We have an important announcement…

Haha…I really don’t have that much an announcement other than that I have been thinking…and we all know what happens when I have been thinking…a random thought post is sure to follow.

• I miss the old days…I miss old walmart back before there were super walmarts…I miss summers as a kid where life was easy and it consisted of a lot of swimming and playing outside!  I feel like I am doing a poor job with my children.  We are rarely outside right now because it is soooo hot.   And we NEVER go swimming because I just can’t take all three by myself.  I miss how simple it seemed when I was a child…was it this hot when we were children because I just don’t remember it!
• I am home with just Larkin this morning because I thought that we had someone coming to fix our dryer (for the second time)…we had been given the wonderful “they will be there sometime between 8 and 12”.  Well, since I have been waiting around all morning, I cleaned dishes, folded mounds of clothes, changed our sheets, picked up the playroom (that looks like a tornado came through it), and ironed clothes actually enjoyed getting ready without any helpers.  Larkin is down for a nap so I put on decent looking clothes, put on makeup using TWO hands, and, are you sitting down, I CURLED MY HAIR.  I know, don’t fall out!  I was quite shocked that I actually remembered how to use a curling iron.  For once, I look like a decent human being.  Im taking Trigger to the dr this afternoon to have his 4 yr checkup (and shots :() and I am fairly certain that they will probably do a double take since I don’t have on my normal attire of tshirt and “workout” pants and tennis shoes.  It’s amazing what I can do with JUST ONE CHILD!
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• Matt found out that he has been drawn for jury duty by US district court…YAY!  Are we excited?  NO!  I mean I know that our judicial system is great but it just really bothers me that my hard working husband that owns his own business and is working his tail off to provide for our family has to stop what he is doing and NOT BE MAKING MONEY to go sit and listen to evidence against someone who was not making good choices.  I mean, it is just not fair.  I would love to know what they would do if I had been drawn because I can tell you one thing, they would have to take me with Larkin attached OR not have me. 
• Trigger has been such a handful lately…MORE than normal.  He has been sooo sassy and gives us these really ugly looks.  This weekend, we had to stop and spank him everytime he gave a look or talked ugly.  UGH…that is when I hate doing my parent duties…but he just can’t talk that way.  I think we might need the nanny to come in.  Ha…not really…I know what the problem(s) is/are but just seems like there is no way to change those things right now.  I try not to get too worked up about it because I know this is just a stage that will pass so quickly… I looked back at some pictures last night and I was literally in shock at how much Trigger has changed since March/April….he has grown up so much since then.  In some ways, I feel like I am missing out on his life because I get so bogged down with feeding and diapering Larkin and dealing with Campbell’s 2 yr old behavior!  sigh!!!
• We have a person in our church that was just diagnosed with an illness that will be a battle for him and his family…it brings back memories of my mom being sick…sometimes it seems like just yesterday.  As a mom of three (just like my mom), I just can’t imagine WHAT she mustve been going through emotionally.  THen, I think on the other side…the side of my dad…and think about how I could possibly function if it were MY spouse.  I just don’t know how my dad or anyone else do/did it!  I know God doesn’t give us more than we can handle but I’m just not sure if I am that strong!
• Why is it so hard to live in the here and now?  I feel like I have to keep reminding myself that I am a mom of THREE children and a wife and a GROWN UP.  Sometimes it seems so crazy to me…wasn’t it just yesterday that I dreamed of this life?  I hope I am enjoying it because it won’t always be this way…kids will be grown before we know it! 
• I feel guilty all the time…is it just me that feels this way?  Like right now, I should be up doing something but I am taking time for myself and blogging.  and, do I show Matt how much I love and appreciate him?  I hope he knows…I try to tell him but I hope he truly knows how much he means to me.  I KNOW I don’t spend enough time playing with my children…and certainly do NOT spend enough time working on letters, shapes, colors, etc with them.  It is true that teachers children are the worst.  Ha.  My children will know nothing…maybe I will work on that this afternoon.  ha! 
• one of my very best friends had her baby last night (actually it was this morning at 315) and it makes me a teeny bit sad that I will never birth a child again…which is hilarious because I am miserable when I am pregnant!!! I just told Matt last night that it made me sad and he just gave me a look…and I said “I know!  but it is true…you quickly forget the horrible stuff because I always feel like I could immediately get pregnant again and handle it”.  I’m pretty sure Matt wasn’t listening that clearly or he probably wouldve made some comment about how I mustve lost my mind…or maybe he just didn’t think those comments were even worth acknowledging!  HA!    It is really humorous that I feel sad because I can barely keep from drowning with the three that I have, how in the world could I possibly handle four?  I couldn’t!!!!
• I know this is a random, deep, and a little depressing post but I will leave you with one last thought and I have been meaning to blog about this for sometime now.   For Christmas, before I even had Larkin, I got this bracelet that I had picked out for Matt to give me.  It has the bible verse “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20.  At the bottom, under the verse, it has “Trigger, Larkin, and Campbell”.  Because let me tell you, I DAILY get frustrated…daily want to cry…daily want to scream…but I am soooo incredibly thankful for those three precious children.  God gave them to ME…to ME…after I thought that we would never have children…after all the medical problems…they have each had some very scary issues when pregnant with them.  It is truly a miracle that I have been able to have three children with all the medical conditions that I have.  We know that our boys are miracles but with Larkin is was like God was saying “okay…just in case you don’t get how great I can be and how much I am in control, let me just show you”.  He got me pregnant without any help, kept me pregnant when numbers weren’t what they were supposed to be, and despite the added problems (which were MORE than what I had with the boys), I delivered a PERFECT little girl!  She may have a little  large fractured skull but she is PERFECT!  Will NEVER stop thanking God for these three children!

