SoCal Tiger Fans

We caught the bug...

2010-05-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

Chris and I knew it was a possibility. We could feel it coming on. You know, the feeling that starts in the pit of your stomach and gradually moves up? The one that makes your tummy flip flop...you break into a nervous sweat...you break out into chills and sweats at the same time? Your heart rate picks up and you just. can't. sit. still! Well, we caught it and I'm fairly certain we passed it on to the kids as well.

They were sleeping so hard...we just hated to wake them up...we knew they needed their energy

a nap in the car would help

Would a 15 minute power nap be enough?

What. is. THAT?

mesmerized!

DISNEY! We made it to Disney!

They were a bit unsure of the size of their favorite friends.

They really were so confused and unsure of it all

She was amazed by his tires?

Of all things...she LOVED the fountain!

I remember as we passed the Disney exit off the turnpike on our way to the beach. Everyone was asleep and I couldn't help but think "We're so close....I just wish we could stop in and say hello to Mickey. Seems like such a tease and waste to be this close and to keep driving."

Half way through our week Chris mentioned it might become a reality! On our way home we were planning to meet a friend from college for breakfast. He just happens to live minutes from Mickey's home AND used to work for Disney too!

Our symptoms started on our 4 hour drive to Orlando on Saturday. We knew it might be a possibility but it was not for sure. We kept the symptoms to ourselves as to not expose the kids needlessly:)

We had a great visit with Matt and the kids enjoyed getting out of the car and getting some energy out.

By the end of our chicken minis and chicken biscuits we got 2 phone calls that confirmed our suspicions. We were going to Disney!!!! Talk about a spontaneous last minute decision (which I am in no way good with)! Chris' grandfather called to tell us the turnpike was a parking lot. They were going no where fast. In fact they were sitting still and had been for an hour. The 2nd call came from Matt's friends. They could get us in at noon!

Lets think about our options:

1.) Load the kids in the car and continue up the turnpike....to sit

2.) Load the kids up in the car and head to Disney...sans naps

Clearly there were downsides to both.... we quickly decided that traveling at night would allow the kids to sleep and traffic to clear on the turnpike. No naps and Disney it is!!!!

We planned to take the kids to the Magic Kingdom for the day. Turns out that park was blacked out to employee guests for the week. Thankfully the kids didn't really know what they were missing. We changed plans and headed to Hollywood Studios (formally MGM) instead. It actually worked out perfectly. They know the characters at Hollywood Studios better and didn't know there were rides they were missing at Magic Kingdom. We got into the parks for free...we were not going to complain!

The boys were so excited to go see Lightening and Mater and all the Toy Story friends. That is until they actually SAW Lightening and Mater....they were a bit overwhelmed and unsure!

Miss Priss LOVED the parade and all the dancing girls!

It was HOT!!!!!

The boys taking it all in, they were much more reserved than Anna Claire

She did not think twice about heading out to dance with the girls when they invited the kids out

Clearly she takes after her daddy! LOVES the attention on her:)
Her mother would rather crawl in a hole!

See....LOVING it!

excited to see Buzz

Our Disney crew for the day

Not sure who was more excite about the double stroller...the kids or Matt and Chris. As soon as we walked in a family offered their stroller to us as they were leaving. Score! Up until this time Chris and Matt had been offering piggy back rides. Clearly this was going to get old as the day went on....the stroller was such a blessing!

We still got to see Mickey!

She was mesmerized...so so cute!

Such a fun day we will always remember!

Quote of the day by Parker: standing in line to meet Mickey, eyes big a saucers...deep, slow breath in "he iiiiis reeeeal!"

I think she is smitten:) Fine by me!

Next we headed over to see the Playhouse Disney show. Thankfully the boys had caught up on the show while we were at the beach since we don't have cable at home (by choice). Anna Claire was excited to see Rocket! The boys thought it was soooo cool that they were seeing "the show" in person:) Gotta love this age!

I didn't get any pictures as it was dark inside and I was wrangling a 2 year old. She took off running to the stage... "I go see Mickey...I go see Mickey" not to mention the strip show she began 1/2 way through the show. "I go potty." Clearly it's time to start the potty process! Yeah, I was a little busy!

I LOVED watching the kids excitement as the show went on. I've decided that taking kids to Disney is as much for the parents as it is for the kids!

By far the boys favorite part of the day!

Sleepy eyes!

He stood the WHOLE show!

Another favorite of the day. The maps!

Thanks Mr. Matt for the "1st time visitor" buttons. They boys still wear them with pride!

They are so into anything maps these days. They love to "read" them and draw them. It is not uncommon that I head to the car with a hand drawn map in hand to help me find my way to their school, the grocery store, daddy's store or church....whew, and I was worried about getting lost:) I love it! They found the stunt show by the "volcano" they saw on the map! Apparently the symbol of the cars crashing with smoke on the map looks like a volcano. Who knew?

I had such a fun day with the kids!

They were worn out! The boys look like they are going to fall over!

All in all they did really, really well without naps. So much excitement and so much to do! I really don't remember any meltdowns...epic in itself!

I hope to collect may more pictures like this one

Thank you so much Matt, Eric and Laura for a wonderful day! You took time out of your Saturday to take our family to Disney! We appreciate your generosity and free gift! We had a wonderful time. Thanks to you we did Disney for a day for a mere $6!!! The cost of 2 bottled waters:) Not bad at all!

We've caught the Disney bug for sure.

Eric and Laura we loved hearing about your jobs with Disney. It seems like such a dream. It is all really fasinating! Thank you again for providing a day at Disney for us.

The boys are still talking about that day and "when we go back to Disney...." We can't wait to take them back! Even though we didn't get to meet the Disney princesses this day...somehow Anna Claire came away knowing they exsisted...those Disney people are good! Everything is now princess this and princess that. We even have princess wipes for potty training...that SHE picked out. Since James Dobson pointed out the positves of the Disney princesses in his book "Bringing up Girls"...we're sticking to them:) Better them than Barbie:)

There is so much we didn't get to see and do! We are going back for sure! Even a week dosen't seem like long enough to fit it all in! Ironically though, it seems like we did do so much in the 8 hours we were there!

Mickey, you better watch out....looks like baby girl is smitten for another fellow out there!

See! She is still talking about "Mr. Matt"

2 Great Friends!

Not much has changed since thier boy band days at Clemson....

"boy band you say?"

Oh yes...boy band:)

Now if I could just find video and pictures!

a future post for sure:)

Final Farewell: Day 6

2010-05-10T17:33:00.000-05:00

Alas, our last day at the beach arrived. We made sure to make the best of it as they were calling for afternoon showers. Lucky for us, there were none to be found! The kids were more brave by this point and wanted to venture further into the water. My sand and trucks plan was slipping away! Surely the FREEZING temperature of the water would detour them I thought. Not so much. Soon Parker and I retreated back to the sand with our trucks:) I claimed him as my charge for the day:)

"I'll watch Parker....you know, keep him out of harms way...make sure he doesn't dig too deep...make sure I can see him over the pages of my book:)"

This was as far as I ventured in this week

Preparing her "tea" for our tea party

this girl has no fear...she kept right on going, right up to her chin!

Peyton loving the water today

Thankfully Gi Gi and Daddy took turns taking her in...it was much too cold for Mommy!

I just love sand covered little baby tushes at the beach!

I told Chris I would like a family picture like this every spring break! We can't really call this a vacation picture...'cause well, it wasn't really a vacation. Chris has decided that anytime we take kids on a trip...it's not really a vacation...it's called "making memories"! Either way, we love our "making memories" trips and I look forward to many more spring breaks like this one!

Thanks for playing on the beach with us Gi Gi. We had a great time!

The boys are getting to the age where they really look up to older boys/guys. It's really cute to watch but makes me ever so careful as to who these older boys/guys are. They were super excited when cousin Josh and cousin Shane showed up at the beach to play. Josh and Shane, thank you for letting the little guys play with you. I know it's not the football game you envisioned. It meant a lot that you included the boys. They thought it was "super cool"!

The above pics and the ones below were actually taken last that day. I have no idea why they are so hazy. It was the middle of the day and the light was so harsh...no matter what mode I put the camera in, I could not get the pics to come out right. Any thoughts out there? I tried changing the ISO...shooting mainly in manual too. It didn't matter what I put the aperture or shutter speed on. Nothing was working. I couldn't figure out the right combo:(

Sara, I think we need a workshop on the beach!!!! Tell Drew that weekend in Charleston can be a "working" weekend. You can give me all sorts of pointers while we lounge on the beach:) We can even take some little models with us if that will help him out:) The boys would love it....the 2 year old will have other plans:) I learned so much at the first workshop...just think what I could learn on the beach:)

I just love watching the kids play on the beach. It really is one of my favorite things!

The highlight of their day! A tractor ON the beach!

We had such a wonderful time this week. I'm so glad having kids has given us a reason to reclaim spring break again! I remember what a shock it was that first year out of college and working! What do you mean there is no spring break or summer break? You mean the children's hospital doesn't close its doors for either? Who knew!

Even though the car ride down was a bit long (11 hours). The kids did really well. We left super early in the morning and they slept the first 4 1/2 hours of the trip! Going that far south in Florida ensured warm weather!!!! What fun is the beach if it's cold?! We were in Pompano Beach, just outside of Ft. Lauderdale. It was still the Atlantic but I guess we were close enough to the tip of FL that some of the gulf waters were mixed in. The water was beautiful and very unlike the Atlantic up our way.

Funny "not my child" moments of the trip:

We had not made it to the interstate yet and we hear "I have to go pee". Mind you, the boys went potty when we woke them up and we were not 12 minutes into our trip. Really? So Chris pulls over into a parking lot (cause no one is open at this hour) and Parker takes care of business right there from the side of the van.

5 minutes later....."are we at the beach yet? How much longer?"....Oh boy, this is going to be a loooong drive! "Uh, buddy....about 10 more hours and 45 minuets to go"

2 minutes later..."I not see the beach daddy"...a cute 2 year old in the backseat. "kids, Go. To. Sleep!"

We stopped at a Chick-fil-A (where else!) for breakfast on the drive down there. Us and apparently everyone else from Cobb County and the Atlanta area. I guess everyone had the same idea for the week...head south! We were 4 1/2 hours from home and saw many folks we knew.

Chris was at the back of the van digging for shoes

GiGi was helping Peyton in the backseat

I was changing AC's diaper up front

The lady in the car beside us was looking our way...hand over mouth...laughing hysterically

Someone Chris knew from Chick-fil-A home office was talking with Chris while pointing our way

The van door was open....in slow motion as I gather all of the above information and wonder why he is pointing and just what is so funny....out of the corner of my eye I see.....a white hiney!

Ummm.....noooooooo! As I run to the other side of the car and find Parker standing in the van....peeing out the side of the door...IN. THE. CHICK-FIL-A. parking lot!

Where is that hole when I need it? Mor.ti.fied!!!!

By this time the lady is laughing so hard she is crying! So do I wish this was our store instead? Or maybe it's OK since it's not like we are regulars around these parts and we won't see these people again....well, except for the guy from the home office....dang it!

So at this point...I laugh! What else can you do! We have a little chat and head inside to get some food.

It may or may not have been the same kid seen peeing at the shower area at the beach...pants on the ground! I mean really....who are this kids parents?

Stay tuned for our final Spring Break Post. We had a super fun surprise on the trip home!

Pulling Teeth: Wednesday Night

2010-05-05T07:05:00.000-05:00

Why oh why is trying to get pictures of your own kids like pulling teeth? Just like pulling a loose tooth....it's not painful, it's just aggravating, takes lots of tries and the thought just makes you cringe! I guess I can only speak for myself....but it reminds me of trying to get pictures of my 3 monkeys!

Now a days I prefer the "doing life" shots and that's great cause no one has to pose and it doesn't matter if no one is looking at the camera...it's usually better when not everyone is. BUT, it is nice every once in awhile to get that cute shot of your kids where everyone is looking...it's the one the grands and great grans want for their frame on the TV. It's also the one that leaves everyone feeling unnerved and ready to scream!!!! It's like pulling teeth I tell ya! The anxiety starts well before you even pull the camera out.

I leave you with our well documented attempt at getting "the" picture.

OK, Parker...Anna Claire, come sit down. Let's take a picture.

Peyton....Peyton! Pay attention please...come sit by your brother and sister.

Love each other...OK, smile. Stop choking your brother, LOVE him!

Kids! PLEASE!!!! Pay attention. Parker, scoot closer to your sister.

Anna Claire...look at mommy!

Peyton...please smile normal...K?

Great (insert impatience here). Kids! Now! LOOK. AT. ME!

SIT. STILL....PLEASE!

(if you command please, does it still count as manners?)

Candy for everyone if you listen....(sweet and pleading tone here)

(bribing your kids for pictures isn't all that detrimental...right?)

aaaand...this is "the" shot we got. Classic!

Then you throw in other family members to the mix and you throw in a whole new recipe for....impatience and frustration. Note to adults....when in staged picture with kids....please, Always, ALWAYS look at the camera! It greatly increases the chances we will get "the" picture you want. The one where everyone is smiling pretty and looking directly AT the camera...yeah, just as I thought.

Kids picture with the great grandparents....take 20!

Perfect!

Ummm...not. really. working

(love AC pulling Parker's hair...classic)

There we go...improvment...2 adults looking at the camera!

Aaaaand....we're done! D.O.N.E!

Our option at this point...crop everyone else out of the picture to get a cute shot:)

Pa Pa and his big girl

Pa Pa started asking for a baby girl pretty soon after Chris and I were married. He has 3 grandchildren...ALL boys! No pressure...but he REALLY wanted a baby girl. I remember when we were at the beach with Hannie and Pa Pa one summer. We had been married for 2 1/2 years and not really thinking of kids just yet. I remember a little girl toddling by us at the pool. Pa pa looked over and said, "I'd like one of those one day". Fast forward about 9ish months later and we were 20ish weeks pregnant with twins....finding out they were BOTH BOYS...identical too! I laughed and told Chris he was going to have to be the one to call and tell his Pa Pa the news. I just couldn't bare to tell him. Of course he is crazy about the boys and wouldn't have it any other way. But, boy howdy, I think he did his first back flip the day we told him baby #3 was a GIRL!!!! To this day she is known as "Pa Pa's BIG girl"! We had to change it from "Pa Pa's baby girl" when she became to insistent about the baby part here lately. Having to encourage the potty training you know!

Mommy and Miss Priss

-of all the pictures that turned out...why didn't we take this one at the beach! Go figure!

alligator and sea urchins Day 3 & 4

2010-05-03T10:48:00.000-05:00

We just could not have asked for a better week. The weather was perfect! There was so much to see and do. I could have used another week! We're already counting down the days until our beach trip this summer!

There was no shortage of activities at the place we were staying. Tons of kids programs were offered and it was a great way to get the kids out of the sun for awhile. In case you didn't notice...our kids don't have the best skin for tans:)

Parker especially loved the animal man. He brought all kinds of animals for the kids to "pet" and hold. Parker thought it was hilarious when the bull frog peed all over the girl holding it. I'm not so sure she found it that funny. Peyton is NOT an animal person and it was hard keeping him interested. Parker stayed the longest of our 3. As long as it is not a dog, he is all for meeting new animals. Anna Claire is our animal lover. She had been shopping with mommy and Aunt Betsey that morning and had her nap cut short. To say that she was not in the best of moods is a bit of an understatement! You just never know what you're gonna get with a two year old without a nap!

thrilled I tell ya!

Nothing a good snuggle wouldn't fix

The idea of "wimmin" perked her right up!

Peyton was loving the lazy days at the pool

There's my happy girl!

I'm not gonna lie...I'm a beach girl through and through. I can only take so many days at the pool! Purely selfish, I know. It worked out great that we alternated every other day at the beach. The best of both worlds and everyone was happy. I'm the type that likes to open and close the beach...with a good book in hand of course. Thankfully, our kids are taking after their mother. It warms my soul I tell ya. Chris would rather be in the mountains....he's a good sport to follow the rest of us to the beach year after year.

I LOVE the beach with kids....it's so much easier than the pool. You can sit and tan or even sit and read a book as they play for hours in the sand. Ours aren't brave enough to want to venture into the ocean by themselves so it doesn't take much convincing to get them to play in the sand. At the pool you are on CONSTANT vigil especially since ours are not swimmers yet. The beach....you can kick back and relax a bit more. I love getting down and dirty with them too! An endless supply of sand is a dream. An endless supply of sand and toy trucks...well whats a boy to do! So yes, being on the beach is easier with kids...but it's not like I'm twisting their arms to get them there either.

This picture just warms my soul

Thankfully the water was too cold for lots of swimming 'cause these things were everywhere!

sand + trucks = one happy momma

Itsy Bitsy...

2010-04-30T08:03:00.000-05:00

Teenie Weenie....baby girl's got her first bikini! Not so sure daddy is real excited about this one:) But whats a girl to do when her great grandma has such good taste and buys you said bikini for your birthday? Enjoy it on the beach I say! Thanks Hannie for my gift. Here are the pictures mommy captured at the beach in my very 1st bikini!

He he he...and this is what happens when you go sans swim diaper:) Let's just say this day helped us jump start potty training!

I just love this little tush!!! You can only get this shot for so many years!

Now you can see why we went without the swim diaper....cause ain't nothing else was fitting in that suit! Her momma can't wear Roxy suits for that same reason!!! They make them soooo tiny! This was a 2T and I'm not so sure we are going to make it all summer. She is not even in 2T clothes...still in her 12-18 months summer clothes from last summer. We grow 'em petite round here. This shows you just how TINY this suit was...and why she will NOT be wearing this brand at 16:)

The boys doing what they love best at the beach

"Oh, that's a bit cold!"

Here's to hopping this is her last summer in a bikini for 30 more years!!!!

Lets go shopping!

2010-04-27T09:32:00.005-05:00

The day is here. We have been looking forward to it for many months. Yes, even Chris is excited! Trust me...it takes A LOT to get this boy excited about doing some shopping. Anna Claire, however, is a girl after my own heart. She told Chris just the other day: "Daddy, I ready to go shopping now, I ready to go to mall"...oh dear, what have I done:)

So, if you're looking to do some shopping today. Join us here and you will not be disappointed. It doesn't take much to get Chris to agree to some new tunes. A new outfit, now that is a different story. We will be buying this today and supporting a dear friend at the same time.

We have known Carlos and Heather for 6ish years now. We first met them in California. Carlos was leading worship at Sandals Church. We instantly knew we had found "the" church for us the first time we stepped through the doors. Everyone was so welcoming! Not to mention people wore flip flops and jeans....hello, you've got my attention! Then we heard Carlos lead worship and Matt preach....let's just say they had us at "hello"! The hardest part about leaving California was leaving this church and the family we had made through this church.

We were out in California with all our family on the East coast. We had twin boys born 8 weeks premature...our family was on the East coast. We survived thanks to our new family at Sandals church. Heather was a major participant in our lives. She and Tammy showed up unannounced on our door step to send Chris and I on a date. Not only did they keep the boys, they took them to have pictures made AND cleaned our home TOP to BOTTOM! Heather and Jamie sat over many a breakfast and held babies as I cried and claimed "I just can't do it any longer". She lead Chris and I to a great marriage counselor when "I can't be a mom any longer" turned out to be post partum depression. I could go on and on about how dear these friends are to us.

Not much longer after we moved back to Georgia we found out they too would be moving here. We were ecstatic!!! I now had a way of getting "my Carlos fix" with Sunday morning worship and I more than delighted. We would drive an hour on some Sunday mornings to worship along side him. Once you have heard him in person you will understand. He has a gift for leading others before our Lord in worship. He has the ability to connect with us in the audience in a real and authentic manor. It's refreshing, it's real, it's a time of worship you will never forget. He leaves you longing for more. Not more of him...but more time worshiping our sweet Jesus through the songs you are singing.

