MJC

For the first time, I hosted a matilda jane trunk show.  I have to say that I have tried to avoid doing anything like this because I didn’t want any of my friends to feel obligated to buy anything.  However, I caved because I sooo love matilda jane and because the trunk keeper is pretty good at getting people to host shows.  :)

My friend, Rebecca and her little boy, Charlie came over early.  It was nice having some help getting out the snacks.  I just love their clothes!!!!!!!  This is precious Ava…the trunk keeper, samantha’s lttle girl.  She was trying to help Larkin pick out some clothes.  Let me tell you that I have never been this impressed with a company before.  Everything was seamless.  Top notch.  Every detail is thought of.  I had my show on a tuesday and our order was in in exactly a week (the next tuesday).  The order came in a big box.  Each persons order came in a plastic bag.  In the bag, each item was in its own pink mesh bag.  I am telling you.  It was VERY impressive to me.  The time spent to make their packaging and product look good really SOLD me.  I mean I was already sold by their precious clothes but this put me over the top in love with their company!Larkin let me try on a few things. 

Ive ordered some M2M bows and im waiting to get those and then she will be wearing LOTS of matilda jane.

P.S. I realize that this whole entire post was pretty shallow and very 1st world struggles….im sorry.  I don’t really know what to say about that.  its cute stuff.

Trigger’s Party (for real)

Im not going to lie.  I BEGGED and PLEADED with Trigger to have his party anywhere but at our house.  I did NOT want to clean my house again.  He agreed to have his party at The Journey Place at church.  I was thrilled. I felt kind of guilty because I didn’t put much effort into this party…well, I did but then it didn’t happen and I just didn’t have it in me after that. 

Here is trigger with his cake topper from the week before…that I froze and then unfroze.  ha!Trigger and sam…triggers best friend.I forgot to call super one to order a cake…so I had to make cupcakes the day before.  they didn’t look pretty but let me tell you, YUM!  They were wedding cake cupcakes.  And, we were supposed to have ice cream  but someone (I won’t name any names…but it wasn’t me.) forgot to put it in the ice chest. Sweet, ACTIVE boys.  Campbell, John Parker, Sam, Trigger, and Tucker.  It was funny because the four boys on the right are all at cc prek this year and know each other…I was taking a picture of them…and Campbell looked at them and then looked at me and just kind of side stepped into the picture…john parker just went along with it.  lol!Chelsea and CampbellUncle Will and Aunt Karen got Trigger a skateboard.  Trigger loves it.  He couldn’t wait to get home to try it out.  If he breaks something, I am sending him to their house for the recovery!

Trigger’s party #1

We had scheduled Trigger’s birthday party for the Saturday after his real birthday.  I always schedule it afterwards…for some odd reason, I have issues with having our parties before their actual birthday.  Anyway, Trigger had been great all week…went to art camp…played…been completely normal.  Then, on Friday night, I noticed that Trigger seemed lethargic and just didn’t look like himself.  Then, he told me that his head hurt.  I felt of him and he seemed a little hot.  I gave him some tylenol for his head and then immediately checked his temp. FEVER!  Like high 102.  I was just devastated.  I had planned and planned and had the house spic and span.  We got the kids in bed and then I sent out a mass text telling everyone that Trigger had fever…that we would still have party if he was okay in the morning.  The party was supposed to start at 9 because of the heat.  Trigger woke the next morning and he still had a high temp.  So, I sent out another mass text cancelling his party.  Trigger was devastated.  I had to promise him a toy after we went to the doctor.    The dr told us it was a really bad sinus infection and that Trigger needed to lay low for a couple of days and that we had made the right decision to cancel the party.  I knew that it was the right decision but it’s always nice to have your decisions backed up by a doctor.  We had already ordered a cake…so we had to still pick that up.  We had TONS of fruit all washed and cut up so we ate it all day!Then, we still let the kids go outside and play on the slide.  Trigger acted fine as long as he had medicine in him.  I KNOW…she told us to let him lay low for a few days.  He wasn’t out long!  But, having to cancel your fifth birthday party…I figured he deserved a few minutes of water fun!

Then, my parents and sister came over to let him blow out his candles and eat cake.  I just slid the top off the cake and froze it to save it for when we rescheduled his party. 

So, it was not the day we had planned but we promised him that we would make it up as soon as possible. 

Trigger’s Birthday

Trigger turned FIVE on July 29, 2013. I can not believe that he is FIVE.  I know I say that every year but five seems so big to me. 

I had to get a picture of my baby on his last moments of being four.  He woke up to  balloons all over his room which is always exciting.  there is just something so fun about balloons.  He obviously dressed himself in this lovely little number..complete with a sword in his belt, of course.  I tried to be a nice mommy and not let it bother me when we all know I was cringing inside each time I took a picture.  hahaha!  We sang happy birthday to him and he got to eat some cinnamon rolls.  And he opened a few presents.  Afterwards, we were kind of rushed.  Trigger had an art camp that he attended this particular week.  After art camp, Liz came over and we loaded up and went to pattons.  She wanted to get Trigger a new pair of boots and a cowboy hat for his birthday….the hat was his request…the boots were needed.  ;)After pattons and a few extra purchases, we had ice cream at orange leaf with zizzy.  After that, we came home and played some…then Daddy brought home chilis…grilled chicken for my birthday boy.  That is his absolute favorite food.  Then, we had cake.  I have this bad habit of getting a birthday theme in my head for my kids parties…it’s not usually the theme they would chose soooo I bribe them with the theme of their choice for a bday cake for their actual birthday.  I am working on it…I never claimed to be perfect!another wardrobe change and opening more presents…we gave him toys that I had found on sale at target…isn’t that awful?!?!?  he didn’t really want or need anything so there you have it…toys…most of the parts are already missing or are broken.  Mrs. Lisa sent Trigger a gift.  She is so thoughtful.  He was so excited to get a gift from her!!!!  He LOVES Mrs. Lisa!

