.

When they got here I put the skillet in the oven. It needed to bake at 375 for 20-25 mins. Great huh? I'll stick it in the oven and it will be bubbling nicely while we enjoy our main course. The aroma of the apples/cinammon will drown out the hearty smells of the honey and ketchup and meats that had filled our lovely home with our sweet friends. I'm telling you this meal was just great. Pride swelled within me as I felt such accomplishment from my culinary skills.

Sound too good to be true? Feeling like something has to go wrong at any minute...

SMOKE ALARMS

SCREAMING BABY

CATERWALLING KIDS

CLOUDS OF BLACK SMOKE RISING

COUGHING

ALL DOORS/WINDOWS OPENED

SMOKE

SMOKE (NOT TONY STEWART)

DID I MENTION LOTS OF CATERWALLING? (MOSTLY FROM LGK)

SMOKE

STOP, DROP AND ROLL WAS MENTIONED

SMOKE

This would be the end of the pictures...all that's left is a yucky pic of our oven. Remember earlier when I mentioned the SMALL, SHALLOW iron skillet? Well, apparently it was a litte TOO small and shallow. The apple cake bubbled over and spilled into the bottom of the oven!

It was a dinner to remember!

The meatloaf was awesome, potatoes delicious and perfect consistency, english peas were canned and cold, salad light and the only thing that was less than 8,000 calories on the table and the apple cake.....EDIBLE. That's about it.....EDIBLE.

Breakfast with Dad

Baxter's school had Breakfast with Dad Friday. These two guys had a lot of fun and it was really easy to get the B man in a button down shirt. He definitely is a little mini Scotty. If I can figure out this blog thing and scan a pic I have one of Scott dressed up like Humpty Dumpty. Sorry honey. He looks just like Bax.
Bax wouldn't eat a thing Friday a.m. He said he would wait on these

which made him do this

A few highlights from the morning:

*he got to draw a pic of his daddy. It was the typical big circle with two lines out of the bottom for legs and two stick arms. Again, humpty dumpty!

*the kids filled out the form telling all about their dads. Scott is ? years old, as big as a TREE, he likes to eat SALAD, he likes to watch FOOTBALL, his job is WORKING WITH HIS HANDS, and Baxter's favorite thing that they do together is PLAYING WII. Out of the mouths of babes. I picked Bax and ConCon up from school Friday and Scott and I took them to lunch. We ask them what ConCon's mommy did for work and they replied that both she and Scott go to their office to do paperwork. Then I ask them what my work was? Constance shouted, "YOU CLEAN" and then Bax added, "AND VACUUM." Nice!

*Scott said he joined in the HOKEY POKEY. I would have liked to have seen that. I know Bax loved that.

*First Baptist Weekday knows how to throw a party!

6 months

How do we do it everyday? I've never stereotyped stay-at-home (SAH) moms and thought that their life was easy. Oprah has always said it's the hardest job there is. Obviously, being a mother is the MOST important job ever. Women who work outside the home have to be able to juggle their careers, childcare, groceries, baths, bedtimes, picking up/dropping off, and many other outside the home kind of things. SAH moms do have the convenience of dropping off in pajamas, something I swore I would never do. Lillee Grace was 10 months old when I decided to go back to work, Baxter 7 weeks. Are they any different? Absolutely. However, they are different because God created them with individual personalities. Are they different because of my decision to work/not work? I don't think so.

At this season in our family's life I 100% believe I am right where God is calling me to be. It is so tough to keep up today. You can read these blogs and feel so inadequate. Someone always has a nicer home than you (with a pool), someone has a cooler, better quality camera than you do, their kids are behaving better than yours. I could go on and on. When I think about those things I forget that God is blessing us right here and right now in this moment. He is calling us to love ourselves as He loves us (which is SO much) and to love others with a servant heart.

I appreciate that I am at home and I am ever so grateful that I am hanging out with my angelic SIX month old ALL day, my energetic and full-spirited FOUR year old after 12 and my beautiful and wise SIX year old after 3 every day.

When I am at wits end at the end of the day and I am watching the clock to see how much longer until I can start the bedtime process it is so important to remember that there are other mothers who long to hold their children. Other mothers who would love nothing more than to wipe urine off the bathroom walls because when I call Bax's name he turns suddenly to answer and everything gets soaked. There are mothers who would like to have disagreements every morning about which clothes their daughter will wear to school. There are moms who would love for their shirts to have green peas on them, sticky formula under their nails, crusty old baby food stuck to their foreheads, boogers on their jeans.

Our family is blessed and it is easy to take these things for granted and get so caught up in what others are doing and how our lives could be better? The blessings we have come from above. There is no other explanation than to know that we have fully surrendered to Him and that any thing that comes our way He will handle. He will provide.

This is a season that I am enjoying. There is nothing that says the next season won't be different and there will be different hurdles to face. Who knows where we'll be? What sport we'll be playing? Isn't it cool to see where God puts us? He knows what our lives will be like in 6 months, in 6 years, tomorrow. I look forward to seeing that but right now I am living each day in the moment, taking it all in and loving these wonderful children God has entrusted to me.

Flying High

Little angels took flight Saturday a.m. A year ago I won a flight around Griffin at a preschool auction. They had no clue what they were in for. Scott said they loved it. I would have been a bit worried had I seen just how small the backseat was. Not because I would have been nervous but because they don't always do well in tight spaces with each other.

In the hangar getting ready...

There's a little bit of uncertainty on their faces.

Getting a glimpse of where they'll be the rest of the weekend. I'm pretty sure they were not pulling a sign advertising $.50 wings @ Hooter's behind this plane!

Mr. Dale was so nice to show them around and let daddy take the wheel.

I think daddy wants his pilot license now. Call the insurance guy, double your policy and take off dude!

My mom and I really just stayed home and directed traffic. We did manage to do some yummy cooking and get my eggs started with grass seed. We had a fun time hanging out and riding bikes and playing on our new AWESOME playground. Pics to come of that!

Truckin

When the phone rang around noon on Saturday with exciting news that there were some truck tickets to be had, my dad, Scotty and Bax jumped in the car.

There was lots of fun to be had and a very delicious/nutritious meal! Scott shared what a great time they had until all of a sudden Baxter said he was so angry that he wished a swarm of bees would come and sting my dad and Scott. Nice. A swarm of bees? Really? Where does this come from? I'm going to have to blame it on the nitrates in the corn dog.

He was a perfect angel until the beehive flared up. I'm guessing he has the makings for a nascar fan as he talks ugly and has an enormous fascination with cigarettes. He also LOVES wrecks and policemen. Then only thing he needs now is some low rider jeans so that we can see his plumber's crack and a 12 pack of beer that costs $5.29.

Let's Go Racing

Scott, Bax and my dad have been racing all weekend. It all started Saturday with the truck race. We missed our evening with friends Sat. night. This race was a LOT calmer than the last race Scott went to. Thankfully, my dad and Bax were there to chaperone with Dale and Charlie!
Thanks guys. I'm thinking Scotty did not want to come home that way again.
Here is David Ragan's car. Christopher works for him and he was so generous to show my dad and Scott around in Daytona and get them tickets. I think my dad liked the golf cart ride and the tour of the motor coach the best!

I think this was a big highlight for the little guy. Saturday was a little tough for him but he recovered and hung in there today. Scott said he really enjoyed hanging out in "Sheila", Ricky's camper! No pics of that. Not sure I want to know what goes on in the camper!

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING???
Clearly, Scott had premium seating!
This guy had a blast with papa!