Of course it wasn't long before we were moving again. We tend to do that:) Once again Carlos and Heather came to our rescue. It took us forever to sell our home. Once we finally did, everything moved so quickly we had not had time to find another house. They let us live with them rent free until we could find a house and gather the necessary funds. Um, how many people do you know that are that giving? Let me make this a bit clearer....there were 4 adults and SIX kids age 6 and under all under ONE roof! That my friends is sacrificial love. It was rather nice actually. We all had free babysitting built right in. Chris and I payed a maid to do all the cleaning:) Heather and I did not have to lift a finger!....and we shared cooking duty!!!! Clearly we got the better end of the deal on this one 'cause that girl can cook! No really....AMAZING food! They have earned free Chick-fil-A for life:)

I've written about them on our blog before. Here on their compassion trip to Africa. Also, here in 2006 when they adopted Losiah from Korea. If you are interested in their adoption story, you can read more here and here (my favorite video of their story). I say all of this so you can "get to know" snippets of them. They are the real deal. Their hearts are full of love for others just as Christ's heart was. It's more than just music for them. One of Carlos' favorite parts of worship on Sunday mornings is when they cut the music short in order to do believer baptisms. He loves hearing the stories of others. He has a HUGE heart for winning others to Christ.

You may think he looks familiar. He is pretty well known in the blog world. He is not afraid to talk about the hard stuff. He has a great sense of humor and is not afraid to share when he has goofed in the parenting department. You just might have seen him on Good Morning America the week before Easter. The video where his 3 kids are singing "All the single ladies"? No? Well watch it here, it is pretty funny. Let's just say it got a bit of attention! Maybe you saw him on LA INK?

You might also like this post and video of Carlos' too. It's amazing how God works when we least expect it. It is a story about Danny.

All this to say...if you are looking to do some shopping today, head on over here to pick up his new album. It released at midnight last night! If you like Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United and other similar praise and worship sounds...you're gonna love Carlos! It's real, it's fresh, and the man behind the mike is someone we are honored to call a friend.

Carlos and Heather we are so very excited for you! We've seen some of the road you have walked the past 6 years and are proud of all you have done. Who knew we would go from listening to you at church on Sunday mornings at Sandals in California to listening to you in Atlanta 6 years later...in our car!!!!! Now I can get my Carlos fix every morning on the way to preschool and I couldn't be more excited!!!! Well done! Hope you enjoy this day!

This is the day the Lord had made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it!!!!

Cheering you on,

The Darley clan

Easter 2010

2010-04-20T16:57:00.012-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter this year...not that last year was awful...we were, well, not in the best of health. A tummy bug circulating through 8 of us will do that to ya! Needless to say we have not celebrated with our church family these past 2 years.

Oh, we had the cute, all decked out just for Easter, Sunday clothes last year....that we took a picture in. We had much too many germs to make it to church. So, this year we skipped the fancy clothes fan fair and opted for different attire all together. 12 of us soaking up the sun, surf and sand!!!! We celebrated the resurrection of our Savior at the beach! It was the only week all of Chris' side of the family could gather for a long dreamed of vacation together. 4 generations to be exact!

I guess you could say our family Easter picture is less formal this year.

Spring Break/Easter 2010

Spring Break/Easter 2009

Chris and I did not even get dressed last year. We dressed the kids up long enough to grab a few pictures. I will not be buying smocked dresses with bunnies on them anymore!

Our "Easter attire" this year...thanks to the skillful hands of Mimi

I guess you could say an 11 hour car road wore them out.

They haven't slept together in a long time. It brought back many sweet memories for us.

Easter gifts from mommy and daddy made it to the beach too!

Mommy scored big in the Target dollar bin this year!

A diva in the making!

Every time we turned around this week she had candy in her mouth...we never did find her stash!

Hmmm, maybe we have found our potty training ~~bribe~~ reward :)

Daddy was especially ~~disappointed~~ excited with the kites!!!

He was so looking forward to time flying them this week:)

We spent the afternoon waiting on Uncle Greg, Aunt Betsey, Cousin Josh, and "Cousin" Shane to arrive...

by doing this

and some of this...

and of course this!

(I promise no bystanders were squirted with the water gun...well almost none!)

There was a good ole fashion egg hunt too

you know...the ~~hide~~ throw the eggs on the ground kind. The mad dash of kids big and small.

Yeah, that kind.

Daddy, you look tired! How hard was it?

Eggs stuffed with candy, our favorite!

You mean I gave up pool time for this? Really?

In the spirit of The Masters...many a round of 18 hole putt putt was played.

A bit of coaching from daddy

That's it Peyton!

Parker celebrating a hole in one!

Oh the concentration!

Yet another great shot by Mr. Parker!

Hannie and Pa Pa even joined in on

a round with the kids!

We hope we are this young and spry when we have 3 great grand kids! Thank you for a wonderful week at the beach Hannie and Pa Pa. It was so nice having everyone together on vacation. The weather was perfect and the memories we made unforgettable. Peyton and Parker are still talking about our fun week. Anna Claire often asks "we go wimmin today"?

CLICK

2009-11-06T08:35:00.010-05:00

I wish I could click the shutter and freeze time right where we are at. The kids are at such fun ages, we are getting settled into life in our new town, business is great, new friends, fantastic small group....Click. I want to capture everything just as it is, right now, in this moment.

The kids are growing much too fast for my liking. Fall is here and the leaves are gorgeous. I know winter is just around the corner and some days it feels like high school graduation is too...sniff, sniff. So I must stop and enjoy each moment, soak in its warm embrace. Capture every cute smile, funny words, terrible tantrum...for the kids will be off and gone much too soon. I want to stop life right where we are at. Click. Mental pictures to be stored forever; pulled back out on rainy days. Held onto for those days to come when I will not be making breakfast, packing lunch, wiping bottoms, cleaning messes for the 3rd time that day and snuggling in bed at night. For the days when my arms will be much too light. It will be then that I can pull out these mental pictures I have snapped and feel full again.

Then I worry about my memory:)....and that my friends is why we make capturing these times part of our budget. It is an investment that I take seriously...I mean just look at my walls. Her pictures are EVERYWHERE! We need to itemize our insurance policy just to cover the pictures:) She has done what I can not do...made time stand still. For just a moment, Click. She captured the love. She grabbed the dimples. She caught "the look"...you know, the one that defines that child and that child only. We have original artwork created just for our family hanging on our walls and I LOVE it! I love that we will have these moments captured forever. To enjoy as the days grow long and then short again. For when the months turn into years. For the day when we point to a picture and say "that was your daddy when he was 4"....just warms my heart. I love this stage of life. Never a dull moment, rarely a quiet one. Click. Dimpled cheeks and pudgy toes. Click. Round bellies and chubby fingers.Click.Click.Click.

Thank you Sara for capturing these moments for us. For me when my memory has difficulty retrieving the moments I have frozen. For me when my days are long and I feel like I am in a fog. Thank you for capturing our life. Thank you for your friendship, your time and for sharing your talent with us. You are gifted my friend.

Wish I could put them ALL on here. It took us forever to place our order. I'll have to show you the finished product when it comes in. We did something different this time... and I can not wait to get it on our walls! Thankfully we were able to get all the 5X7 proofs. Really, you thought I could just pick a few:)

We bought the bebe package from Sara when Anna Claire was born. These pictures below were for her 18 month and final session. We went back to our old stomping grounds in Newnan, GA to capture some of our time there. Part of the bebe package included a coffee table book with pictures from each session. I can not wait to get my hands on that! So fun to have a book with maternity pics all the way through 18 months!

These are the pics from her facebook page. Check out her art on her blog, her website and become a fan of Sara Anthony Photography on facebook. Then book a session with her and you too can freeze time. It really is that easy! You can thank me later:)

Every little girl needs a Matilda Jane outfit...really. Aren't the ruffle leggings not the yummiest thing you have ever seen!

The railroad tracks were their request. We used to drive over them everyday they went to preschool. They always wanted to stop and play. No worries, these are not in use anymore!

I love that Sara is adamant about getting our pictures too. I at first said no, but am sooo glad she insisted. I love that we have pictures of us as a couple on the walls with pictures of our kids!

Life

and now for my favorites from the day. does not get much more girly than this! she graduated to a big girl tutu!

LOVE IT!

melt. my. heart

THE END

*all pictures posted with permission from Sara Anthony Photography*

First Friday

2009-09-15T13:21:00.007-05:00

Well, we finally made it! Back to Tiger Town for the First Friday parade. We haven't been to one since our college days...I know, so sad. We were determined to take the kids this year. Making sure we bring them up right ya know! It was a wonderful evening with great friends and a beautiful campus. Goforth's and Gadd's-thanks for letting us join in on your yearly adventure. We had a wonderful time.

a supper picnic on Bowman

gathering for the parade

"you mean you're really going to make me sit in here...all strapped in?"
Wonder what is coming?

a Clemson firetruck of course!

She picked up on the fight song very quickly...pumping her little arm as fast as she could!

"...fight Tigers, fight Tigers, fight, fight, fight!"

practicing her heal stretch...now we've just got to make sure its the other leg!

the tractor was a HUGE hit!

someone charmed her way out of the stroller...you are a good man Mr. Gadd

just like old times...missing a few of the bunch

twins everywhere!

Chris added this to his Christmas list...the boat, not the girls:)

"Look daddy!"

"another firetruck!"

making friends with everyone...she really did enjoy it more out of the stroller, she was so animated and loving life. She saw something she knows quite well....

FINALLY Clemson has one to call their own!

and the grand finale...the street sweeper. I seriously think it was the boys favorite part. Everyone was packing up and leaving...except our two monkeys who faithfully stayed until the very end
then we had some football on Bowman
taking it all in
maybe we will have a repeat picture of this in 14 years!

future Tiger grads

"Not my child"

2009-07-19T13:35:00.010-05:00

What fun! A bit of a change up from "Not Me" Monday. A bit of attention for our kids...isn't that what we really want anyway but would never really admit...yup, that's what I thought. MckMama's monkeys mishaps can be found here. What a great break for today!

Our kids are just the perfect example of an all American family. They are perfectly dressed, well mannered, and of course always a delight to be around. They say "please" and "thank you" without prompting and of course never utter the word "NO" to us. They are a delight all the time...and they didn't require any parenting what so ever to get this way. Lucky us!

Certainly you can see why our precious monkeys have never done any of the following...ever.

-Parker caught "goosing" the gentleman bent over in front of him...while waiting in line to jump in a bouncy house. Yes, my friends..."goose"...you know "checked his oil"...stuck his cute little chubby finger in the nice gentleman's..well, you know...bottom hole. Nope, did NOT happen. I was NOT mortified and did not hope and pray no one else saw either...while tears were running down my face from trying not to laugh out loud. I mean, what else could one do? He wasn't looking for attention, did not laugh and did not even look around to see if anyone was watching. The gentleman never even turned around. Just when I thought we were in the clear I felt a tap on my shoulder: "mam, I do believe that is the funniest thing I have ever seen"...uh, thank you? I was REALLY hoping no one saw!

-Neighborhood boy we hired to cut our grass comes to the door to introduce himself. Pleasantries out of the way and I turn to see my 3 year old twirling a rather large set of dice around his hand...you know, the ones joined together by a string. The ones you receive at a lingerie shower in college because it is so funny...one with body parts...the other with actions...yep, that kind! By now my face is as red as the dice and I am praying fervently that he does not let go of them and watch them tumble to land at this nice boys feet. Oh.My.Word. MORTIFIED! I have not seen these set of dice in YEARS...and my son just happens to find them in a box we are unpacking. NICE. So what does any good mom do? Pretend I see nothing and go about my business pretending it all really is no big deal...b/c it's not...right?

-Same day, same neighborhood kid, different kid of mine. Anna Claire is missing...and so is her diaper...alas, she is found on our back deck watching this now very cultured young man cut our grass...butt necked...and peeing! GREAT! Have I mentioned we JUST moved in...I'm pretty sure he is NEVER coming back to cut our grass again! I can only imagine the stories circulating about us now. "You know that nice young family that just moved in....he works for that wonderful company that is closed on Sundays, serves great chicken, and knows Jesus...yeah, well have you heard what they let their kids play with....." I can hear it now. Small town g.o.s.s.i.p at its best. GREAT 1st impression Darley's!

-Sitting on the beach down by the ocean...as 2 full moons appear. A very crowded public beach mind you. "Boys, what.are.you.DOING?" "Mom, Dad told us to go pee in the ocean"....that he did! Maybe a little more discreetly next time, K? OK!

-I did not find my 16 month old daughter hiding in the kitchen just the other day...being rather quiet. She was not into something she shouldn't be...a rather full tube of my mac lipstick...attempting to apply some ever so carefully as to not alert mom to her mishap. She didn't pucker up for a kiss as soon as she saw me. Nope...I didn't take a picture to remember this day by either.

Oh kids! You gotta love em. At least we can look back on all these horriably embarassing or incredably frustrating moments and laugh...it's usually a good belly roll laugh too:) Plus, they make great blog and rehersal dinner stories too! I'm pretty sure that picture of AC will be in her rehersal dinner slide show:)

Belated 4th

2009-07-18T13:40:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!!!! We sure did...and it wasn't even that hot out! How's that for the south on the 4th, unheard of quite frankly.

This was our 1st year not celebrating at the lake but we made the best of it and had Chris' family over to our new place instead. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy our new neighborhood...well, I guess not, that would have required a post...or two. We love it! It is the all American southern neighborhood I have always pictured when thinking of where I wanted to raise a family. It is small and everyone knows everyone...both good and bad. The neighbors watch out for everyone and watch out for everyone's kids:) There is a swim team and EVERYONE who has kids is involved. I HEART this and can't wait for the kids to be old enough to join.

It just so happened that we were in town for our first neighborhood event....a 4th of July parade. The kids had a blast and the parents too. The boys were so excited decorating their tricycles. Growing up I would always go to to my best friends house in NC for the 4th. My ideas for a neighborhood like this came from her neighborhood. Swim team....everyone in their yards on summer nights...4th of July parades to the pool. I was in love. Now I am thrilled it is a reality for us and our kids. My neighborhood growing up was nothing like this. Have I mentioned I think our new neighborhood is pretty swell:)

Ready to meet up with everyone for the parade

Of course the best part is ending at the pool for firecracker popsicles, swimming and a cookout!

I think she likes it? Sharing....nope

Happy 4th

a July 4th pedicure for her big day

Mother's Day...By Chris

2009-05-10T19:39:00.006-05:00

So Mother's Day is coming to a close and it was a crazy day...

I'm sure Martha will add some thoughts later, but I just want to go on record to say what an AMAZING WIFE I HAVE! She put up with 2 almost 4 year olds today after no nap yesterday and for those who know our beautiful boys, spells almost certain disaster. She loved on a little girl who evidently has her daddy's allergies and has not been feeling to well the past few days. Martha won't complain about anything. She does so much and never wants any recognition or praise. This is one of her many amazing qualities. It is not all about her. She is all about others. I love that about her. Actually:

I just love her!

So, Mother's Day is about remembering/recognizing those special Mom's out there. So here I am to say: You might have a great wife, but mine is the best!!!

Peyton going full tilt on his cheesy smile, Parker just trying to get in the picture,
and Anna Claire informing us that she really doesn't want to keep her shoes on!

Looky, Looky

2009-03-22T20:24:00.004-05:00

What we have here! Pictures from our favorite "Miss" Sara of course! Oh and our favorite ONE year old. I know, I know, we can't believe it either...Miss Priss is one! Where is time going?

February 28th came and went just as her first year seemed to. Time is moving so fast these days...and speaking of moving...yep, that is what we did this past weekend! The 2 year itch people:) This time is for good though...well except that we are living with friends and thus of course will have to move again and such. Though it seems to have come out of the blue...it has been 9 L--O--N--G months in the making. I just haven't put all the details on here for various reasons. We are still in Georgia:) No big coast to coast move this time. We are getting some west coast flavor though:) Now to what you have been waiting for.

Sara did Miss Priss' one year session the week of our move...yes, very sadly this means we are no longer living next door to the most fabulous neighbors EVER. I know they will not miss the drama ~~we have~~ the boys create. We however, will miss our sweet friends and many lazy mornings and afternoons spent in our backyard sandbox or front driveways. Anna Claire will miss her fashion advise from Miss Ava and I will miss seeing their kids grow up. Gosh, Ava was just a wee little thing when we moved next door and now she is growing up so fast. Good thing we've got more sessions in the plans for later this year! The Lord truly blessed us with fabulous neighbors for our almost 2 1/2 years there.

OK, OK... here they are:

Happy Birthday Miss Priss. What a wonderfully surprising addition you have been to our family. We have enjoyed every moment of your giggles and grins, your belly laughs and yes even your full out on the floor tantrums at such a tender age...OK maybe not those but we are smitten non the less.

Be sure to check out Sara's blog for the rest of her sneak peak of our Miss Priss. For those of you who usually get our emails, we will be sure to let you know when the full set is available for your viewing pleasure. Don't forget...you can have these same great pics of your favorite monkey too...Sara is as sweet as her pictures are fabulous.

**All pictures snagged with permission from Sara of Sara Anthony Photography**

Nope, NOT ME!

2009-02-09T09:03:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Another week gone by...and boy has it been crazy around here...really it has. So this week will mostly be about what my kids Have NOT done, because you know...they are perfectly well mannered, well behaved and well, just perfect:) I really have not done anything too bad, so we will just focus on them:)

NO back talking and sassing has reared its ugly head this past weekend...no Tabasco sauce needed.

My child did not if fact beg for a spanking when he saw me rummaging through the cabinet for said sauce.

Friday was just the most perfect day. Chocolate kisses eaten for breakfast...after asking for such and being told "no", 3 rolls of tape gone in "taping" a torn page in a book, hole cut in pj pants at the knee, because you know....the knee needed to "see", play tools thrown ONE BY ONE down the storm drain...never to be seen again. My child did NOT in fact stand in the middle of the kitchen and pee in his pants while looking right at me....that is non sense my friends. My children are perfect and would do NONE of the above mentioned fetes....ALL in ONE day!

I did NOT call my husband proclaiming that I was "done" for the day and that I would be disappearing once he arrived....all by lunch time. I kept myself cool, calm and collected all day long. Never wishing once that bedtime was only a few minutes away. I cherished every single moment with my children ALL day long, never once wishing the day was over.

Beautiful behaved children were seen the rest of the weekend...including running from us in the church parking lot, nearly hit by a jeep backing up.

I did not drive around with our van entertainment system still on the blitz this entire week. You know, from the "battery incident" of last weekend. I did not stop looking for the "code" after cleaning out only one of our ~~two~~ many junk drawers.

I did not leave the phone number for the dealership my husband so kindly looked up for me on the pad of paper all week either. It just never made it ~~to the top of~~ to my "to do" list.

Oh and to top it all off....the "code" was in the van the ENTIRE time! You know, right in the glove compartment dear husband had already "looked" in and declared "it is not in here":) Brilliant!

Parker did not if fact get in a talkument with me at a friends birthday party this weekend...over who the birthday boy was. We did agree that Noah was in fact the birthday boy's name...just did not agree on who Noah was. Clearly I was right in pointing to the handsome little boy in the blow up throne chair opening birthday gifts....However, Parker was adamant that Noah was in fact the older gentlemen in the corner across the room with....white hair and white facial hair:) AKA Noah's grandfather! I had to laugh at this one. For once, we were both right and seeing that Parker is just like his mother....we were both satisfied in being right. Yeah, I know, great quality to pass along. Working on this one!

Now what you really want anyway...PICTURES!

Yes, he really like to wear HIS hair like this...we may have a problem after all, aside from the hair do and the constant asking to wear my bracelets.

Parker sitting on my bathroom counter (his favorite spot) watching my put on my makeup (a favorite also) and proclaiming "mommy, when I get bigger, I am going to get me some of these" pointing to my bag of makeup. Lovely!

Do I really have a baby who is already feeding herself? sniff, sniff

"Liar, liar! See, mommy, I CAN sleep on my back...I don't always sleep sitting up."

"Just let me skip my morning nap and then make me raging mad when you offer me what you call 'milk' in a sippy cup non the less and cold at that....thank you, but, I prefer the natural kind and at a nice 98.6* thank you very much. If you were as mad as me, you would have fallen asleep on your back after all that screaming too!"

Lea, Krista, Amy, Catherine
Congratulations Chris and Amy...your wedding was beautiful and we had a wonderful time!

me, Catherine, Lea and Krista

Nope, NOT ME!

2009-02-02T09:17:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Wow! Is it really Monday again? These weeks are going by much too fast and these kids of ours are growing up much too soon! There are stages I will be very happy to see go, but I am not ready for them to be in high school nearly tomorrow.

Somehow, I managed to make it through the week without many blunders to tell. There are a few though!