I have done Trigger’s yearly questionnaire but I cant find it right now so I’ll have to add it later.

I can tell you that Trigger weighs about 47 lbs and is 45 inches tall.  He is around the 90th-95th percentile for height and weight. 

Trigger is passionate, stubborn, driven, smart, vocal (you’d never guess he had a speech issue), expressive, and very very active!!!!!  I don’t think the boy stops moving during the day UNLESS you turn a tv on…he could watch tv all day if I let him.  He prefers to be outside!  He loves spider-man, ninja turtles, trucks/cars, planes, weapons (pretend, of course), and sports related stuff.  He is ALL boy!

Beach Trip- #2 (HOOD family)

This year the Hood beach trip was a little different.  We had had these dates picked out in spring so that everyone could work their schedule around them.  Of course we had no way of knowing that Papaw would fall and break his leg a few days before we were supposed to leave.  After the whole trip being up in the air, Liz decided that it would be best for us kids to go and try to have fun.  I honestly think it was better for her for us to be gone so she wasn’t worried about us needing her help.  She is always tending to us when we are in Ruston.  My dad and Liz stayed home because Papaw had to have surgery and then ended up having to have another surgery….it turned into a pretty huge thing..like crashing and calling the codes on the speakers…the whole nine yards.  It was a tad like a roller coaster…or more like a nightmare for liz.  We did have a good time but it was a little strange without my parents there…and of course we were all worried about papaw.  Half of us ended up just coming on back early so that we could go to the hospital to visit with Papaw.  Anyway, the kids are becoming more and more like beach bums.  SORT OF.  Larkin made a huge improvement from our trip in May…on that trip, she would scream and cry if a morsel of sand touched her and wouldn’t stop crying until it was off.  This time, NO BIG DEAL.  She had sand in all sorts of crevices. 

Our traveling also seems to be getting better.  Not nearly as many tears and screaming which is always a huge plus!

Of course as soon as we got down there, matt realized how much more I pack than vanna and seth do.  In my defense, I have one more child…and that one more child is a GIRL!  plus, I have to pack a nebulizer and almost  a suitcase of medicine!  Matt was still adamant that I pack too much.  SOOOOOO, I had a wonderful idea.  I think he should pack all of us next time.  :)  Because in my eyes, complaining about my packing too much is sort of like after a long day in the heat of mowing, matt coming in and me crying about how short he cut the grass.  Theres not much he could do about it at that point and just makes  him feel like that long day of work was sort of less than par.  BUT, that’s neither here nor there…he can pack next time.  Matt, as always, was a hit with all the kids!And so was Uncle “sef”My boys slept together in a bed and did much better than they did in May!Trigger and Reid…Vanna probably had to put Reid through electronic detox after the trip because my boys had all their devices with them.  I do have to say that we do NOT let them use their electronics all the time.  they are reserved for dr. visits and trips.  In fact, those nabis havent even been charged since our beach trip in july.  Electronics are wonderful but we TRY to not let them rule our lives…well, except me…and my phone…because we are BFF. My dad’s favorite part of the trip is us going out to eat each night.  I would get text from him around 3 asking where we were going to eat…if we had made reservations…if I needed the numbers, etc.  I felt so bad that he was missing out.  He LOVES good food!

I think this is the only family shot we got all week and it isn’t even that great.  LOVE this picture of trigger with a sailboat in the background.  I think I want to get one to hang somewhere in my house.  Of course we had to visit build a bear again this year.  Matt made fun of me and called me the “fun police” because as we were walking in, I said “ok boys…you can pick something but I HAVE to approve what you get”.  REALITY check!  sooooo, they picked what they wanted.  SMURFS.  Not what I wouldve wanted them to pick but who cares.  AND, larkin picked the same exact bunny that she made last year.  but that’s what she wanted so that’s what she got!I MUST blow up this picture below!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!  My three precious boys!We went to the track again.  It was super fun!!! Deanna went with us too so that was fun!

We attempted beach pictures again this year.  I am telling you, this almost does us in as a family.  I try to not make it stressful..in fact, I went into it with VERY low expectations and told matt “just let them play” and I will try to get a few pics while they play.  this was as good as it got!

On the way home, after we dropped deanna off in jackson, all three children went to sleep at the same time.  HEAVENLY!  It was so peaceful and quiet!Baby girl even went to sleep while holding her cookie.  Hahaha!!!!

As always, we were all worn out.  It was a fun trip.  And I have to say that Papaw just now got to come home this past week…6 weeks to the day from his admit day.