Beach trip #2 (part 1)

At the end of July, we went to the beach again.  This time it was with my family.  We couldn’t all make it this time…because of work and other obligations.  However, those of us that went, had a good time.  It is ALWAYS interesting when you get a group as big as ours together.  We had two different condos again this year.  Seth and Vanna and their two boys were in the same condo as us.  In the other condo was my parents, karen, and the girls.  Because Vanna was helping with a baby shower, they didn’t come until a few days after us.  We left Ruston on a Friday and returned the next Thursday.  I was so thankful that we were able to go because Matt has a huge deadline for audits on July 31st.  He just worked extra hard before and after…and even some while we were there! 

Each day we would wake up at the time of “WAY TOO EARLY”, eat breakfast, ***get everyone dressed***, go down to the pool or beach or both, come back up to shower and get cleaned up, feed everyone lunch, put kids down for nap, wake up, get everyone dressed, go out to eat with everyone, and come home to put on pjs and go to bed. 

The beach SURE isn’t what it used to be!!!  It used to be the most relaxing place but now it is a place filled with LOTS OF WORK!  Don’t get me wrong…I still love to go even though it is exhausting!!!

Trigger and Campbell before going out to eat the first night!AND, the typical second picture of c screaming because Trigger is touching him.  Matt was being a dork.  I just wanted a picture of Larkin but he had to make this face!Me and my boys!…and girl!One night we went to The Original Oyster House.  It was a forever long wait…and was very hot…and all kids (and some adults) were cranky….which actually was every night when we went out to eat….lets just say that going out to eat is also NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE!LOVE those eyes!And because we are not so smart, after waiting forever and having hellacious behavior at supper, we took all of the kids to build a bear afterwards…wasn’t that smart, HA!!!!The boys really LOVE the pool…I keep telling my parent that they need to redo their pool and put in one of these zero entry pools…LOVE them because the kids can play so easily in the shallow and I can sit right there with them.  However, my parents aren’t really going for that!  Abby and Sydney LOVE playing with Larkin.Trigger was so excited to “dive” (or reach down since it was very shallow) for the rings.

Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but that is just the first of THREE posts with beach pictures…Im sure you are all going to be refreshing every few minutes just waiting for the other two since these are such thrilling posts!  HA!!!

Campbell and Larkin

Campbell has always liked Larkin but his LOVE seems to be growing stronger.  He wants to “piss” (kiss) her ALL THE TIME!!!!  If she is on the floor, he has to be right up next to her, handing her toys.  It’s really sweet.  I am sure it will not always be that way.  I can remember the love Trigger had of Campbell..until he learned to walk.  THAT is when Trigger, I think, felt threatened…and, well, you know how that is going right now…lots of screaming, pushing, shoving, etc.  Hopefully, Larkin will not get that kind of treatment from either of her brothers…I can tell you one thing, it probably wont happen too many times because if their daddy sees them being ugly to Larkin, it will not be a very happy household!  ;)  I have captured many pictures lately of Campbell and Larkin “playing” together.

Ha…she looks a little concerned in this picture…I’m not sure if she is down with the flips being done over her!LOVE this one below…she got him back!  Don’t mess with little sister!  She’ll yank out a couple of handfuls of hair!  AND SMILE ABOUT IT!

Now, don’t get me wrong…there are many times that Campbell shouts “put Larkin to bed…hold meeeee….hold meeeee” or “put her down…on floor…hold meeee….”.  Basically, the message is the same.  PUT HER DOWN and take care of ME!  and usually, I do!!!

First Food

You had your first taste of food at 7 months.  We, of course, started with rice cereal.  You were really excited about it at first but quickly discovered that it was not all it was cracked up to be.  Ha!  Your brothers both begged to try it too so I let them and they agree…NOT THAT GREAT! Even though you are the third child, we did video and take pictures of your first little meal. 

Don’t you just love that last picture?  I’m pretty sure that is how I would feel if I had to eat rice cereal!

Friday Nights

We LOVE Friday nights around here because that means that the weekend has begun and daddy is HOME!!!!  I can remember how special Friday nights were in our house as a child.  We would order Johnnys, eat pizza in the den on a quilt (which if you knew my mom, you KNOW that was a HUGE deal!), and watch TGIF.  Well, we try to have those kind of Friday nights around here.  I like trying to do something different and fun and try to make some memories rather just “make it through the day” like it seems we tend to do sometimes.    I have to say that I did put down a quilt but lets be honest, I am NOT my mom in that department and a little pizza  would NOT have hurt our rug.  HA!!!  AND, instead of TGIF since we don’t have good shows like that anymore, we watch a movie.  USUALLY, like this night, the POLAR EXPRESS is a big request!  Since Matt and I are huge fans of anything Christmas, we gladly agree!!!  Look at Larkin…ummmm…she kind of likes TV.  Ha!!!LOOK at those faces…MOUTH WIDE OPEN!!!!I just love those sweet feet!!!!This picture of Trigger sooo reminds me of Uncle Seth…Seth used to sit just like this in our den when we were growing up!!!

and lets not forget the most important part of movie night, POPCORN…yep, we enjoyed some popcorn too! 

Now, we don’t do this every Friday night BUT, it sure is fun when we do!!!