We did in fact manage to make it to the Monster Jam truck show Friday night...however, I am not sure you can say we "attended" the show. Well, unless you count sitting through the singing of the national anthem and watching the crazy lady get shot from a cannon. Oh, weren't there trucks there? You know...the monster kind? Well, yes there were. Were they not doing Monster truck tricks? Um, I think they were going to?... you see we only made it through .25 jumps. My son did not absolutely loose his mind when the truck reved his engine in the first attempt to clear the cars lined up. We did NOT have to leave the show at that very minute to take him outside the building where he continued his complete meltdown. Bless his heart. I really thought they would LOVE the noise, big trucks and splendor of it all. It's not like we didn't know it was going to be LOUD, they are well, you know, MONSTER trucks and all... in a closed in building. We even took earplugs. Much unlike the person who sued McDonald's b/c they got burned by the HOT coffee...or the complaint I "saw" recently at a restaurant of someone we "know" that said something to the affect that when they squezzed their cup of HOT coffee, it burnt them badly. Hmm, maybe they are on to something. Hey, I should write a letter to the show kindly explaining that we would like a refund, and then some, because their trucks were too loud and the noise caused emotional damage to my 3 year old! I mean they didn't tell us to bring head gear like you wear at a gun range. Clearly, we were first time attenders (and very out of place) as many of the other kiddos had this necessary head gear. Did I mention I missed the memo of proper attire for the night? Jeans and cute Target sweater was not it....daisy dukes, riped hose of various colors and tall boots of various kind....man, I should have read the memo!

I did not get absolutely lazy this past week and unpack the very bottles I had just packed away (mean momma I know....took the bottle away already) because I was too lazy to wash the 2 sippy cups we use. I am pretty sure the emotional damage explains the tantrums we have witnessed here recently. Tantrums in a 11 month old....NOT my child!

I was not careless over the weekend when cleaning out our van and left the inside lights on...ALL night long. Thus running the battery dead so we could only unlock ONE door. I guess that is what happens when EVERYTHING is electrical on cars now. The "unlock" button on the door itself would not even work to unlock the rest of the doors. It had to be jumped off 4 times to get everything working again. Then of course the alarm was screaming b/c we unlocked the car with the key and not the remote thingy...b/c you know, the remote thingy WAS NOT WORKING! Did I mention the battery was dead?...and that means NO radio and NO DVD player unless you have "the code"....which of course WE DID NOT HAVE. A four hour drive with no radio and no dvd player....perfect!

That my friends brings me to my next blunder....I most certinally did NOT put the potty trained boys in pull ups b/c we WERE NOT STOPPING (really, we wern't) until we pulled in our driveway! They were 2 hours behind their nap time and meltdowns are a nice adjective to describe their overtired, grandparent over-sugared selves. With No modern entertainment for the drive we were SLEEPING THE ENTIRE TRIP HOME! They were appalled when we offered them crayons and coloring books...appalled! Oh my, what have we created with our overuse of modern technology? and guess what....it worked! They slept until we were 2o minutes out! and....there was not urine to clean up out of a carseat of a boy who slept REALLY hard! Good thing we did pull ups:) Oh...and they did not go to bed until 10:45, not our children...but we got home in peace and quiet! Being the teenager she nearly is...it is now after 10am and she is STILL asleep! Now to find that darn "code".

Here's to another perfect parenting week!

proof we were AT the Monster Truck Jam, which in no way implies we ATTENDED the Monster Truck Jam

Did I mention we were on the 4th row?..hmm, maybe THAT was the issue and not noise of the small trucks motoring around the track...and these were the cheap seats!

see, every nap

Updating my twitter dad

Just Because

Wordless Wednesday

2009-01-28T21:24:00.001-05:00

Love at first sight

2009-01-27T22:51:00.012-05:00

This post is part of "Laughter Lives! Tuesday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check our their blog to read everyone else's "Laughter Lives!" posts.

New party: "Laughter Lives! Tuesday"

This weeks theme: The Funny, Cute & Endearing Ways We Say 'I Love You'

I've been reading this blog for awhile now and checking in on Miss Abby. Abby and
her family have been in my prayers as they are in a daily fight for her life. Amazing
family, amazing story...one amazing little girl. Pull up a chair and head on over
to check them out. Please join with me in prayer for Abby, for her family and
for the medical team caring for her.

Whew, it's been a busy day here at our house but I wanted to get this post up before Tuesday was over so we could participate in their party. Every Tuesday there is a different theme...yet, one guaranteed to make you laugh! So in sticking with this weeks them, I bring you:

"Love at first sight"

Sure, we have many ways of saying "I love you" here in our house, and many ways of showing it too. The most precious yet, was seen a little over a year ago tomorrow. February 28, 2008 Miss Priss made her debut and the boys welcomed her....well, the only way they knew how.

It really was quite an honor for her, at least that is how we will explain it to her one day. She was the first to penetrate their "inner" circle...the circle that included...just them. In the 2 1/2 years of their life no other child had been able to do so. We've nicknamed it "twin snobs". ALL moments of their life...from conception forward...it has ALWAYS been them. One egg...One sperm...TWO babies. Who needs another chum when you've got each other...it's all you've ever known.

The bond between the two of them is almost indescribable. They have their own looks, their own silent language and yes, even their own spoken language at one time. One look and you are seeing double...and yes, we HAVE mixed them up before! Luckily we have had safeguards in place to sort things out....we think:) They are VERY close and at the time Miss Priss came along, they were not letting anyone into their inner circle.

Their most prized possession? Their cars

Things they WILL NOT share? Their cars and stickers...and most certainly not their stickers of cars.

You see, she was a very smart little girl. She knew they way to their heart early on. She had been paying attention those 10 long months (yes, you do the math...40 weeks is 10, not 9, but 10 months). She had presents waiting for them when they came to meet her.

Cars and stickers....stickers of cars

I'll let you see how the meet and greet went...I think it went very well:)

Beside looking like she was hot off "LA INK"...I'd say she had worked her way into the "inner circle" quite nicely! Now taking them off was a whole different story:)

(anybody out there who can tell me why that top paragraph looks so funny? It looks fine in the edit Html mode?)

Nope, NOT ME!

2009-01-26T14:43:00.006-05:00

Wow! Has it really been since October since I participated in this? Nah, I didn't think so:) I am sure many of you have found MckMama by now and enjoy her insight, laughter, stories and mishaps as much as me. She really is a riot I tell you . Last time I did this there were 262 entries, now there are over 300! Head on over there to see the fabulous world of MckMama and her many small children and to see her "Not me!" post of the day. Oh, I am am NOT completely jealous that she is cruising around the Caribbean as you read....ahhh, we can all dream can't we! Well deserved my "friend", I hope you have a fabulous time!

I did NOT get demoted from pancake maker/flipper last night to chocolate chip/M&M inserter. Clearly, everyone knows how to make pancakes and flip them without anything going wrong. Who feeds there kids M&M pancakes for supper anyway? Not I!

I most certainly did NOT skip ~~a page~~ pages in the bedtime book we were reading last night. It was not the second time I was reading said book and was not tired of the same ole story line, again.

I am NOT completely guilty of placing Miss Priss in her stroller all bundled up for the cold weather only to find the stroller straps not fitting...then choosing to leave them unsnapped and in the "care" of her 3 year old brother...only to hear the worst ear piercing scream ever and to find the stroller upside down on top of her, over the curb of the sidewalk...in the street. I do NOT know better especially since I am a pediatric ICU nurse...really, mom of the year award!

Our live Christmas decorations did not nearly poison 2 of our kids this past Christmas season. The berries were Not seen as "small grapes" by our son and unknowingly shared with his baby sister. Again, mom of the year....I think that makes 2 nominations already. Oh, and a "flagged" file at poison control and the local ER for sure! Again, what pediatric nurse lets that stuff in her home....wait, don't answer that. All joking aside, everyone was FINE...well except for dear hubby's wallet. The ER doc even remembered me....I told him we have funded his kids college fund well over the past year.

I am NOT looking forward to this weekend and the complete redneck event that we are willingly paying to attend with our boys. Stay tuned, pictures and stories to come!

Go ahead, join in the fun. Tell us about your parenting moments gone wrong. They say after all, laughter is the best medicine:)

Of course, I'll top it all off with some pictures...that is all you really want anyway:)

Miss Priss' position of choice for nap time 98% of the time

sitting up, slouched over

Yes, I know, it looks horrendously uncomfortable. I try to move her but it only awakens her. So now I just leave her and she will sleep 2-3 hours this way. She HATES being by herself (just like her daddy) and used to just cry and cry when we would leave her in her room to nap. Eventually she would fall asleep. It didn't take too long for the crying days to stop....now she just crawls to the end of her crib nearest the door...to sit and wait...for the door to open and for someone to come in and get her. I know this because I have watched the series of events many times. She will sit there until she literally falls asleep and her head falls over. I don't know which is more pitiful....the crying she used to do (you know the one...the you just hurt my feelings/how could you cry) or the waiting ever so patiently to be rescued only to give in and tumble over? Rarely does she stay lying down where I place her....the amount of pictures I have of her sleeping this way is crazy. At night she generally stays lying down. Oh, you are just too much baby girl!

FRIGID

2009-01-19T15:44:00.012-05:00

Alrighty....we have been absent. Alive, but very absent. LOTS of stories stored up and seeing that it is FRIGID out, plenty of time to hunker down and throw up some posts.

Frigid you might say? Don't you live in the south you might ask? Well, yes, come to think of it we do! However, somewhere along the line the weather man got it wrong...VERY, VERY WRONG! You see, numbers in the single digits, teens, 20's and 30's DO NOT BELONG HERE!

Well of course, if you have some of this to play with.... well, then maybe. But only for a day mind you.

"Cause then you could have some fun family time (you know, because EVERYTHING shuts down when the white stuff appears) and build some of these little guys!

But alas, we have none of this white stuff...these were pictures from last January. We just have the FRIGID temperatures sans the white stuff.

I live in the South for a reason...the deep South. It is NOT for cold weather:) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the changing of seasons. I missed the 4 seasons when we were in Southern California. I just am not on board with temperatures in the teens and below freezing for that matter. By below freezing I generally mean anything lower than 68:)

I like a few good days here and there where you get to wear your wool pants and bundle up in you fun sweaters and have a fire. Just not so many in a row...with 3 small kids...stuck in the house....no outlet for energy. So, you see my dilemma.

When I call my neighbor in the morning before 11 am to see if her heat is working...because ours is NOT...and it is 19*....something is very wrong. Only to learn that she is out and about doing a photo shoot! What? I hope she charged an inclement weather fee. Granted, she is well from you know....the frigid north and all. I think she laughs at us Southerners and our "cold" weather....and then invites us over for lunch and a good thawing in her warm, heat is very much working, home. Thank you Sara. The food was delicious, the company welcoming and the warmth inviting.

Then I think of this post from MckMama and realize maybe I've gone too far out on limb with the use of Frigid and South in the same sentence. When you can do this on a Sunday drive...well, then I guess you earn the right to use the word FRIGID as a description for your home town.

In the mean time, we'll be here in the ~~frigid~~ very cold South trying our best to stay warm and remember days gone by of summer, sun and temperatures warm enough to roast a turkey!

Ahh, yes...days playing in the sand at the beach!

Oh, and playing in the water fountains at the neighborhood pool.

Yes, yes, chocolate ice cream!

Now you're talking...peaches!

Not just ANY peaches...but good ole' South Carolina peaches. mmm, mmm!

Isn't Georgia, the peach state? Well, yes it is. But you see, I am a SC girl through and through and WE have the BEST peaches known to man! Gaffney peaches to be exact. Red Haven is my favorite. One of my favorite peach "events" is this one near my home town. You can find all things peach here: ice cream, tea, cobbler, jams and jelly...queens and her court! My mouth is watering as I type this. Oh the things you can do with a good peach....

homemade peach ice cream...need I say more?

(by far one of my favorite mother's day presents...an ice cream maker just the size you need for a few servings)

Bake yourself a good pound cake...serve with, you guessed it...peach ice cream!

Pound cake, fresh peaches and vanilla ice cream....the pound cake HAS TO BE WARM!

I guess we are left to dreaming of our peach desserts from last summer. I didn't even put the homemade peach cobbler and peaches & cream up. Ohhhh... peaches & cream, now your talking. A pecan crust with a filling of cream cheese, powdered sugar and cool whip. Wait for it....topped with peaches!

What's a girl to do...peach season is a L O N G way away.

Unless of course....

You have these bad boys tucked away in your freezer!

Really, what should I make?

Oh, and in the South, it's not rude to invite yourself over for dessert either!

Back to the pool
I don't EVEN want to know what Parker is doing...

Oh, this is D-EEE-lightful!

In the mean time we will be doing lots of this:

and passing our time by practicing our standing...

and playing dress up with Miss Priss' bows...yes,yes, the boys too.

did I mention they have GREAT hair for bows...and they love wearing my bracelets...no, I didn't think I did.

I did get me one of the fabulous coat, mummy, wrap everything up but your head and hands blankets for my birthday! You know the one....the one you've been secretly eyeing....stop being ridiculous and go buy it! It is WONDERFUL. Well, except for snuggling...the hubby HATES when I wear it. Wear it? Well, yes you wear it.

It just may look something like this:

Very appropriate for ~~frigid~~ very cold temperatures. Great for blogging, reading a book, flipping through a magazine....keeping your home thermostat at 65-66*! Yes, yes, a bit tough to snuggle with....but you have plenty of other blankets for that. You really do NEED one. Snuggle fleece blanket with sleeves or slanket.

Your Welcome

Hear Ye Hear Ye...

2008-11-14T15:33:00.006-05:00

All in favor of eliminating Thursday from the week....say "I".

I

No more Thursdays for us in the Darley household. We are officially skipping from Wednesday to Friday as of now. I mean who wouldn't like to get to the weekend faster? See, it's a win/win for everyone.

Yesterday was Thursday and true to our past 3 weeks and running, the boys are sick....AGAIN. This time we only made it to the drop off line at school before Peyton tossed his cookies, thus sparing the chapel. Like the good mother that I am, I sent the bouncing and laughing Parker right in the door. What are the chances he is sick at the same time? Weeeel, obviously REALLY GOOD. Good thing I'm not a betting woman. We had not even made it home yet when I got THE PHONE CALL. Parker had graced the classroom floor. Wonderful, I am THAT mom....AGAIN this week. You see, it was last Thursday that Peyton lost "it" in chapel:) The week before that was nasty, nasty colds and Peyton's croup.

So you see my dilemma. We either take Thursdays out of the picture or we go into hibernation until the first sign of life in the spring. That is an awful lot of indoor time....lots of pent up energy...nope, I think we will just choose the NO Thursday option.

I wanted to title the post "You're Invited"....but Chris said I was not allowed to have pity parties anymore. I tried really, really hard yesterday....he even brought me flowers to decorate with, but declined to join me. What good is a party by yourself? He is trying to convince me his eternal optimism is going to rub off. This is where we butt heads...he is the optimist (visionary) and I am the pessimist (realist). This has lead to many a talkuments in our 7 years of marital bliss. A talkument...what's that? Glad you asked. Our good friends in California, the Turners introduced us to this concept, well term really. We were already having them on our own, just didn't have a name for them. You see a talkument is a close kissing cousin to an argument. There are no loud voices or hurtful words....disagreeing, yes plenty of that. Tears? You betcha. Maybe even an eye roll and grunt or two. You know the ones....don't tell me you've never had a talkument with your other (better) 1/2!

He finally convinced me to read The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon...which I did not do begrudgingly at all. Really, I didn't. So, I just put if off until you know...a better time. Like, standing in line for 1 1/2 hours to vote:) Alright...it was a pretty good book and I finished it in no time flat. You could probably read the whole thing in less than 3 hours if you had the time. If you're a leadership/knowledge junkie like my hubby than this is the book for you. If you are like me, then I promise you will find it a good read and may just turn your realism a little more toward the optimist side....yes, I might be switching camps. Well, you know except for the times when something realistic needs to be said:)

For example: It's Clemson homecoming this weekend. Before the second edition of puke fest we were planning on going. The kids are better but there is a 70% chance of rain and wind and cold temps. Yes, yes, that does mean there is a 30% chance of sun:) However...we have 3 small kids...who have been sick...who still have colds and coughs...sounds like the perfect storm for pneumonia:) There you have it...realism at it's best!

SOOO...since I am trying to switch camps. I decided to think of all the things these icky 3 weeks of sickness that am thankful for.

1.The car is clean....again
2.The car seat is clean...again
3.The floor mats of the car are now clean...again
4.The washing machine has had a good workout...again
5.We have a NEW bottle of Lysol
6.The bathrooms are disinfected (heck, the whole house is disinfected)...again

OK, OK I am trying...I really am.

I did think seriously about it though. If I am having to clean the car...it means I have a car to drive. If I was taking them to preschool then that means I had money to send them and money to pay for gas for the car. Cleaning bathrooms means I have a home to call my own. Washing clothes means we have clothes to wear and get dirty. Having a washing machine means we have multiple clothes to wear and get dirty...that I am not going to a laundry mat or washing by hand. Complaining that the kids have been sick for 3 weeks must mean that a majority of the other 49 weeks they have been healthy. So, Chris is right. Something good can be found in anything. All I have to do is look for it and then focus on it.

What fun is a post without pictures? Not very fun!

Miss Priss' all time favorite toy to play with?... a truck, go figure

This could be a picture of how the boys DESTROY our den all before 9am...but it is to capture their idea of what I thought was a learning moment.

Miss Priss is on the move...very soon she will be on all 4's on the move...right now it is a slow and steady, but get you where you need to go, army crawl. The boys prized possessions are now within her reach. They DO NOT appreciate her new found interest in ANYTHING theirs, especially their cars. We had what I thought was a teachable moment this morning. We were talking about not pulling all our toys out at once. Picking our books up when we are done with them, BEFORE pulling out something else. "If you don't want your sister to get into your things, you need to be mindful of where you keep them. Maybe you should take this time to clean up your books." Hoping this would spur them on and they would clean up the toys and books they were not playing with...teaching them to make wise decisions without mom asking them to clean up every time. Trying to teach them there are consequences to the choices we make...some are good and some are bad. If you choose to disobey then there are consequences of timeout...loosing a privilege...maybe even the dreaded spanking. When you make choices on your own...say not cleaning up your toys...and your sister gets them and something breaks....this is the consequence of you leaving you toys out. How did our little "chat" and lesson go? Something like this:

"The heck with consequences, those are no fun. Neither is cleaning up our toys. We'll just barricade her with the toy bins in a corner of the den so she can't reach our car parades or books."Oh boys....I am afraid that she is going to outsmart you here in just a few days. I am afraid our consequence talk is going to show up again soon. Sometimes things are best learned the hard way. I can only discipline you so much for not putting your toys away. Maybe it is time to learn a consequence to your own decisions. You can't pin her in a corner forever....I don't think?

Her favorite spot...maybe 'cause the boys can't get her here...maybe b/c she knows she will be taller than them one day and she wants to see what the view looks like from above:)

a sweet moment with the 3 monkeys

Miss Priss learning to snort...very lady like of course!

"Let's go treating"

2008-11-03T11:54:00.010-05:00

Wow! What a busy, busy day we had. So much to do...so much to see...so little time. We've never taken the boys trick or treating before so this was a new experience for them. They didn't quite get it at first but it did not take long to catch on! Peyton told us "let's go treating"...he quickly learned he wanted only treats...no tricks.

Friday morning we went downtown to "the square" where many of the local businesses dress up and hand out candy to the kids. It was a ZOO, but so much fun to see all the kids toddling around in their costumes consuming way too much sugar. It's a neat thing our small town does for all the small kids. The boys were eating the candy as fast as they could get it. I was begining to think we would not make it home with any spoils at all. It went something like this...

get a lolipop...lick, lick, move on to the next piece. I think I found a dozen open and 1/2 licked suckers in their pumpkins when we got home:) Thankfully my sister was in town and helped out. I could not have done this with 3 kids on my own!

Monkey see, monkey do...more candy for me and you!

Miss Priss taking it all in. She is her daddy's girl for sure. Her personality is her daddy all the way. The more attention the better. Will take a nap if given the chance but is just fine without one. LOVES being IN the action. Happy ALL THE TIME!

Our attempt at getting a picture with four tots...yeah right!

Parker:"Peton, whatch got in your pumpkin?"

It was home for naps...which they actually took despite the sugar bolus from that moring. That evening we were off to a party and to meet up with daddy. Last year the boys were complete grouches and no fun to be around at the party. Thankfully they made up for it this year.

Surprisingly we got a pretty good shot as a family.

Looking through the loot in the treasure chest

Aunt Mel and Miss Priss

The cutest monkey I've ever seen! (well, besides his look alike brother)

They were DONE with my effort to try to get a cute picture of the 3 of them. Sooo, here it is!

Our last attempt to get us all "dressed up". We were out of creative juices and just went as ourselves. Daddy as a cow, my two monkeys, Miss Priss and me, Little Miss Scaterbrain!

I'm sooo over this people. Besides, it's FREEZING out here. The bow on the hat mom, really? I thought I already told you what I thought about it a few months back!!

Governor Palin made a detour off the campaign trail to stop by the party.

Michael Phelps was kind enough to stop by too!

I can't believe how much the boys have grown in a year. I was going to link back to last year for the grandparents....but I never posted the pictures from last year. They were so cute in the outfits my mom made for the occasion. Sadly, they were at the age where NOTHING was going on thier head. Parker was an Indian without his headpiece and Peyton was a Cowboy without his hat. It took everything I had to get Peyton to wear his boots! They made the cutest Cowboys and Indian ever!

Most of our pictures were true to the mood they were in....craby! I did find a few where they appeared to be having a good time. I just remember they were in this stage where no matter how good of a nap they took....they woke up CRABY! Thankfully that passed as they are much better now after naptime....it's only before nap that they get craby now:)

Parker liked the fairy wand more than his headpiece...hmmmm.

Chief Parke riding his pony....updide down!

Cowboy Peyton

Our best result at a family picture. And to think Miss Priss was just a small bean in mommy's tummy at the time!

The one picture I snuck with his hat on:(

See what I mean: WAS. NOT. WEARING. THE. HEADPIECE!

You can't stay mad at that face long!

Our favorite pumpkin sighting from last year.

Nope, NOT ME!

2008-10-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

Weeeee're baaaaack! I thought to myself, surely we won't miss one of MckMama's "Not me!" Monday posts. OK, really....who am I kidding:) Though she is punctual and delivers a perfect score each Monday....I have just realized that indeed I am not the perfect mother/housewife I once knew I was. (Ahem)

On with the show. My many moments from this past week of perfect parenting:

I did not purchase pink Disney themed princess Pull Ups for the boys to wear during night time. Who in their right mind would submit their tender 3 year olds to this sort of calamity? Not me! (It was my 2nd store looking for the nighttime Pull Ups. The first didn't have them and well, the 2nd only had the princesses in their size. I was already late to pick them up and had changed both beds that morning because the regular pull ups did not hold all their milk and juice from the night before...yes, I've started a fund to pay for therapy).

I did not wear my PJ's and slippers to take the kids to school all 3 days this week. My PJ's were a matchy, matchy set that closely resembled a sweat outfit. Who would know the difference. Besides the slippers were Uggs and clearly they look like shoes:) I think I pulled it off quite nicely as my "hey, I'm relaxing today....not I just rolled out of bed look".

One of the days was not carpool...I did not get out of my car like this in public to walk them inside. Not that I think about it...I'm pretty sure I was wearing the same thing on two of these days...yep.

I did not feed the boys "lunner" on Friday. They did not have awful behavior and attitudes, not my kids. They did not get sent to nap early as a result of said behavior, thus missing lunch. That would be plain silly to let my kids starve like that. Upon waking up they were given a combo of lunch and dinner = lunner...and ate with a happy heart:)

The boys did NOT eat animal crackers (ummm, cookies) and chocolate pudding for lunch Sunday. That would be way to lazy on our part and not wanting to deal with cranky sick kids...plus, when I'm sick I eat whatever I want, right? Not to mention we were running off less than 2 hours sleep from Saturday night. Clearly, animal crackers are way better for you than animal cookies!

I think I'm too tired to continue or remember any more at this point. Monday is looking like a GREAT PJ day!

Join with me in praying for MckMama and her family as they wait the arrival of their newest addition this week. MckMama and baby Stellan have had several medical challenges along the way and many God moving moments. Baby Stellan has overcome many medical challenges to make it this far. Our great physician has been hard at work. Prayers have been answered and our voices heard. We can't wait to "meet" you little guy!

What good is a post without a cute picture?

Miss Priss, loving her leg warmers

**For our neighbors who thought we might be entertaining seals in the wee hours of Sunday morning on our back porch...Peyton has croup...again this year. Thankfully not as bad as last year and the cold weather helped calm things down. So, that was our son we were reading books to at 1am...not a heard of barking seals:)** A group of seals...is that a heard?

Nope, NOT ME!

2008-10-13T09:39:00.006-05:00

Looks like I've made it to another Monday! Kicking and Screaming, but I am here. Where do the weeks go? I can't believe I am only getting here on Monday mornings. Sadly, not much to say this time...we had a busy week and a fun filled weekend but not too many "Not Me!" moments. We spent a nice long weekend with my parents. It was filled with many adventures and a nice break for me. Maybe they should be posting this day since they took over kid duty for me. I did manage to come up with a few.

Sadly, I don't have any pics from the weekend. My mom didn't have her camera on our outings and Chris had ours back here at home. The boys had their first adventure at Chuck E. Cheese's. They loved the games and had the most fun placing their tokens in the slots. No telling how many we lost that way. Saturday was a fun day at The SC State Fair. Lots of rides and even more food. Mmmm Mmmm elephant ears! The fair always seems to bring out SC's finest if you know what I mean....sadly, I think you can add us to the list this year.

Don't forget to check out MckMama and her post of the day. A classic, as usual! I also just realized you can click on the orange box above and that will in fact take you to her blog....Who knew? Not me!

My son did NOT lock himself in the stall at his preschool to go "poop" as I was trying to juggle both of them and Miss Priss at the same time. This my friends is why we NEVER get anywhere on time.

I did NOT leave two three year olds in the same bathroom as above to go all the way down the hall to hand Miss Priss off to their teacher so I could return and retrieve Peyton from the locked stall.

I did NOT come back to find Parker standing at the door to the bathroom peering out in the hallway....with his pants around his ankles. No one else saw this either....

I did NOT just find my boys hiding under the kitchen table eating a Kit Kat bar as I was typing the above....who leaves their 3 year olds unattended these days...O wait, I think we have already pointed the guilty finger my way. Hey, at least they were sharing the candy!

On the same day as the above mentioned potty incident....I did NOT pull into a rest area for the boys to use the bathroom....and proceed to set up my own rest stop by my van with their very own potties. Nope, NOT ME! (It may have looked something like this...8th picture down)

At the second pit stop I didn't even bother with the potties....have boys...can stand to pee....Check!

(are you kidding me people, lug three very small children into a public bathroom so two of them can fight over who is going to pee first while the other mops up the floor with a tantrum and touches EVERY DIRTY THING in sight.....you know you would do the SAME thing)

As we were leaving the Fair grounds and loading up the car...."I have to go pee pee". No bathroom in sight and no re entry.... I did NOT, once again, whip their pants down and let them pee right there in the grassy parking area....I mean really, who lets their kids pee this many times in public areas in one weekend. NOT ME! This was the one thing I said I would NEVER do with my kids.....Yeah, well, I have learned to never say never!

So there you go...add us to South Carolina's finest that show up at the fair every year...they are the ones that let their kids pee in the grass parking lots!

I did NOT curse Georgia's fine governor for allowing paving to take place on a MAJOR interstate at 5pm on a weekday of a rather large town....did I mention a cop STOPED traffic on this major interstate of this good size town for 45 MINUTES! I was loosing my mind....as were my 3 screaming kids in the back of the van. Paving the road....really? Clearly, you can follow the chain of command right up to the Governor. Thank You Mr. Sonny Perdue....for the fine public service work you are doing on our roads.....AT 5PM RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC! A GREAT way to use our tax dollars.

Gosh, it seems MANY of my post are related to the potty lately....I guess that is why you call it bathroom humor? Seeing that we ARE STILL POTTY TRAINING, and I can only hope they will be done by the time we move them in freshman year for college....there should be plenty more stories to come. They are boys afterall....don't ALL boys dwell on potty humor anyway?

Since I have no pics from the weekend, I'll close with a few from our last day at the neighborhood pool for the summer. What good is a post without some pictures:)

Parker

Miss Priss

My three monkeys...she now gets included in the monkey category....she will be extremely mobile within the week. She has the "inch bug" method down pretty good now. Not sure I am ready for this! Um....not sure Monkey 1 and Monkey 2 are ready for this!

Nope, NOT ME!

2008-10-06T09:28:00.013-05:00

It's looking like I'm having some difficulty keeping this blog thing caught up. Have no fear....Monday is here and there is plenty to report:) Seeing that Chris was out of town most of last week and I was single~moming it (yes that is a verb phrase)....not much luxury things got done. We did manage to do laundry and clean the kitchen after meal time though. Eat nutritious meals....not on your life. I don't think my kids saw anything remotely resembling a veggie last week. Well, that is a lie...Miss Priss did but that is only b/c I've been making her baby food and all I had to do was pop a veggie cube out of the freezer. Now that I think about it... did I feed the kids last week?:)

Won't you join me and McMama in her weekly "Not me!" Monday. It shows up midway down her post...but trust me, you will want to read the begining....something we can all identify with.

Yes, I feed the kids last week....oatmeal.......AGAIN. Just remember, there WAS a meal in between the two servings and of course it was ORGANIC...thus taking care of ALL nutritional needs.

We did NOT have a "name your body parts" episode before school last Tuesday. I did NOT have to for warn their teacher they were on this kick and certain names may or may not come up in class that day. It went something like this:

Setting: Mommy using the potty with two boys nearby (Oh, come on...you know you never go potty by yourself anymore these days)

Par: Mommy, you going pee pee?

M: Yes, baby, I am going pee pee...I'm a big girl and I use the potty

Pey: You get M&M's mommy?

M: Yep, I'm going to get some M&M's

Par: Mommy you have a p*n*s? (what, where did THAT come from)

M: No baby, only boys have a p*n*s.

Pey: Daddy have a p*n*s?

M: Yep, your daddy sure does b/c he is a BOY

Par: Mommy what you have?

M: Uhhhh...go ask your daddy? (I mean really...and we agreed long ago to use proper names with our kids...oh well, no turning back now)

the boys go running off to find daddy

Par: Daddy, you have a p*n*s?

D: Yes, yes I do

Pey: what does mommy have?

D: long pause....mommy has a v*g*na (me hiding around the corner laughing...he actually told them!)

Pey & Par: long pause.......and confused look on faces

Par: no, mommy has a hiney!

M: that's right boys and it sure was a lot cuter before you 3 monkeys came along! Now, lets get your bags ready for school.

***words not fully spelled out here to head off any creeps from googling thses words and our blog popping up***

***we agreed long ago to teach our kids the propper body parts when they asked. They would learn them one day anyway and also this would take a part of the mystery out of it all. God did give us different parts and they do have different names, simple as that. Someone once told us this would also help in case, heaven forbid, they were ever touched or violated in anyway. When asked to name the areas they were touched there would NEVER be ANY doubt the bodypart they named. There would have to be no clarifing what a "pee pee" or other made up name really was. It may not be for everyone, but it is what works for us.***

We were NOT those parents who took their kids out for a treat at 8pm on a Saturday night...who does that at bedtime? Fill them up with ice cream and such. I used to look at parents who did this and think...what are they thinking, those kids need to be home in bed! I've now learned that you don't always know the whole story and parents are not always entirely irresponsible...just partly:) and we now fit into that class! Chris had been out of town and we were making the most of our family time for the weekend. Ice cream at 8pm it was...besides, we had a coupon:)

On the way to get our special treat on Saturday at bedtime, my hubby did NOT have a parenting moment go bad. The boys were whining that they could not see the moon after we had rounded the corner (no, they were NOT whining b/c they were tired and it being there bedtime). Chris stated something to the affect: the moon does not come out for whining boys. When you stop whining you will see the moon again...whining stopped and we rounded another corner and low and behold there was the moon! Clearly we should have stated that if the whining did not stop we were turning the car around and going home without our treat.....BUT, WE wanted the ice cream and a family moment so off we went...bad parenting and all.

To continue our parenting gone wrong outing....we were leaving to come home (well after 9pm at this point)and Parker had to go potty....where there was NO potty around. This past week he has reverted to wetting his pants (grrrr) so I was very pleased he told me. What's a good mother to do? Drop his pants then and there in the parking lot (yes, a very public parking lot of a high end outdoor shopping center) and let him have at it? NO, NOT ME!...clearly I have more class than that! Not too worry.....he aimed at the wheel of the tire and it backfired all over me and him, getting both of us soaked! He was more wet than if he had wet his pants...BUT, we SAVED the car seat! Do I mention a cop drove by as this was taking place?

We did NOT play hookie from church the very next morning and sleep until well after 9am! Oh, it was DELIGHTFUL!

I did not keep my daughter up past her bedtime this week because it was easier to feed her when I was feeding the boys...a very late dinner. I can't even remember at this point why we were so late eating. She did NOT fall asleep in her chair while I tended to the monkeys and cleaned up the kitchen.

Miss Priss has her very own girlie PJs to wear. She does NOT wear her brothers old PJs b/c it is cheaper and well, they were own the kitchen counter from where a friend had recently returned them from borrowing them for her son.

Parker did NOT have to brush his teeth with the soap he had placed on his brothers toothbrush and then preceded to "paint" the bathroom with. This was after he had been told to stop playing in the soap...we are trying to get creative with discipline/learning around here. The consequences of disobeying mom and playing in soap....well, you put soap on your brothers toothbrush and now it is time to brush your teeth. It's too bad it has soap taste to it. Soap is not for playing, it is for washing our hands. This is going to taste bad and it did! We have had no more playing in the soap. I did let him rinse his mouth out and then brush his teeth with toothpaste like we should. Natural consequences seem to be working around here. We shall see. May not be for everyone but it is currently working for us.

The boys are NOT watching TV while I type this post....we hardly ever have the TV on and it has now been on for 4 hours!!!!! What am I thinking? They have not watching this much TV ever! It is Disney though....that makes it ALL OK right??? just like the organic oatmeal:)

A father/son moment on a late Saturday afternoon. Parker's favortie thing to do afternap time...checking the mail. Sometims he times it just right and gets to wait on the mail truck.

*UPDATE FROM LAST MONDAY*

Peyton did very well eating his corn and green beans for breakfast! Score 1 for mom! I'm not really keeping score...but just in case I ever.....:)

This proved to me that it was a discipline/obedience issue and that he really likes these items. I NEVER force me kids to eat something I know they truly do not like. They must try everything given to them and we go from there. Gladly we have not had to do it again. HOWEVER, the next night he did think it funny to spit a mouth full of grits onto the floor....off to bed he went that night ahead of his brother. We are getting there....slowly but surly my kids WILL have table manners!

Nope, NOT ME!

2008-09-29T00:28:00.003-05:00

Good gosh, these people are fast! Its just after midnight here on the East coast and already there are over 50 links! MckMama has got it going on:) Check out her "Not me! Monday" post here. Can't wait to read them. And why might I be up at midnight doing this you ask. You see, there are still some domesticating things to be done Monday morning and I wanted to get this done. So now it is. Plus, Peyton is going to be having an interesting breakfast this am and who knows how long that is going to take:)

Here goes:

I absolutely did NOT tell a tee tiny white lie to my boys last week. I mean seriously, who does that...lies to your kids. As if! It was time for new tennis shoes and off to Stride Rite we went. A monopoly on wide and extra wide kids shoes I tell you. Peyton wanted the ALL white leather shoes with the light up firetruck AND two velcro tabs across the top. Um...NO! If I am paying this much for shoes, they are going to look like I payed this much for shoes! "sorry honey, these don't come in your size". Yes, lightning struck just next door. I don't do velcro across the top and I certainly don't do light up either. Sure if this was a play pair and we were getting them cheaply. NOT for the amount they wanted. We picked out the "barfaroma" pair and all were happy. What boy doesn't want a pair of shoes called barfaroma anyway? Still velcro (I can't tie 2 pair of shoes 5 times a day) but in a stylish sort of way and dark blue so as to not appear demolished the first time they are worn on the playground. There....everyone happy.

My kids were NOT in thier PJ's when a friend came over recently at 8pm...what is wrong with this? They were the SAME PJ's from the night before....that they had not taken off from the night before. Saving on laundry I tell you! Yeah, there was no bath either:)

I did not threaten my child that what he did not eat for supper he would in fact eat for breakfast the next morning. Wait...you are right, I DID in fact say that. But you see, it was not a threat at all. I learned early on that you mean what you say when it comes to discipline! Mr. Peyton will be eating his green beans and corn from his Sunday night supper for breakfast this morning. We shall see how this goes. I am just stubborn enough to do it too. You just wait and see. The boys have gotten down from the table plenty a times saying they were not hungry...and given nothing else to eat. They have learned to eat what is given, I am NOT a short order cook. They must TRY everything on their plate, but do not have to eat it all if they truly don't like it. Sure, their tummys have been growling when we tuck them in at night...but, they have learned to eat their food and be thankful for what they have...until recently when they have found it funny to play in their food. Dismissing them from the table, timeout, warnings, teaching...none of it has worked. Last night I had had enough and knew there must be a tougher consequence. They were given one warning and the consequence stated. Parker choose to finish his dinner....Peyton did not and continued to play thinking it was funny. So dismissed from the table it was and guess what is for breakfast:) Green beans and corn! It all came to a head last week when they pulled the playing with your food stunt at a neighbors house....we are going to nip this one in the bud!

So there you have it...my not so good and still waiting to see parenting takes for the week. I'll keep you posted on breakfast. Makes you want to come eat at our house eh?

One cute pic we snapped of the boys Saturday night. We found them like this again Sunday night. Soooo sweet when they want to sleep near each other. Peyton does not like it when Parker gets in the bed with him...I guess this was his compromise. They did this all on their own.

Domesticated

2008-09-28T22:28:00.007-05:00

It would seem that way at least...domesticated that is. I think we have been cleaning house for one whole week now. Really. That is what happens when you do NOTHING to your house for a solid week. Clothes didn't get washed, barely any dishes washed, no bathrooms cleaned, no dusting...NOTHING. Well, we did at least make our beds...that way I didn't feel too guilty:)

To finish our weekend off we tucked the childrens in the bed and gathered in the den...to do more domesticating of course. Now that all the laundry was done...someone had to do the ironing. Yeah...I don't iron. Just ask my dad! He did the ironing in our house when I was growing up (and I'm pretty sure he still does). So, naturally now that I am married and have a home of my own...I still DON'T do the ironing. My vote for Chris' shirts...$1 per shirt at the dry cleaners. CLEARLY that is one heck of a deal. Nope, apparently not. So not only does he iron his shirts...but mine and the boys as well. Yep, wife of the year award right here.

So what might I have been doing while my dearest was hard at work ironing? Attempting to sew buttons on several items. Apparently my mom's sewing skills are NOT in fact hereditary. Seeing that she can sew anything you throw at her...one would think I could sew a button on decently. Nope, makes me want to say bad things every time. I did however learn why one might want to wear a thimble tonight...cussing I tell you. 5 buttons later and I would not indeed earn an A in my home economics class. Maybe a check for effort but that is about it. Thankfully the front of the button looks good...the backside however, a nice tangled mess. O well...I tried.

What else might we be doing while we are domesticating? (yes that is a verb). Watching Chirs' addiction:) Not my most favorite show to watch. It just flat out stresses me out. Too much drama, too many decisions and way too much hormones involved. I think this very well could be a sacrifice for me to watch this show! It frays my nerves raw and makes me too anxious. Maybe it's because I fear it will bring another round of applications to mind. Chris and his brother have tried out for this show more times than I care to remember. (2 for Chris and 4 for his brother) They even traveled to Ohio for an open casting call. We were in California at the time...that is how ridiculous it got. No, I'm not trying to squash his dreams...but really....be gone for 6 weeks. Hello, we now have THREE small children to care for. Oh yeah...it all started when we had TWO INFANT SONS. It is a bit of a sore subject at the Darley household. I really want to be the wife that can stand up and say: "Yes baby, follow your dreams. I know this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, go do it. Have fun and call when you get back". Realistically that is not how I feel and he knows. We have talked about it several times and there is WAY TOO MUCH going own in our lives now. Maybe one day....yes, I keep hoping he will loose interest. I'm just being honest here. I am supportive of so many dreams, I really am. I just have a REALLY hard time getting on board with this one. His solution. We should try out together. HA HA HA!!!! Those of you that know me, know how utterly disastrous this would be. Me with no sleep and no planning time....DIS-AS-TER! Somehow my not so good side would be there for all to see on national TV. I know myself well enough to know this is NOT for me. Oh the tears that would be shed. I mean come on, he has seen me with little sleep and he still would want to do this and on TV at that. That is love my friends. However, my answer is still NO!

So do tell, who are you pulling for. The girls from SC of course...but I'm leaning toward the brother/sister team.

Eat your heart out ladies...this is a common occurrence at our home:) Yes, I am one lucky women and VERY thankful I have a man who is not afraid of his domesticated side!

It is the end of the month and that means we are at or near our grocery limit for the month:) So, it is look in the pantry and freezer to see what ya got. Usually it is pancakes and PB&J! This time we got lucky. Papa sent some ribs with Mimi the last time she came for a visit. Ribs are my all time favorite food and I think I've done a good job passing the love on to the boys. Parker can eat him some ribs! His eyes lit up tonight when I told him that was for supper. He ate 1/2 a rack himself.

Peyton

Parker

See what I mean...TO.THE.BONE people. He cleans them good! He was not thrilled I made him stop for a photo op.

Of course we can't get away with a post without Miss Priss. Supper for her: rice cereal(not a fan), butternut squash and avocado...which she loves! Chris and I cooked our first butternut squash this weekend to make baby food. It turned out really yummy. We were quiet proud of ourselves!

Nope, NOT ME!

2008-09-22T21:21:00.006-05:00

Seeing that I seem to be making some headway into this posting thing again:) I thought I might take a moment and let you see what I have been up to lately....as if potty training, hubby working crazy hours, tagging clothes for consignment sales and keeping the 2 monkeys out of trouble weren't enough. I put blogging aside for several reasons this summer....but I did NOT stop reading them. I gave myself enough time during the day to multitask so that reading and keeping up with you guys could still happen. Every time I sat down to nurse Miss Priss, I was reading, reading, reading. This is what made leaving comments difficult too:)

Today presented itself with a great opportunity to share a blog with you that I am absolutely hooked on....may come close to stalking:) You see, I have never even left a comment here but I feel like this family is just around the corner, they are not. We pray for them quite often and I love, love, love reading her witty stories, her parenting techniques and how God is working in her life. AMAZING, I tell you. She has GOT IT GOING ON over there. Really, you are going to want to check her out. BUT....make sure you've got a couple of hours because you are going to get hooked! She is a riot I tell you. Kim, you are going to LOVE this one! Go on...add it to our list of daily must reads. She is right up there with 6YearMed, Steece's Pieces, Whittaker Women, Ragamuffin Soul, Miss CB (the best dressed toddler ever)..sorry guys, she is private and many more. You can thank me later:) It's been a year(can you believe it) since we've added another one. It's about time don't ya think.

All this to say she has started something fabulous and oh so fun....makes you realize you are NORMAL and there are plenty of other mommy's out there doing some crazy stuff too:) My blog readers, meet MckMama and her MSC (many small children as she likes to call them). Big Mac, MckNugget, Small Fry and soon to arrive MckMuffin. It must be something about California I tell you. She is refreshingly honest and REAL...at least her blog comes across that way. Her transparency is catching and her pictures incredible. Go take a look...I promise you'll love her for good. It's baby Stellan we have been praying for (aka MckMuffin). Their story of this current pregnancy, the struggles, fears, unknown outcome and faith will capture your heart. Can you tell I have become a Raving Fan?

Without further adu...her is her newest creation:

Check out her post here and links to many other mommas out there who do NOTHING wrong any given day of the week:) Currently writing this at 10:45pm here on the east coast there are already 191 participants! WOW.

I did NOT feed my monkeys oatmeal twice in one day last week. Hey, they had lunch in between which included a fruit. Plus, the oatmeal was organic and that solves ALL nutrition problems:)

Bath time was NOT skipped AGAIN b/c we just stayed inside and no one was visibly sweaty or dirty behind the ears...they make baby wipes for a reason you know!

Bribing the monkeys with food is NEVER done at our house. So when we were in Target getting some much needed things....the popcorn (which is a choking hazard and nutritionally absent) I fed the boys was NOT a bribe. I would NEVER do such a thing just to get my kids to behave, nope NOT me!

I absolutely DID NOT step outside to find the monkeys with shorts and underwear around their ankles peeing on the house being built two doors over. My children would NEVER do such a thing. Clearly they are raised better than that. Peeing in public of all things, NOT my kids. I did NOT wish I had my camera near by to snap a picture of said event.

The boys turned into smurfs yesterday because they were NOT left unsupervised with blue ink and stamps as I stepped out of the room for a moment. I did NOT leave baby sister in there with them either....Who in their right mind would ever leave 3 kids 3 and under unsupervised with blue ink (not crayola washable either)? I never said I was in my right mind:)

As I was reading MckMama's Not Me! Monday post I did NOT leave the monkeys unsupervised again....only to find them rearranging our closet. One day, I will learn my lesson...until then, it makes for some darn funny blog stories:) Isn't that what we hope for after all?!!!?

So come on...get on board with this one....see how funny it is and freeing! Come on girls...Do Tell.

Smurf 1 (err, Peyton) pre shower

Smurf 2 (err, Parker) hiding from us in the bathroom

Parker hard at work creating MORE work for me this morning in our closet. But I sure did have fun reading MckMama's latest. And that my friends, is all that matters.

Miss Priss not too keen on being cleaned up after the monkeys got a hold of her!

CRUSH

2008-09-17T09:04:00.007-05:00

The boys imaginations have been full tilt lately. I love it! I love hearing them talk to each other when they are in bed at night and I love hearing them talk to themselves at nap time. I need to do a better job of writing these things down.

Recently they have been into animals. We have many different types of animals living with us. Usually it is baby chicks. However, we have had many tiger, gorilla and and baby lion sightings. Usually they do OK with these creatures. Peyton recently was HYSTERICAL that there was a baby gorilla in the corner at nap time. Luckily this was on a weekend and Chris was able to rescue him from this horrific sighting. Their favorite cohabitant of ours is baby chicks. They carry them everywhere with us. Many times I will look to see them walking around with their fists clenched shut....carrying the baby chicks of course. They were in the backyard playing one morning and had me absolutely convinced there were baby chicks in the woods. They had sticks they were poking the ground with and I was worried they really were hurting these little birds they found.....nope, nothing there.

I have these preschool books for the boys that I am filling out to help us remember this time in their life. I was asking them several questions about school to help fill the book out. I asked Parker who was his best friend, fully expecting him to say Peyton......AvE. AvE? Who is that? He gets this silly grin on his face and repeats the name. Hmmm. I look at the class list and realize my baby has his first crush! Avery is a little girl in his class this year. I was not sure who she was and was looking forward to Wednesday when I walk them in instead of using the drop off line. Well, today I meet Avery. I must say he has VERY good taste. She is the cutest thing. Long, full blond hair and the most darling outfits. Little does Avery know but she has been napping with us, eating supper with us and coloring with us. Today he was walking in with his fists clenched.

Me: "Parker what is in your fists?"

P: Looks at me and then looks at his teacher who is standing beside his true love

Me: "Who are you holding on to there buddy?"

P: Looks at me and grins

Oh sooo cute. Miss Beth and I just laugh. I learn that he and Peyton were fighting over her yesterday at school. Te he he. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that one.

First day of school picture 9/2

Showing off their new shirts

Not sure about the weather at your house, but it has been delightful here these past two days. We leave a bit after 8 to go to school and it has been in the 60's! Ahhh, fall is in the air. I've been up to midnight the past few nights and needed a pick me up this morning after dropping the monkeys off. Two of my favorite things. I dug around in my money dish in the van and came up with some $1 bills. Found my gift card to 4bucks coffee...mmmm pumpkin spice latte.

Love all those $1 bills. They really add up:) We have a deal that Chris gives me all his change...ones and coins. My friends call them my stripper ones cause I save them up and usually have a nice pile floating around. Sara has seen quiet a few of these...I use them to fund our picture sessions. Shh, Chris might change his mind once he sees how quickly they add up:)

The only thing that would have topped off this mornings treats would have been a Jamba Juice! Yes the one refered to in the movie Baby Mama...it is a real place! This was my absolute favorite treat when we were living in So Cal. They have THE BEST smoothies. Orange Dream Machine is my favorite. We went to Colorado back in April (pic above) and found them there! I was in heaven. Sadly the closest one to us in the terminal in the Charlotte, NC airport. Two problems with this. 1) That is 2 states away 2) You have to be flying b/c it is IN the terminal. Killing me people. My dear husband has been known to travel for work to said area AND to fly all the way home bringing me the above treat! That one scored major deposits in my love tank:)

This is why I've been up to midnight lately and running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Chris has been working long hours and kid duty is in my court. No this is not my laundry pile (that hasn't been touched this week) but all the clothes that I am selling in a consignment sale this weekend. I have not one but two to get ready for! It's the big thing to do around here and a lot of fun. Many of my girlfriends are in on this too. Great deals and Good times. I do have to get my clothes together and price tags on them ALL.

Don't leave your lap top around monkeys or it might look like this! Held together with packing tape.

We headed to God's country over the weekend (Clemson). Though it felt like a lot more like another place than I imagine Heaven feeling like. It was HOT!!! Chris' roomies from college were all in town. Two of the roomies have twins, one is married to a twin and another that was not there also has twins....what's in the water people?

Nothing like a prime potty spot for the monkeys. Gotta love potty training and being on the road. They were thrilled when we pulled into a truck stop for our break.

Can't have a post without pics of Miss Priss. Taken yesterday on our first cool morning. The Baby Legs were perfect for a quick fix to the cool temps as we were walking out the door. I had just enough time to change her diaper, pop in a bow and pull on the leg warmers....she had slept in the onsie:)

Look at those thighs! Grown on double A's my friends:) Guess I can stop feeling guilty that the boys also got breast milk yet remained peanuts. She ain't afraid to show those things off. I call her pork chop...affectionately of course. Loving all those rolls...guess they wont be so cute come spring break freshman year. I love them now though!

This one's for you

2008-09-10T21:03:00.002-05:00

Breath...again...now take another one. Yes, you really are seeing an updated post from us. My bedtime has come and now gone, BUT...our blog is updated AND has new pictures. They are from the past month too! WOW!

Excuses, excuses is all we have. Some of them are pretty darn good too. It's too bad I can't share them all right now seeing that this is a public blog and all. Stick around and it will all come out....pictures too. March has come and gone...taking my sanity with it. Three kids under 3 will do that to ya you know.

Lots and lots of change going on around here. Yes, we are ahead of schedule in that department:) 2 years not quit here yet and here we are making changes. I'll get to that one too. I hope I'll be getting to all this stuff I keep promising. I keep telling Chris that I need library day worked into my job description:) You know...a day where I can catch up on phone calls, answer emails, update our blog, think in full sentences. Oh and I need some sick and vacation days added too. While your at it, add a clause for conferences....I'll take one on a sunny island with lots of sand and crashing waves. What might this conference be about you may ask? Leisure reading and tanning of course. Anyone interested? I'll be paying for the single room rate...not sharing my bed or room this go round:)

What prompted this return out of the blue? A dear old friend from So Cal:) It was so good hearing from you. You MADE my night:) I thought to myself answering the phone...this sounds like Tammy Brown...but it couldn't be. I just adore out of the blue surprises like this. God works in marvelous ways. I've had a rough go at "mommy" this week and was just telling Chris that I was letting it get me down in all areas of my life. I was feeling the need for a So Cal fix and would he mind me skirting out there for a few days.....Thanksgiving break....Christmas? So Cal is getting back to my roots of who I have become today...of who Chris and I have become as a couple and of who I am as a mom. I was needing a refresher and I got one in the least expected way. God is so very cool. It came straight from the source. We went to Southern California with Chick-fil-A...but God used that to bring us to a very cool church...Sandals Church to be exact. Without writing a novel....This church was instrumental in changing Chris and I in many ways. Our hearts are forever changed because of the vision of this Church. Teaching you, leading you and showing you how to be REAL. It wasn't just all talk either. All this to say...a dear friend called me tonight to say HI and it was sooo soo good to hear from her. It is so hard to stay connected to long distance friends. It is so nice to pick up where you left of though.

So this post is for you Tammy...thanks for the updates, the smiles and the encouragement. It is such a blessing to hear how well things are going and the growth that you are seeing in many areas. Thanks for sharing your heart and for reaching out. Chris and I miss you and Matt greatly. Send our love and our hellos. See you in February for sure:) Instead of emailing you some pics, I'm putting them here. I meant every word I said. We left California changed because of the work God was doing in your lives and in a church called Sandals. Thanks for all the sacrifice y'all have made as a family to see this vision through. We take a piece of Sandals everywhere we go. The 3 years there is a defining moment in our lives. God is so good. Miss you girl.

Can you believe how big they are! Just think of the tiny p-nuts you held many a times. I still think of the day you and Heather showed up at our door step to surprise me with a night out with my hubby. I left you with a mess of a house and two screaming babies. I came home to a spotless home and 2 sleeping boys. Not to mention the time you cleaned my home after we were attacked by the Rota virus...love my friend...pure love.

This is what we here in the South call "smocking". Yeah, and we dress our children alike on purpose:) You would just laugh...not too worry, the boys have plenty of Quicksilver:)

Daddy is all the kids want these days...fine by me:) Working long hours and he comes home to this:) A good man...cleaning the kitchen AND entertaining the kids:) I really can't complain!

Can you believe what a chunk she is...I like to call her pork chop...just b/c I can:) The boys never made it to this status. 6 months old and 17 lbs!!! I kid you not....she has fat rolls like you can't imagine. She is not even eating food yet! Did you ever think a Darley baby would be so plump:)

She made it to her first Clemson game...it was awful, don't ask. Just thought you would enjoy all our orange. That is an orange Tiger paw on her cheek.

Thanks for the call tonight. It was WONDERFUL hearing your voice. Sure do miss you. Send me pics of the kiddos...I can't imagine how big they are getting.

March Madness

2008-05-16T13:30:00.017-05:00

Oh my oh my...where has time gone? Am I really only at March pictures. Say it ain't so. Now that I have FINALLY gotten them off our camera AND uploaded to blogger....they are all out of order and not in the right place. They are supposed to be in the middle, not on the left side. Ah, well...I guess that just sums up our days now...all out of order, nothing in the right place:) Who knew 3 kids could be this complex? OK...someone out there did and they just forgot to let me in the loop! Slowly, VERY SLOWLY we are getting back in the swing of things...I think:) So please excuse our absence and the chaos of the picture order...I am just beyond trying to organize it at this point. It's been long enough. For those of you still out there, here we go.

Easter was nice. Didn't make the first service...late to the 2nd but there non the less. Trying to get a family photo is a riot these days. Guess we will have to commission Sara again:) My mom and Chris' mom joined us for the weekend. Actually my mom was still here helping out, thank goodness. Who knows what kind of shape Chris would have found us in if she wasn't here. A month was not nearly long enough! I even tried to convince her to buy the house next door:) To think we headed out to California 4 1/2 years ago to give it a go on our own...which we loved every minute of... and now I am pleading with my mom to at least buy a house on OUR STREET! My, my...how things change. I think Chris breathed a sigh of relief when she didn't take me seriously:)

Don't be fooled by this sweet angelic SLEEPING baby... we did not get many like this during the first month. By 6 weeks I was done convincing myself it was just a bad day, bad feeding, bad hour. Off to the Dr. we went. Just like her brothers, Miss Priss has reflux. Our faithful old friend has returned:( Was living with us for 20 months not enough with the boys? Alas...some meds latter and we have a totally different baby:) She now lives up to this picture:) She really is a good baby, we just had a few rough nights (um days) OK a really rough go at it at first. I do now recall that I do NOT function well on little sleep. Not such a nice person...nope, not at all. 6 months of round the clock every 3 hour feeding with the boys sent me to a very not so fun place. You see that ment only 30-45 minute stretches of sleep at a time. 10 months of weekly marriage counseling later (thanks Bobbi) and I/we were good to go:) Thankfully, I am adjusting much better this time around and PPD does not seem to be a part of it! Praise the Lord:)

All geared up to watch the ACC tournament. Yep, starting her out at a young age:) This picture makes me laugh b/c Peyton (left) looks like the biggest redneck! Oh, if you could only here him talk! You guys in Cali would die. Lets just say he fits right in with where we are living. I think I've been spending a little too much time at Walmart! Hey...the groceries are MUCH cheaper there!

Our Tiger Cubs!

Miss Priss on Easter morning. Mimi made her dress:)

Anna Claire's first Easter egg hunt
3 weeks old...such a rough life!
Mmmhm...there is some in this one too. (Parker)
I wonder how many more sweets I can sneak in.... (Peyton)

Remember I was saying earlier Peyton was sounding a bit "southern"...this outfit doesn't help matters. WOW! thankfully they are just PLAY clothes:)...very soon I am sure I will loose that battle too! Until then, I get to pick out our "going out" clothes. :)

Parker so proud of his book! He picked it out all by himself for going poop in the potty. That's right folks...the Darley boys are....NOT potty trained:( He got his book and that was it...nothing more since then! Great! Bless her heart...my mom followed them around with the potty the ENTIRE month she was here. They were making great progress....with the watch and EVEY 15 minute bribes. Not so much once she left. A 4 week old and just me home with all 3... you can see where this didn't go so well.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our video camera. The thing didn't even make it 2 years! AND...it broke before she got here:(...with a tape of the boys in it! They wanted more money to extract the tape then the camera was worth...let alone fixing the thing. I just wanted the tape of the boys out! Chris did a nice job:) and it was FREE! Uh,no...the camera did not go back together again... much like "Hunkie Dunkie" as Parker calls him.

2 1/2 year old play is exhausting! We frequently find them like this at night:) So, so sweet. Peyton must have been really tired b/c when Parker crawls in bed with him and brings all his stuff...Peyton usually gets up and crawls in Parker's bed...or stands at the door and calls for us. Reminds me of when they were babies and shared a crib.

This my friends is the lovely sight I woke up to that first day after my mom left. Once I stated cleaning it...it only made it worse. Peyton walks into our room to wake me up and is COVERED in soap suds. I follow him into the hallway, the den, the boys hallway and their bathroom....COVERED in soap suds. I wanted to cry but could only laugh...Until I started to mop. Then...I cried. It only made the mess bigger. This was all before 9am. I called Chris asking about boarding school:) If only I knew what the rest of the week was going to hold. By Friday Chris had assured me that military school would in fact enroll 3 year olds. We only had to make it to the end of June!

Monday-soap fest...Peyton trying to clean up the M&M mess they first made...then decided that soap suds were indeed a fun early am activity.

Tuesday-diaper wipe decor...brand new pack of wipes ALL over my den and couch VERY wet.

Wednesday-exploded diaper...ever try to clean the stuffing up after a VERY WET diaper pops...nearly impossible.

By Wednesday at 9am my floors had been moped EVEY morning!

OK, OK...so I don't really want to send my kids to boarding school or military school. I would miss them terribly and it would make me sad not to see them everyday. I certainly don't want someone else raising, shaping and molding my kids. This after all, is why I CHOOSE to stay home:) A break, however, would be great! Enter summer camp here. Yes, that is right folks...the boys are headed to summer camp. No not overnight (sigh)...starting in July they will attend a summer "camp" put on by the church preschool they will be attending this fall. Two days a week for 4 hours a day they will be at camp. 6 whole weeks of this:) A much needed outing for them and a wonderful break for me!

Hooray for Summer Camp!

Boys will be boys....the vacuums they received for Easter are now officially car transporters. Who knew? They even occasionally (when mom is busy with baby sister) become scooters! Oh boys...you are aging me much too fast. I love to see your creativity and imagination come out...I just need to remember that you are boys and have LOTS of pent up energy. We must harvest this in good ways!

**Chris got a taste of my day not too long ago. It was one evening after supper when he was taking a few minutes to clean up the kitchen. I was feeding baby sister and the boys...well, they were up to their usual mischief when they are unsupervised for less than 30 seconds. We hear Parker screaming "Daddy" in a very panic stricken voice from their bathroom. That's right folks...the ever famous Parker in lightening quick fashion has managed to flood the entire bathroom and hallway in under a minute! His Frisbee was "dirty" and needed to be "washed"...so he plugged up the sink and went about his cleaning...until the water ran over...the rest is history. Chris, welcome to my days:)**

Fabulous

2008-04-06T21:17:00.005-05:00

Fabulous is just one word to describe the pictures Sara took for Anna Claire's newborn session. I always look forward to seeing her work and she never disappoints. We were able to get in to see her when Miss Priss was 12 days old. Of course the boys came along...and their cars. I don't think we have any pictures of them without some type of car in there. All 3 of our sessions with Sara have included their cars and trucks. I love it because it will remind me of this time with them as I look back over the years. It captures who they are.

I love, love, love how the pictures turned out. Check out her blog for the previews. I've sent many of you the password for all the proofs. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have. One of my favorites is the tutu. I plan on using it in pictures as she grows:)

You may remember these pictures from last summer. Our maternity session turned out just as fantastic. If you are looking for a great photographer...you've found one! She knows how to get those perfect shots that capture the personality beautifully. I look forward to her capturing our life for years to come. I love looking at my walls and seeing the personality of the boys shining upon us. It brings a smile to my face and laughter to my heart. Once we get the new ones on our walls, I will have to take a picture of all of them for you to see. I was anxious at first with getting professional pics of the boys. I knew there was no way they were going to sit posed. I have fallen in love with her style of photography and could not imagine my boys and now baby girl being shot any other way. Thanks Sara for the gift you have given us to enjoy for many years to come. A gift we can pass on to their children.

While you are on her blog, check out her new high school senior promo. Sure do wish we had this option when I was this age. So much fun! The video is fabulous too. The talent in her family is amazing. How neat to have a brother with this talent. Too much fun.

4 days old...poor girl has yellow eyes from her jaundice.

a tribute to our So Cal friends

Getting ready for the ACC tournament

I Know, I know...

2008-04-06T20:43:00.006-05:00

Wow, what a slacker I have been! But we have plenty of excuses:) My mom was here for a month...you would have thought I could have gotten something posted!

Our lap top was in SC trying to get "healed". The boys had dropped it and the screen is barely hanging on. The packing tape is working for now. We call it our Dave Ramsey computer as it cost more to fix than it is worth but we are not really in the market to buy a new one right now. Then we got the computer back without the cord...and a dead battery. OK, so that makes 2 excuses. There are more. I ended up with 2 infections: a mild uterine infection and cellulitis at and below my incision. Not really fun at all. Thankfully my mom took the boys to SC for almost a week and I was able to rest some. However, in doing that, she downloaded all the hospital pics onto her computer....and then I couldn't post them:( I think we are up to 5 excuses now. My run of antibiotics for the infections brought on thrush for Miss Priss which she kindly passed onto me through nursing. Talk about painful nursing. Oh my! Now at 5 1/2 weeks we are STILL trying to get rid of the yeast and I am hear to tell you that clearly when the Bible was translated into English they forgot to include in Genesis the part of painful nursing when they spoke of birthing pains for the women....Clearly, this is a form of midevil torture! It is so wearing on you mentally but I am to stubborn to throw in the towel. We shall see. I see my OB on Tuesday for my 6 week check up and we just might have a come to Jesus talk about getting rid of this yeast. I never knew something could be more stubborn than me:) How is that for excuses? I hope to have the hospital pics soon....we were to get them this weekend but my sister got a tummy bug and we didn't head to SC. Yep, last excuse!

Sooooo, thanks for sticking around and coming back. I will try to stay updated. The perfectionist in me hates it when I get behind. Then when I do....I just don't do it if it can't be done right. Oh the control issues I need to get rid of. How I survived life with twin infants is beyond me:) Lots and lots of help and letting go.

Here are my last prego pics.

32 weeks with the boys: 2 days before they arrived

38 weeks 6 days with Miss Priss: day of delivery

One day old. I fell in love with this hat that had a big pink bow attached. I guess one forgets how little a newborn is...the bow was bigger than her:) It still doesn't fit! I think it might be 96 degrees outside before it fits her. Not to worry, I will still get a picture:)

Miss Priss catching some rays:)

Introducing...

2008-03-02T23:30:00.004-05:00

Anna Claire Darley

"Anna Claire"
Thursday February 28, 2008
7:44 am
7 lbs 6 oz
20 inches

We are home and doing well. The overnight IV fluids worked well. Her bilirubin was down this morning and they sent us packing:) We will update more in the next few days and of course post more pictures. Thanks for all your prayers and support. God has been faithful and many, many prayers were answered.

Joyfully in Him,

Chris, Martha, Peyton and Parker

Spring Break

2008-03-01T23:19:00.002-05:00

Obviously Miss Priss thinks she must be preparing for Spring Break. Guess we should tell her it is a month away and her tan will be faded by then. Maybe she is just preparing for Sara's photo shoot. I guess if I knew someone was going to be taking naked pictures of me to hang on the wall then I would want some color on my lily white legs too:) Yes, she is still under the bili lights...2 now. She is all sprawled out spread eagle in her bed with her sunglasses on. Really a cute picture but we will have to share later as it takes FOREVER to upload pics here.

Her levels only went down 1/2 a point this morning at 6am so she bought herself another light. She did get to spend the day tanning in the room with us. She was able to nurse some and then also received supplements of formula to make sure she was getting enough to eat to help flush the bili out of her system. In theory the more she eats, the more she poops and the more the bili can leave her system. Obviously she is enjoying her tanning, although expensive, session. Somehow not peeing or pooping for 12 hours does not rest well with the docs. Soooo, she bought herself another night in the NICU and an IV! Hopefully the fluids will help keep her hydrated under the lights and she can start working on dropping her bili levels. At 2pm they had come down some but not enough. Plan is to check them again Sunday morning at 6am. Looks like we may be staying until Monday now. Much easier to take care of this here then at home.

Besides, Chris and I feel like we are on vacation! Nothing like coming to your local hospital to get some good R & R. No monkeys to chase, no dishes to wash, no meals to cook...plenty of time to talk, sleep, read a book...Not a bad deal after all. Though I am sure Hawaii would be just as expensive but we could all be working on our tan there:)

We are extremely thankful that all we are facing is some sunbathing and high bili levels. Much easier than the surgery we thought she would be facing. God is good...a bit humorous, but good non the less.

We did enjoy her party today and she was able to join us before they started her IV. She even got to wear one of her cute outfits:) The boys especially enjoyed the chocolate cake and presents for them. Smart girl...brought presents for the boys. Peyton warmed up to her today and was really sweet with "baby sister". Parker was delighted that he got to hold her by himself...the look on his face was priceless. Wish we could share the pics with you now.

Chris was able to go home for a bit and spend some time with the boys. My mom stayed and hung out with me at the hospital and we had some great girl time. My parents and sister have bent over backwards for us to make this an easier time. They took the boys on a "road trip" today to the Atlanta aquarium. I think they had more fun than the boys. My sister went and ordered the cake and picked up the balloons. Chris' mom spent the day with us and Miss Priss at the hospital. We have AMAZING families that are more than willing to do ANYTHING for us. We are so blessed to have this and I hope we never take them for granted. Any of them would drop anything they had to help us or our kids out. God has blessed us in many, many ways.

She is snoozing in the NICU tonight under her lights. Thanks for all your support and prayers. We will keep you updated and look forward to sharing our pics with you soon.

Joyfully in Him,
Chris and Martha

Rejoice

2008-02-29T17:30:00.003-05:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice... Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things... And the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4,6-9

Our families and the boys watching Miss Priss through the nursery windows.

Baby girl Darley arrived yesterday morning (2/28) at 7:44. The day could not have gone more perfectly! The Lord has given us one blessing after another. Martha's C section went beautifully. So far she has had the delivery and recovery she so longed for after the emergency, chaos and rush of the boys delivery and 3 week NICU stay. She was awake and alert during the C section and Chris was able to join her and share in the arrival of their daughter.

As you may have seen from our previous post, there were a lot of uncertainties heading into our day. We had been followed weekly for high amniotic fluid levels and a probable bowl obstruction in Miss Priss. Prayers were answered and the high fluid levels did not cause preterm labor or complications for our little one. Upon delivery she was taken to the NICU for some abdominal xrays for a better glimpse into the dilated bowel they were seeing on fetal ultrasound. We were able to spend some time as a family with her as Martha was in the recovery room. This was a pleasant surprise as we thought we were not going to get this special time with her. Martha longed to nurse her as she was wide awake and rooting around. We knew we had to wait on the results before feeding her. We were just delighted to get this unexpected time with her. Our families came back to see us and her. We were able to see the boys and share this time with them. They had seen her through the nursery window but did not quite understand what was going on. They just wanted their daddy and did NOT like him behind the glass!

It was precious seeing the boys with her. Parker is just smitten and loves loving on her. "see baby, hold baby, kiss baby"...he even shared his monkey stickers with her:) Peyton so far has not been to keen on baby sister. He just wants his daddy and will occasionally ask for her but will not have anything to do with her. Parker does not like mommy lying in bed, "mommy get up"...he will climb in bed for a good snuggle though:) We showed him my boo boo and big band aid. Now he asks to see my "bandoo" and is quite concerned with all the hospital bracelets on my wrist.

The greatest blessing of all and amazing answer to prayer...once we were moved to our post partum room the pediatrician came by....the bowel and gas patterns of her intestines looked normal!!!!! We could feed her and watch to see how she tolerated her feeds. Making sure she had poops and no large spit ups or vomiting! I could feed my baby:) No pumping this time around:) Normal mommy stuff! Praise God for such good news. She thanked the Dr. with a LARGE poop before he left the room. Never have I been so excited to see poop in my life:) Things were moving through her bowel and getting out! "Unlikely" that there was going to be an intestinal obstruction that would require surgery was his response...we will take that. What a joyous moment in our day. I was waiting for someone to pinch me and awake me from this wonderful dream I was having. I could not have planned the day any better. Finally...a "normal" birth experience and newborn bonding. 2 1/2 years later, God answered my prayers and filled the longings of my heart. Through this whole process I had finally come to terms with my hopes and dreams of a normal birth and bonding process possibly not being a reality for us. I had let go and accepted that He may have other plans for us. Did it take away the pain and disappointment from the boy's delivery? No, there will always be a piece of my heart not mended from that and I have learned to be OK with that. This side of Heaven there will not be a full restoration. I also realized that this current pregnancy was not meant to take the place of or fill the void from my pregnancy and delivery with the boys. Only Jesus can heal that, not another child or pregnancy. All this to say...the day was perfect and beyond my imagination or dreams. He is faithful and full of mercy and grace. I wanted to soak in each and every moment...capture life happening in every minute.

It was wonderful having our families with us. Grand parents and great grand parents alike. Everyone relishing their time with this baby girl we have been praying for. Aside from the huge smiles on mine and Chris' faces, I think Pa Pa (Chris' grandfather) had the biggest grin of them all. This was one proud great grandfather. He has wanted a granddaughter for 29, almost 30 years now. The Lord blessed him with a great grand daughter yesterday. He has been talking about this moment since the day Chris and I got married. Now she has to meet her Uncle Greg (Chris' brother) and Aunt Betsey, cousin Josh and another set of great grand parents Pops and Betty (Martha's grand parents). We feel blessed that our children know and are able to spend quality time with 2 sets of great grand parents. We even went to Hawaii with one set before moving from California. Since the boys were born in California ...and 8 weeks early at that... only Martha's mom was able to see them at birth. What fun we had having our families with us this time around.

She had a fabulous night. Lots of poop:) and only small normal spit ups. We are out of the woods today:) We have a healthy and precious baby girl...still no name:) We are having her birthday party with the boys tomorrow...she will have a name by then. Her billi levels were high today so she is currently "sunbathing" in the nursery...sunglasses and all! This we can do...I will take sunbathing in the nursery over surgery any day of the week. We should be leaving the hospital sometime on Sunday.

We have so much to be thankful for. We are counting each blessing He has given us. You are among them. We have been richly blessed to have you in our lives. Your prayers, support and words of encouragement have blessed us in many ways. We have experienced first hand the body of Christ at work. Words can not fully express our gratitude to you. So many of you have been there for all 3 of our kids and their difficult "growing times" in utero and for their amazing birth stories. We love you and are forever indebted to you. You are forever a part of our children's lives. You have covered each of them in prayer. You have surrounded them with your love. You have made eternal investments in their hearts. For this we are grateful.

Hope you enjoy the pictures below. We have a very slow Internet connection here at the hospital and it is taking forever to get pictures uploaded...we will share more once we get home.

Chris brought the boys back to recovery to see me and the baby. Peyton (on left) is not so sure about this whole baby thing. Parker is offering his sucker:) How many times am I going to walk in the room to find him sharing not so infant friendly things? Whew, look at the chubby face on me:)

I love, love, LOVE this picture of my 3 boys and Miss Priss. Soooo sweet. Parker (on left) is absolutely smitten with her. He was sooo excited to "hold" baby sister:)

Finally, Miss Priss herself. Of course we dressed her properly for her big debut:) Big bow and all. Thanks Kim for accessorising our little girl!

Miss Priss

February 28, 2008

7:44 am

7 # 6 oz

20 inches

lots of dark hair!

Sorry it has taken so long to get this post up. I keep getting interrupted and falling asleep...got to love all those drugs! My pain management has been so much better this time around. I'm up and moving...just a bit slow. The nursing and right shoulder pain hurt more than my incision!

I'll keep sending out emails until we can post easier on the blog at home. It's hard to upload pics to email so it may be Sunday before we get pics out again.

Please join us as we rejoice in the Lord that she is free of any bowel obstructions and is a healthy full term baby. We also have a few prayer requests over the weekend.

1. Nursing is going MUCH better this time around. I am still having a good bit of pain though. Pray we are able to move past this and my emotions and frustration don't get me down. We have a wonderful lactation consultant working with us. I really, really want to be able to nurse this time around and not have to pump all the feedings. I did this for the boys for 9 months and just can't imagine finding the time to do it again this go round. I told Chris the pain is so intense it makes me burst into tears and if it were not my sweet child seeking nourishment...it is enough to make you want to throw the pain causing item across the room.

2. Her bilirubin levels are up:( They took her back to the nursery this afternoon to put her under her "sunbathing" lights. Pray this will help bring her levels down and she can soon rejoin us. We are still bringing her out to nurse. They will recheck her levels at 6 pm tonight. I hate having to send her away but this is much better than what we were facing. I'll take billi lights and a short nursery stay over surgery and a weeks recovery in the NICU any day. God is good.

3. That God will still continue to work in the lives of those around us as we are able to share her story.

Joyfully in Him,

Chris and Martha

***8 pm update: They rechecked her bili levels at 6pm and they went up instead of down after being under the bili lights:( Still a much brighter situation than we were facing. So she still looks like a pumpkin and is now sunbathing on top of and under bili lights. I'm telling you she is quite the drama queen already. She is doing everything like her brothers already:) We did make the decision for her to stay under the lights tonight and not come to the room to nurse. She was taking 45 min to an hour to nurse and the more time under the lights, the better for her. I am going to pump tonight and she will still get all the liquid gold:) We can even go to the nursery to feed her ourselves. They will recheck her levels at 6 am Saturday and hope to find them coming down. It was hard sending her down the hall...better down the hall than to another hospital like we originally thought. We can do this. At least we will get some good sleep tonight:) We need her to eat good and poop, poop, poop! We are having her birthday/celebration party tomorrow evening. I hope she can attend:) We will save a piece of cake for her:) Chocolate of course. Maybe if we could just name her she would quit acting out! We've got it down to two names. I just can't decide. Thanks again for your prayers***

"The joy of the Lord is your strength"

Nehemiah 8:10

Faith, Praise and the power of Prayer

2008-02-27T22:25:00.005-05:00

Here she is all comfy and cozy in her ocean of fluid as I like to call it. This was taken last Friday February 22 at our last high risk ultrasound appointment. As you can see, she is quite the drama queen. A majority of the weekly profile shots we have are with her hand propped up on her forehead! Oh, baby girl...giving it to us already.

I think even at this late hour I am in denial that we are welcoming our 3rd child into our family tomorrow morning. It really has not hit me yet that she will be here tomorrow. It definitely has not hit the boys yet...poor little fellas, they don't know what is about to hit them. Maybe come 4 am when we are getting up it will hit me:)

We could not have made it this far without many of you. Your thoughts, prayers, words of encouragement, emails and many phone calls have brought great joy to us. The Lord has been gracious and provided us with all the support we have needed. He has held us tight and guided us along the way. When we realized our dreams and hopes for this pregnancy and potential outcome were not to be...we were able to lean heavily on His mercy and grace knowing that His will would be done. Only by our faith in Him and His undeniable love for us have we been able to let go of our dreams and hopes and cling to His plan. There has still been hurt and pain but ultimately this season of disappointment in our lives has drawn us closer to Him. It has allowed me to see his love, compassion and body of Christ in ways I might not have been able to. I have learned that my dreams are separate from my faith in God. Just because my dreams do not come true, does not affect my faith in Him.

Not my will but Yours be done. There have been many days this was much easier to say than cling to. I am sure tomorrow a flood of emotions will rock my boat but in the end it will not capsize.

A friend sent me an encouraging email along this journey and it was perfect for us.

"Be Open"

"Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23

"Be open to the possibilities...that these circumstances hold more than what I see right now.
Be open to the possibilities...of God's promise to grow good things in hard places.
Be open to the possibilities...of discovering new hope.
Be open to the possibilities...one day at a time.

When I look ahead, I have a choice: to fear the future or to stretch my imagination to embrace God's possibilities each morning.

Lord, I don't know what this new year will bring, but You do. Awaken me to Your possibilities, one day at a time."

Chris and I have both drawn so much from this time in our lives. It has brought great change in us as a couple, individually and spiritually. I will have to expand on this more at a later time as it is late and this post is getting long:)

OK, so now some of you are wondering what in the world is going on...aside from us having a baby tomorrow. I have been sending weekly and biweekly updates to many of you but it never made it to the blog. So much for me "linking" to my previous post at this point. Where oh where has my brain gone?

To recap the 2nd half of our pregnancy...

Our 20 week ultrasound looked fabulous and we found out we were having a girl this go round and reconfirmed there was only ONE monkey this time. We had a pretty good idea at 8 weeks or so that it was just one...but we wanted to know for sure:)

I delivered our boys at 32 weeks and we were being cautious as we approached this time period. We were never really sure if my cervix was the problem or if I was just done at 32 weeks since there were 2 monkeys in me and my uterus thought I was at 40 weeks. When we got to 28 weeks this time, we did another internal ultrasound to check my cervix and get a baseline to go on. Everything looked fabulous...nice and closed:) The ultrasound tech asked if I wanted a belly scan so we could see the baby's face and grab a picture or two. Of course! Well this happened to be a blessing in disguise. While she was looking around and trying to get Miss Priss to cooperate, she found something a little off. My amniotic fluid levels were a bit too high. The baby's kidney's, heart and facial features looked fine. Those can all have birth defects that would cause high or low amniotic fluid levels. Her tummy looked fine but her intestinal area was showing a questionable problem. My OB really felt like it was nothing but wanted the high risk docs to check it out and do a level 2 ultrasound for a better look. Insert 2 weeks of waiting here. The LONGEST two weeks of my life! It was over Christmas so we had many things and family to distract us. When we finally went for our appointment we received some not so fun news. Yes, my amniotic fluid levels were up, higher than the previous 2 weeks and the baby did have loops of bowel that were dilated. Meaning they were filled with amniotic fluid that was not getting through. As she swallowed the fluid like normal, it was getting blocked somehow in her intestines. On top of all this, they requested that I be tested to see if I was a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis. Many times when they find these types of problems it can point to CF. If I came back a carrier, then they would test Chris. It takes both parents being a carrier to pass the gene along that causes CF. More waiting.

The first two days after this appointment were REALLY tough. Thankfully my mom was in town. She was able to keep the boys for us. This allowed Chris and I to have some time together and I was also able to spend some time with my mom. By the end of the weekend I was in a much better spot. I quickly realized I had to let go...of many things... in order for the Lord to take the wheel and guide me. I was a wreck trying to do it own m own for those 2 days. Thankfully He was patiently waiting on me, His faithfulness never changing as mine did.

Prayers were answered and we found out my test results came back negative. This does not 100% rule out CF but the doctors no longer feel this is an issue. CF can cause life long problems and I hoped and prayed this would not be what we were facing. No, it would not change a thing in how we would love her or guide her...I did not want her to face the challenges that this disease can bring. I have taken care of many CF kids in the hospital and it was something I did not want to face with my child. As a nurse, I have said goodbye to several children with this disease and could not imagine having to do this as a parent.

We saw the high risk docs every week there after. High amniotic fluid levels can cause preterm labor and stress the baby. They wanted to monitor for both of these. Once again, prayers were answered and we have made it to 38 weeks and 5 days without any problems! She passed her tests every week with flying colors:) I think she knew how many ultrasounds we had with the boys and she wanted her baby book to be just as full:)

For the past 10 weeks we have been hoping and praying that everything will be great when she gets here. We will not have any answers until she is born and they can run specific tests on her. The ultrasound can only tell us that her bowel is still dilated (not normal) and my amniotic fluid levels are still high (not normal). This is why I like to say she is swimming in an ocean...maybe we have an Olympic swimmer in the making:) The docs are guessing there is some sort of webbing remaining in place from early on in development. In a fetus the intestines start out as a solid structure and open up into a tube...like mine and yours are. They are thinking there are parts that did not fully separate and thus the webbing causing a blockage. This can all be fixed at birth but does require surgery:( We are hoping and praying they will find nothing when they run tests on her tomorrow.

If they find a problem and it is going to require surgery...they will have to transfer her to one of the two children's hospitals here. Both are fabulous and ranked #3 in the country. There are two different campuses and it just depends on which one has an opening in their NICU. This is going to be the hard part for me (aside from my child needing surgery). She will be an hour away from me:( It is a stand alone children's hospital and they therefore do not do adults. The thought of shipping her off breaks my heart.

For those of you still reading this...you're a trooper. We will update tomorrow. I hope to get some pics on here and of course more info on what we find. Not quite sure it has fully hit me yet...the birth and the awaiting diagnosis. Seeing that it is after midnight, we have to be at the hospital at 5:30 in the morning and I am still typing:) Why start with sleep now:)

Here is a list of prayers we have been sharing with people. We would love to have you join us in prayer and thanksgiving during this time. We have already seen many prayers answered.

1.His glory and goodness will be seen during this time.
2. Pray we will not loose sight of this pregnancy and precious baby girl, that all these tests and findings will not overshadow the joy and hope of her arrival.
3. Pray that I can keep my nursing knowledge to a low roar and not create "what ifs" from my past experiences.
4.Pray for her arrival and the medical teams that will be evaluating her...everything will check out OK and no surgery will be needed
5.Pray that we will not loose sight of God's goodness and graciousness through this... that we may be a light to those around us and to the medical teams caring for us

This is certainly not the plan I would have chosen for our family, this pregnancy or our little girl. My plans are not my own...I all too often do not understand His...maybe never will. I do understand that He is there to carry my burdens and guide me along the way. Am I willing to let Him or do I cling tightly to the journey as I see it? He can strengthen and sustain me...that is just what he has done.

I will leave you with a quote from a quiet time I recently had. It spoke to me in perfect timing.

A Journey with God
Leah DiPascal

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” Psalm 55:22 (NKJ)

"One thing I am learning is that when we ask our Heavenly Father for something, the journey He takes us on while we wait on Him is often times greater than the answered prayer itself. I hope you will let Him carry your burdens today and trust that He knows what is best for you and those you love.

Remember, you were not designed to walk this path alone. He is right by your side to strengthen and sustain you each step of the way.

Dear Lord, help me to trust in You when life doesn’t make any sense. To know that You love me unconditionally and are always there to carry my burdens. Remind me to seek you first when trials and challenges come my way and to recognize Your faithfulness and goodness throughout my journey in life. "

Now I must run off to get some sleep:) ha ha. I think I have to be up in 3 hours...yep, I am in DENIAL that we are having a baby tomorrow the 28th...err today now.

Joyfully in Him,
Martha

$32 a month, it can change the world

2008-02-13T22:49:00.007-05:00

I love finding new blogs to read. It's fun to see where my friends have friends. I'm now reading blogs of people I've never met before all the way in Texas, New York and even South Carolina. Many times I feel like I've gotten to know a little bit about them and I've never even spoken to them or met them in person. Usually we have something in common; be it 2 year old sons, a background in medicine or even a simular life story. My husband calls this an addiction...I call it broadening my horizons:) I mean really...how else am I going to meet new people with soon to be 3 kids under 3! Yes, we do get out and about...but many days the computer is my link to the outside world.

Soooo, if you are like me and enjoy "meeting" new people...err finding new blogs. Then join me on one amazing adventure with some friends of ours. They are fellow Georgians, also by way of Southern California. They were our California family and now they live "up the steet" from us in the big city. Already this week my heart has been touched. Tears have been flowing and prayers have been said. They are bringing Uganda, Africa into our home and into our lives via a blog. They, along with several others, are our eyes, ears, hearts and hugs this week. They are traveling with Compassion International as bloggers telling their stories. It has been amazing to see their pictures, hear their stroies and see lives being changed. Compassion is teaming up with these selected bloggers to help brighten the future of many children out there.

What can you cut out every month? 5-7 Starbucks drinks, a night out at the movies, one less trip to "pick up a few things" at the grocery store, the oh so many items at Target? Really, that is all it takes to sponsor a child. $32 a month. This provides them and their family with food and a child with an education. It provides a child with a chance to hear of Jesus' love and a commitment from a family to pray for them and love them from afar.

We sponsor an adorable little girl from Thailand. We have "known" Mai for a few years now and have enjoyed watching her grow. Her family was killed in the tsunami in December of 2004. In her short life she has been through so much. She always writes with excitment and thanksgiving. We hear what she is learning in school, how her sister is doing and the things she does to help out her grandmother. She sends prayer requests and often asks how she can pray for us. We can't wait for the boys to be old enough to write to her too. We often talk about one day traveling on a Compassion trip to Thailand to meet her in person. She is a blessing to us and we have enjoyed every piece of mail we have received. In this day and age of technology...it's always fun to get that piece of "snail mail" you have been looking forward to. Nothing can really replace seeing someones' handwritting...a peice of themselves.

Pop on over to see Carlos and Heather and their new friends in Uganda. They both have a wonderful blog that will keep you reading long after they have returned from Uganda. They keep it real and relevant. Never a dull day on Carlos' blog. Yep, I said a day because he has multiple posts a day. He is doing an incredable job of creating community through his blog. His goal: sponsor 100 kids through Compassion via his blog. Well, 300 really. He does have 3,000 visitors a day. It's not all about the numbers either. His heart wants to see these kids connect with a family that will not only support them financially but also commit to pray for them. Both he and Heather have a great outlet to use to help that happen. Their hearts are genuine and they love the Lord. When I think of the definiton of friend...Heather comes to mind. Stop by and say hello. They have some amazing stories to tell. While you are there, check out their adoption story of their son. Pretty amazing. Click on the "our adoption" link at the top of the page on Carlos' blog.

See, isn't it fun finding new friends? You'll love them I promise. Their pictures and stroies from this trip will warm your heart. There are some precious children on thier blogs. We've got lots of love to offer.

A "So Cal" night out in Atlanta. Some friend of ours from California were visiting both of our families during December. We took them out on the town to try and convince them to move here too! Is it working? Us, Carlos and Heather, James and Alyssa

Heather and me

*please excuse any mispellings...agh, spell check is NOT working and I am the world's worst speller. Yes, really. That may even go on my grave stone:)*

She has done it again!

2008-02-01T15:04:00.000-05:00

She amazes me, she really does. Twice now she has given us something to treasure and hold dear to our hearts. Something we can share over the years with our children and one day thier children. Something we can share with our friends and families. She has captured life in the moment for us. Captured the boys in their element. We will not have to look back and wonder what life with them was like at this age. She captures it so well. It's not staged or posed (really how could it be with our 2 monkeys). It's life in the moment, the hear and now. It is wonderfully and beautifully done.

Sara shot our maternity shoot yesterday as a gift to us and our little one on the way. I'm not the biggest fan of having my picture taken...but I really enjoyed this and am so thakful to have these picture to share and cherish. The boys did not disapoint...they were wild and rambuncious as usual. Their one track mind was in full glory...their cars and trucks! That is just it, she captured them being them. I don't think we have a picture in the past year and a half without some sort of car or truck. They LOVE thier cars and trucks. I love watching their passion come together. What a fun morning we had. Thank you Sara for capturing our life for us. Thank you that we will have this moment forever. Your talent amazes me. You have a wonderful and beautiful outlook on life and it shows through your kids, your family and your pictures. He has blessed you greatly, thank you for sharing a piece of it with us.

You may remember these pictures from the boys two year old "a day in the life of" shoot from last July. They turned out fabulous.

These new pictures do not disapoint. Take a look:)

If you are anywhere in the Atlanta or surrounding area...give her a call. She is the photographer for you!

A post needs a picture of some sort...so here is one of the boys feeding the ducks from last November. See...no picture of them together posing for the camera. I had to go back to November to get one of them in the same shot:) They love feeding the ducks. We often hear them talking to each other about it. Sometime they will come to us and say "Bye Bye, see ya later". As they walk towards the door we ask "where are you going"? Parker's usual response: "I go feed ducks". So funny and so cute. Sadly, the ducks have gone further south for the winter.

Check out Sara's pictures...clearly better than ours:)

*for some reason the "check spelling" function is not working:( I live my life with this button... so please ignore any (the many) spelling errors you find. I am by far the worst speller ever!*

Christmas in Georgia

2008-01-30T10:27:00.000-05:00

This past Christmas was our turn to spend it with Chris' family. As usual we all convene at Hannie and Pa Pa's (Chris' grand parents) house for our celebration.

Christmas Eve usually means a candle light service at church and then home for some yummy Bar B Que. However, there is no nursery and therefor not a chance that we are taking the monkeys with us. They may be cute and all...but cute is NOT chasing them down the rows during the service...or calling the fire department b/c they knocked over the candles. All very possible occurances.

Chris and I decided we would start our own family tradition with the boys this year. We let them bake a birthday cake for Jesus. They had a great time helping make and "decorate" the cake. Next year I think we will switch to cupcakes...stay tuned.

Parker (on right) : "Hey, brudy...you think they will notice if I stick my finger in the cake?"

Peyton (on left): "Ummm, nope...we're just gonna put some of that white stuff over yonder on it anyway."

They went with the decorating moto: spread some, lick some...spread some, lick some.

So proud of their cake

We like sprinkles yes we do...

Santa's elves hard at work Christmas Eve

Chris and Betsey (sister in law) testing the scooters out. Yep they work.

Nothing like a good game of Settlers of Catan to kick off the count down until Christmas morning.

The boys heading in to see their loot on Christmas morning.

Santa brought them a fun rug and of course some new cars and trucks

Peyton and Uncle Greg checking out the many roads to travel

The boys trying out their scooters from Hannie and Pa Pa

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus

Do these two pictures need any more explanation for the switch to cupcakes next year? Yes, a community cake it was. Well, a community cake for two!

Peyton: "want a bite?" Uh, no thanks buddy... not telling how many licks went into icing this cake!

Parker- Christmas day is hard work! We have video of Peyton falling asleep at the lunch table...didn't have time to grab our camera for a shot. They were exhausted after all their holiday partying.

I've included a comic below that I thought was a fitting example of our home. You may remember our tree from last year. Of course this year wasn't much better. Why you may ask? Well, you're in luck...I just happen to have captured some pictures to include and I also happen to capture the crime being committed!

Where might you find the missing puzzle piece and cell phone? Why the Christmas tree of course.

Our Little People manger set was missing the angel for quite some time. They boys had placed baby Jesus atop the display in the angels place. Clearly a better spot for Him. Where might the angel have been "placed"?

In the christmas tree of course. Two angels they were not when it came to our tree...

Proof you might ask?

PROOF! Caught in the act... now we know how the puzzle pieces, cars, trucks, cell phones, angels, wise men and various other non ornaments ended up in the tree.

Yep, this one was AFTER timeout from the previous picture. Oh boys...does it ever end?

Now you don't have to wonder why these above ornaments were the only ones that made it on our tree this year. Well, they were the only ones that I knew would come down in one piece:)

Maybe next year, maybe next year.

Should have thought of this solution:)

"It's the only way we can keep the twins from messing with the tree."

Ha! This solution would have been perfect...only till I found them swinging from the tree like tarzan:) Oh, life with boys!

Christmas in SC

2008-01-29T11:25:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend before Christmas in SC with my family. We had a wonderful time with my parents, sister and grandparents. They of course spoiled the boys and it was the beginning of their sugar high. Yep, I am a bit late in getting this posted but at least it is before Valentines Day:) Watching Mickey Mouse Saturday morning while the rest of us were making sure everything was just right.

They were VERY excited about the train set and table that Mi Mi and Papa gave them. I love the expression on Peyton's face. "A train, a choo choo...be careful, be careful" Peyton kept exclaiming over and over again. Christmas time is so much fun with kids.

The boys had a great time delivering all the gifts to everyone. Here they are with Papa.

Of course they enjoyed opening their own gifts...and everyone else's too!

The boys loved their remote control trucks from Luke! Parker learning to drive...lets hope things improve over the next 14 years!

The boys love floor puzzles! We found this alphabet choo choo puzzle and they were thrilled. OK, not so much about daddy's letter and sound lesson but they loved the long train it made.

Even a present for the baby girl!

The boys eating Mi Mi's chocolate cake.

Not much has changed over the past 28 years... My Mr. Potato Head on the left from when I was 2 and the boys new one on the right.

Maybe we've got Tiger goalies in our future!

The boys love the soccer balls and goal aunt Mel gave them. Look at that leg on Parker!

The boys were so busy on "Christmas" Day that we saved their stockings for the next day. For good reason too...more candy! Parker enjoying two flavors of his suckers.

Making music with their new instruments. So much fun to see them playing music...the harmonicas are fun but I could do with out the flute thingy... much to loud and off pitch:) Hopefully they will take after their Uncle Greg and not their mother when it comes to music skills.

Yum Pizza!

2008-01-24T12:07:00.000-05:00

While in South Carolina preparing to celebrate Christmas with my family, my mom was telling me that the Pizza place where I worked in high school was closing it's doors. This was by far my favorite job growing up. Two of my close girlfriends in high school worked there too. Several of our guy friends were delivery guys too. We had so much fun working together and socializing. Yes, we got our job done...but how fun it was to do it with you really good friends. We worked here our junior and senior year. We were the phone chicks...answering phones, taking orders, making pizza and helping the carry out customers. All in all a great place to work.

Hugh, The owner, sold the business and closed the doors to Custom Pizza December 23rd. He supplied pizza to the high schools and middles schools and to many community events. It was neat having a local pizza place growing up. My parents still ordered pizza from here even after I moved on. He was open for many, many years and served the community well. This was the first year he was going to be home with his family on Christmas Eve in all the years he was open. We are excited for him as he closes this chapter in his life and is still young enough to enjoy the rest.

All this to say...we swung by there to order one last pizza and to say goodbye one last time. The boys were excited to go order Pizza, as this is one of their favorites. They were even more excited with the offer Hugh had for them. I'm convinced he would make a fabulous preschool teacher...you will see why.

The boys got to make our pizza! Here they are rolling the dough...are you kidding me? They don't even like to play with play dough. Here he had them rolling, pulling and trowing the dough!

Parker helping put cheese on our pizza.

Peyton getting his turn.

They loved placing the peperoni and ham on the pizza. They were so careful to place it just right.
Peyton watching the pizza cook in the big oven.

The boys had a wonderful time making their pizza. I couldn't believe Hugh got them to get their hands dirty! We are sure going to miss him and his pizza's when we are in town. We wish him the best of luck and lots of relaxation. He has been in the pizza business for years and it greatly looking forward to some down time.

Then and Now

2008-01-16T20:15:00.000-05:00

OK, many of you have been asking for prego shots. Here we go! I thought it would be fun to compare my pics from being pregnant with the boys to my current pics. Sadly, I have not been on top of pictures this time and have missed some "milestones" that I captured last time. Oh, well.

This first set of pics were taken Thanksgiving weekend at 25 weeks. I couldn't find any with the boys at this point.

Parker loves it when I show my belly...he always comes running:) "kiss bebe, kiss bebe" We shall see how it turns out once she is here...

28 weeks with the boys. Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, my favorite spot in this city.

Picture on the top is at 29 weeks with the boys...the bottom is a 32 week shot this time around. Funny story about the top picture. This was at a black tie silent auction and dinner for California Baptist University. Chris was there to accept an award presented to Chick-fil-A by CBU. No one from the home office could make it out to California, so he accepted it on their behalf seeing that we were the closest store to the school and did several events with them. I didn't want to buy a formal dress seeing that I would only wear it once...Chris felt bad going in a tux so to make me feel less out of place he wore his suit:) OK, the funny part...those pants are my regular pre pregnancy pants...unzipped all the way:) If only people had known! Good thing the wind wasn't blowing:)

Now the fun begins. What a difference carrying one makes! They are both at 32 weeks 3 days. We took the picture on the top as we were going out to eat one last time as a family of 2. My mom was coming the next day to stay until the boys were born...little did we know I was going to go into labor the next day and this would be the last shot we got. So, this past Monday (1/14/08) I put the same clothes back on and took a current 32 weeks and 3 days shot...My feet aren't even fat, yet! That is the one thing I hated about being pregnant with the boys. I couldn't stand my fat feet b/c my toes were touching...ick!

HA HA HA! No more complaining from me. Top picture is then...Botto, picture is now!

As of today I am 32 weeks 5 days...the time when the boys were born. So far all is quiet...thank goodness:)

Hopefully we will get in many more pics before she makes her arrival in 6 1/2 weeks.

Christmas Cookie Exchange

2008-01-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to do this for some time now. I had thoughts of doing it in California but I guess having twin infants puts many things on the back burner:) So, finally this year I got the gumption to get it done. It was a fun night of girl chat, NO kids and yummy treats. Christen, Amy, Lori and Heather we missed you. If you're looking for a fun girls night anytime of the year...what better way than a cookie exchange! You get fun girl time, yummy food and LOTS of take home treats to share with the fam (or hide and eat yourself).

We sat and drank coffee, punch and hot chocolate....mmm, the perfect beverages for yummy treats!

Nothing better than sitting and eating yummy treats with NO noses to wipe, NO food to cut and NO instructions to be given!

I was excited to see what yummy treats the girls would come up with. Boy, they did not disappoint... Everything was wonderful. Here are a few pics of our yummy treats. If only you could taste them!

Carolyn's Meringue Cookies...with hints of chocolate hidden inside:)

Melanie's Christmas Wreath Cookies...what a fun Christmas treat!

My Orange Sweet Cakes...really good shower food as the recipe makes a ton!

Suzanne's Strawberry Thumbprint Cookies...she even made the strawberry jelly herself!

Sara's Cookies and Cream Truffles...Oh boy, these were sinful!

Would you take a look at this presentation... and she was worried about coming because she doesn't cook... could have fooled me, she sure can bake! Everyone was to bring a copy of their recipe to share...um, yeah...she outdid all us southern gals all the way around! This is a picture of the "bundle" of goodies everyone got to take home with them. Just in case you forget what they look like as you bake them later...just flip the card over and there is the picture:) Amazing...my goodies were sent home with everyone in "Glad" containers. I think she has adjusted to the south nicely:)

Somehow I missed getting a picture of Meghan's goodies: a square pretzel with a melted Rollo and then topped off with a pecan...a perfect combo of sweet and salty.

Hope everyone had a fun and festive time heading into Christmas. The boys and I enjoyed all my take home loot from the "cookie" exchange...OK I am lying, we didn't so much share with the boys as we let them have A taste. They didn't know what they were missing:)

preschool party...bah humbug

2008-01-09T09:43:00.000-05:00

Surprise... I am late in posting our Christmas adventures. None the less, I thought I would share them anyway.

The last day of preschool for the boys they were having a Christmas party and the parents were invited to attend. I was excited to see what they had been up to for the past few months and had heard there would be a little show.

I walked in to find them sharing a toy! Imagine that, they were being sweet with each other and playing QUIETLY together...why can't they do this at home?

This was a shot of the kids as they prepared to sing for all the parents. You might be wondering where my 2 blond headed monkeys are?

Standing right beside me of course...refusing to participate and watching the rest of the cute kids sing songs... should have snuck in at this time so they would have gone up front...seems I should have watched the whole party from the window...they were so out of sorts while I was there...fighting and not wanting to share me. Peyton was sad daddy wasn't there:( Not sure how he knew Chris could have been there? I think they would have enjoyed their party without me being there:( Throwing food, fighting over chairs, fighting over my lap...so much fun.

At least they were sweet with their teachers...Parker and Mrs. Robbie

OK, they had ONE sweet moment I happened to capture

Peyton and Mrs. Rachel

Maybe too many M&M's were the culprit?

Peyton and Mrs. Robbie

I was quite upset that the party was not as I hoped...I guess my pregnancy hormones were hitting hard. We even left a little early b/c they were out of control. Peyton was still asking for daddy...so for some reason I had the bright idea to drive to the home office to surprise Chris and have lunch with him... BAD IDEA!

I am not quite sure why I thought they would be any better there... Oh the life with toddler twins. So needless to say, I don't think Chris and I ate lunch and I quickly left so Chris' entire day would not be ruined.

We had to bribe them with icedream just to get them to sit at the table. It was either a full blown tantrum by both of them or the icedream...seeing that we were in the middle of lunch at the cafeteria with ALL of Chris' counterparts...we chose the icedream. Usually I would let the tantrum happen and find a timeout spot where we were. I think my emotions got the best of me and I caved... I was DONE!

So to top ALL of it off, we had one more incident in the front lobby. Sure, why not? I was turning in our security badges...getting the coats and hats on the boys...and Peyton decides he is NOT wearing his coat or hat and is all about letting everyone know this. Aside the fact that it was in the 40's that day...I would have let him go without them. We finally managed to get the coat on and some poor lady got the brunt of him throwing his hat at her:) I just love the looks I get from people at this point. Yes...I LET my children act like this, I find great joy in it. No, we do not discipline them, we believe their free will should be seen as not to damper their spirits... Truth be known...I was ready to strangle him! Obviously timeout was not an immediate option. I don't think bringing out the spanking spoon right then and there was an option and there was no bathroom near by. So I said a quick prayer and quickly headed to the car, swearing I would never, EVER, bring them in public again. As my mother's old saying goes... and I quote "it will be a cold day in July before...." fill in the blank there.

Many tears and vows on the way home...I decided it was just a bad mommy day and "this too shall pass". I HATE days like this and always walk away feeling so guilty. Guilty that I am not enjoying my children or being a stay at home mom. Guilty that they are not well behaved, obviously it comes back to my parenting. Guilty that I wanted to strangle my child...not really but you know what I mean. Needless to say, we all had a very LONG nap time to think about our behavior and actions:)

The teachers did have a nice gift for the parents. They had taken pictures of the boys during the semester and had put them together for us. This did bring happy tears to my eyes....they do look like happy well behaved kids in these pictures. I loved seeing how they interacted at school. The pictures were so sweet:)

I especially love the bottom right picture of them...they do this at home too. Friendly wrestling...glad to see they are enjoying the same at school. As long as they don't do it to other kids:)

Of course there were the staple hand made ornaments made from their hand prints. I just love them and will cherish them for years to come. Needless to say, they are they only ornaments that made it to our tree this year. Our tree came VERY close to making it on our front porch as a decoration. They would NOT leave it alone. Maybe next year:)

Hope your preschool parties were more delightful than ours...thankfully our family Christmas celebrations were fun for everyone and the boys were a joy to be around.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T23:32:00.000-05:00

Sadly, our New Year didn't get off to a happy start:( It seems the wrong Tigers won the bowl game. What a heart breaker. Oh, well... there is more to life than a football game! (Convincing Chris of that is a bit harder...especially when his Tigers loose)

As you can see, we rang in the New Year with 74, 413 Tiger fans at the Chick-fil-A bowl. It did get a bit confusing at times yelling "Go Tigers".... Seeing that mostly all 74,000 + fans were Tiger fans of some sort...and in some fashion of Orange! Despite the loss, we had a good time and enjoyed a night out with each other. We saw lots of friends from Clemson we have not seen in years. It was the only game we made it to this year...it helped that it was in our backyard!

Did I mention we had GREAT seats? It's always a plus when you work for the company that sponsors the game:) We had tickets on the 6th row...but Chris' boss had two seats open on the FRONT ROW and invited us to join them:) Uhh, sure! It was great because I could sit down and prop my feet up when everyone else was standing...and still see the game. Sadly, my Tiger "tattoo" on my belly didn't seem to do the trick. The boys were so confused when they saw it. They couldn't quite figure out that it was a sticker. I should have painted a huge paw on my belly. Surly I would have gotten us some TV time then...maybe a "Hi Mom" message would have worked too. I just settled looking like a giant pumpkin:)

Hope everyone has had a great start to '08. Christmas is done, the decorations are down, and we are in the process of weaning the boys off their sugar high. Not to mention getting them back on schedule...they are bucking the system head on! We should have them squared away just in time for their world to get rocked the end of February when baby girl gets here. Oh my oh my!

My Incredibly Beautiful Wife

2007-12-26T00:22:00.000-05:00

I want the entire world to know this:

I love you Martha Darley! You are such an amazing woman. You are beautiful. You are as beautiful today as you were when I first met you. I have been blessed because of our friendship before marriage, blessed over these past 6 years in marriage, and blessed to see what the next 70 years have for us. You are a Godly woman who places me second, where I belong and I don’t tell you enough how blessed I am. I love you with all my heart. Happy 1st Anniversary of your 29th Birthday!

Love,
Topher

From Tom Boy to 30 Year old Mommy!

2007-12-26T00:13:00.000-05:00

1st of all, this is officially my 1st post on OUR blog, so here goes my valiant attempt at blogging…There are 2 posts by me, Chris. One is really just for Martha, but you can read it too, and the other is for the entire World Wide Web! Enjoy

Well I can’t believe it either to be honest. It doesn’t seem like 12 years, 7 weeks, and 3 days ago my life changed forever as I met Martha for the 1st time. We met at an Ice Cream Social at Clemson’s FCA, 3 days before classes started Freshman year. The event is fantastic entails 30 feet of vinyl gutter, lots of aluminum foil lining the gutter, and roughly 50 Gallons of Ice Cream! I was with my roommate Jason and our friend Kristen Young (yes we did call her by her initials…). We met Martha and the rest of the “Lever Ladies” (an all girls dorm where she lived) and I truly only noticed Martha.

Smokin! That was a good word to describe her, both then and today. Seriously, I thought she was gorgeous. I really can’t remember what we talked about that night, but walking back, Jason and I both talked about a couple of specific girls. So the ice cream party created a group of friends and it is pretty amazing that from that night I pretty much met 80% of the people that we hung out with in college.

So I gave you the introduction story because it is fun for me to think back to when I first laid eyes on Martha. Now the story is not meet at the ice cream thing and then we got together. That would be way to boring. We decided to make it a lot more interesting, but that journey will have to wait. Maybe when she turns 40!

So let’s have a little fun with this. It is not everyday that someone reaches this “mature” moment in life. So, post your favorite Martha story. Post a good time you had with her or a funny story or a good time & funny story...

I will not say anything about the pictures below, because my hair look, well...the exact same!!!

Ally and Martha digging for gold for all to see!

Yes that is a "Strawberry Shortcake" cake in the bottom left. Now I have a few questions about the 4 year old Russian Gymnist out logging in the middle of winter. What kind of unethical training is that?!

OH MY GOODNESS...The mystery is solved as to where the "Parker" face comes from (check out the bottom right pic with the pumpkin)!!!

Straight up athletice ability! She can still do that when one kid is in the den and she needs to get to the kitchen...I'll get some footage and post later.

I'm not sure what happened in the top right picture here. I think Mom Heyward's chest of drawers exploded and covered Martha with patched together pieces of fabric. Well at least she isn't wearing yellow socks...

Merry Christmas and a Happy Prom! Check out Ed, current Operator with Chick-fil-A. When he came through for interviews and I heard his name, I thought, "That name sounds really familiar...Oh yeah, he took my wife to prom 2 years!!!" Ed is a truly great guy and Operator.

I'll get everyone started with some great pictures from over the years. Thanks to Mom Heyward for hooking me up some great pics of Martha back in the 80 & 90s!

Here are some more pictures (not nearly as good as the previous ones...)! We have had some fun adventures and I can't wait to write the next chapter in our adventure together. God is planning a path for us that we can't even imagine. I can't wait!

Click on the slide show below to activate. Hover over the pictures to read the captions...ENJOY!!!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Delicious Christmas Recipes.

Christmas Ornament Party

2007-12-17T15:03:00.001-05:00

The boys and I were invited to an ornament party to kick off the Christmas decorating season. What a fun idea and get together for the moms and all the little monkeys. We were to bring clay for the ornaments and of course those cute little paws that leave prints all over our windows at home. It was such a cute idea and I was excited about having their little hand prints to hang on our tree year after year. I even had grand plans of making some for all the grand and great grand mothers.

This is where I should have known better:) My two monkeys HATE having their hands dirty...the rest of their bodies, their clothes and my house, they could care less. Their hands are a different story. So needless to say we painfully got a hand print out of each of them...sorry grand ma's, no luck in getting any more.

If only I had pictures of the process... but it took two of us to do it and lots of bribing with cookies and candy. I am sure the neighbors thought I was torturing my two...oh the lungs they have. The things we do to our kids:) I got my two precious ornaments though...aren't they cute! It was WELL worth the screaming and the boys love walking by the tree and seeing their hands. After all, their hands are only cute and little for so long.

I just love them!

Meghan and Olivia. Thanks Meghan for the help, I'll bring ear plugs next time:)

The boys sharing their snack with Olivia

Oh so close to a cute Christmas picture...

Almost...

Maybe next year:)

If you are looking for a fun mom and children gathering...this was perfect! Everyone brought their own clay. We all used Crayola Model Magic. It requires no mixing and air drys. Don't buy the Model Magic Fusion, it is too sticky. One pack made my two ornaments. Walmart, Target and Michael's carry it. We rolled out the shape we wanted with a rolling pin, pressed the kids hands and then made two holes at the top with a pen for the ribbon. So easy and such a fun memory to have. Meghan and her friend hosted the event and provided drinks and snacks for the moms and kiddos and fun Christmas ribbon to hang our ornaments from. I am already looking forward to this annual event.

Still a No Go...year 2

2007-12-15T23:28:00.000-05:00

Santa Clause is coming to town....

Welllll, it didn't go quite any better this year. I really didn't expect it to though. Neither one likes new situations or new people for that matter. Not quite sure what made me think a guy dressing in a red suite with a beard would make it any better:)

Parker: "Woooow, it's really HIM...He IS real!"

The mothers of multiples club here had a children's Christmas party and of course Santa was there. This is the most "real" Santa I have seen yet. He really was picture perfect...well, except for with my two!

Santa was WONDERFUL with the kids. He would come by and say hello and keep moving if he saw the kids were not up to it. He would wait for the kids to give him the "OK" before touching. I wish I had my camera ready when we first got there. He was kneeling just around the corner when we first got there greeting the kids. Parker was so cute as he kept peeking around the corner to get a look. He eventually even gave him a high five! MUCH improvement after last year. Peyton however kept backing up saying "back, back".

We found a seat at the table and began our snack, coloring and crafts. The boys were able to watch Santa move around the room and eventually let him get close enough for me to grab a few shots.

Peyton giving Santa the side glance... not so sure about his close proximity. In a "scary" situation he ALWAYS turns his head away and then cuts his eyes to see what is going on. So funny to watch.

He finally felt good enough to turn and look at him.

Parker not so sure anymore...doesn't Santa really look just like you would picture him! Sweet face, real beard and rosy cheeks! Sure wish we could have gotten a traditional sitting in Santa's lap shot with the boys. Maybe next year!

Peyton waiving "bye, bye". Shew, he is gone now!

Parker and Gi Gi (Chris' mom) making an ornament.

Peyton and his ornament... "I do it myself"

Yep, this was as close to sitting in Santa's lap as Peyton got. I even took new trucks for Santa to give the boys in hoping it would "bribe" them to get close. Only close enough to get his truck and then make a mad dash far away.

Parker checking out his new truck.

"Maybe this Santa guys isn't so bad after all...think I'll just stand by him though, no need to get all cozy with him."

It's different trying to "force" an almost 2 1/2 year old into his lap than an 18 month old. Last year was a first and was just cute and funny. Santa wasn't going to get hurt...this same scene could have resulted in many bruises, a bloody nose and several broken bones this year. For all involved we tried to keep it to a dull roar this year. I do have to say, looking back at the Santa we saw last year.. he was pretty darn scary looking. I think I would have screamed too! But this year...come on boys, he was so sweet and cuddly...Oh well.

The party was at a local library so we went to read some book after it was over. Of course the books the boys picked out were about trucks. They LIVE for trucks! It was a really cute book that I want to find a copy of for us. It was an alphabet book with every letter representing a different type of truck. Clearly, they can learn their letters this way!

Reading the SAME book with Gi Gi...what is it with toddlers and their repetition? :)

As close as I am going to get of a picture of them in their "Christmas outfits". The don't sit still for much...pictures is not one of them. Chris likes to call these outfits their "dresses"....they are Jon Jon's Chris, and they are precious on them. They can't wear them for long but by golly we are going to wear them for now:) I think they are sweet. He loves that term:)

Speaking of sweet!

Our motto for visiting Santa...Try, Try again. We will see what next year holds.

Catching Up

2007-12-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

Wow, I've got a lot of catching up to do. 2 months to be exact...where did time go? I really do need to be better at staying up to date!

SC State Fair

We went to SC to visit my family one weekend in October. My parents and sister took the boys to the fair and gave us much needed time together. They all had a blast. I think the boys took a 4 hour nap that day!

The boys first fair ride...a fire truck of course!

Peyton loved the jeep ride. At this point Parker had gotten scared on the big slides...he refused to talk to my mom for quite some time and would NOT get on another ride, not even trucks and jeeps! My parents said Peyton could have ridden all day long.

First soft drinks

My favorite...the Elephant Ear. YUM! They inhaled it:)

My mom didn't get pics at the animal barn...they were clinging too tight for her to get her camera out. I am so sad they don't like animals:( They did enjoy the pig races though!

Thanks Mi Mi, Papa, and aunt Mel for taking the boys to the fair and for giving us a day to ourselves.

CROUP

2007-11-16T15:57:00.000-05:00

WARNING: This is a long one...

Not to mention over 2 months late...I'm trying to catch up I promise:)

Welllll, our stay in California did not end like we planned. We were going to be flying out Monday morning Oct. 1....but Peyton had other things in mind. He had been running a fever since Saturday night but no other symptoms really. He had some wheezing and a cough by Sunday night but just when we was playing hard. Clearly by midnight I knew it was something more.

You will never forget the sound of a croup cough once you hear it. It sounds like an awful barking seal has left the zoo and landed in your home. Greaaat. You also will never forget the sound of stridor once you hear that as well. It is an awful high pitched sound that is made when one breaths in...the airway is restricted and it makes an awful, scary high pitched sound. Stridor usually comes hand in hand with croup and Mr. Peyton had both. He was sleeping OK, so we just let him sleep.

2 AM was a different story. He woke himself up in a coughing fit and then the stridor really kicked in. Croup is worse at night...often clearing up once daylight comes, only to return again at night. He was breathing a bit hard and scaring himself some so I got him out of bed and took him to the kitchen. I opened the freezer door and let him breath in the cold air. Usually the best at home treatment of croup is going outside in the cool air (which CA does not have...not cold enough and too dry), opening the freezer door or steaming up the bathroom with hot water and breathing in the warm moist air. The freezer did the trick and he calmed down and fell back asleep.

I began making further plans in my head in case this got worse. I really thought we would make it until morning. I called my friends in the Peds ICU at CHOC where I used to work. I wanted to know where the nearest kid friendly ER was...just in case. We were a good 45 minutes from CHOC...much too far to drive a child with breathing difficulties. The next nearest children's hospital, Loma Linda, was about 25 minuets...still too far. I wanted a game plan just in case. I googled the nearest community ER knowing they could provide care and transfer us if we needed peds specific care. I put Peyton back to be and woke Chris up to let him know what was going on.

I didn't sleep long. By 3 am the sound of his stridor woke ME up. I could not for the life of me figure out how he was getting enough oxygen. I lifted up his shirt and he was retracting so bad you could see all his ribs, his stomach was sucking in and the area around is collar bone was sinking in...it scared me! In all the commotion Parker woke up and now we had two freaked out 2 year olds. We got Peyton to the freezer again but he was so freaked out and the stridor and cough so bad he didn't look like he was getting any air. The noise alone would scare anyone and the site of him struggling to breath made me want to cry. I have seen plenty of kids in respiratory distress and he had me scared. Along with the stridor I heard wheezing, all without a stethoscope and knew he needed a breathing treatment. Thankfully the friends we were staying with had a nebulizer and Albuterol. Poor Kim, I frantically woke her up and had her get me the med and nebulizer. I got about 1/2 a breathing treatment in him and realized he was going to need some steroids and racemic epi...only to be gotten in the ER. I knew he was in bad shape when he didn't fight the breathing treatment. Poor Parker was laying down on the kitchen floor with his blanket just watching us. He knew something was wrong with his brother and would not leave him to go back to bed. I quickly grabbed my purse and we threw Peyton in the car. I got down the street and was having second thoughts about driving him to the ER...maybe we should have called an ambulance. He was still struggling and coughing...I prayed we would make it to the ER fast and that it wouldn't be busy.

We made it there in less than 10 minutes...it should have taken 15-20 minutes...I however, was flying. We walked in the ER door, they took one look at us and took us right back. They did have a peds section to the ER but no peds specific providers. The ER doc was wonderful as was the respiratory therapists. The nurses...well lets just say they were not peds oriented at all. Trauma maybe...peds, nope. The cussing during the placement of his IV was my first clue. Of course a scared 2 year old is not going to lie still while STRANGERS poke him with a NEEDLE. If it wasn't for the maturity of an adult...we wouldn't lie there either...some don't. I was happy the racemic epi breathing treatments were working and hoped the shots of steroids would kick in. Usually this is all it takes and you are on your way home. I had even called Chris to tell him that I didn't think we would be flying home that day but that maybe he and Parker could head home. Soon after that he began needing the breathing treatments more frequently and started struggling to breath again. He seemed to be having a rebound effect after the Racemic Epi breathing treatments. Initially they would help and then he would be worse off...so frustrating and scary. There came a moment when he was slumped over in bed, too tired to do anything but try to breath. He wanted nothing to drink, did not want me to hold him and would not even cry or answer me. His breathing rate was in the 60's and his oxygen levels were dipping down to 88-89%. This was much to high breathing for a 2 year old and normal oxygen levels are 98-100%. I pressed the nurse call button...and NOTHING. No one was coming. I poked my head out the door and not a soul in sight. I couldn't leave him.... Finally another nurse walked in and looked at him and said she thought he needed some oxygen. Gee, really? Maybe a visit from the respiratory therapist would be nice too. Obviously she was not impressed with his lack of normal breathing because she never came back with the oxygen mask she offered. I quite frankly thought he needed more than a mask. His nurse later walked in and I told him I thought he was struggling a bit more to breath and his oxygen levels were dropping at times. He stood and looked at the monitor and watched Peyton sleep...I guess he thought since he was sleeping he was OK...uh, maybe he is sleeping b/c he has worn himself out TRYING TO BREATH. I did not think it would take a "peds" nurse to figure out this kid was struggling. Maybe I've been in the peds field too many years and it is natural to me....but I really think any mom out there would realize something was NOT right. It would have taken me less than 10 seconds as a peds nurse to walk in the room and realize things were NOT OK and to call a respiratory therapist. I finally asked the nurse to call a RT and he said he would. Time was ticking away and things were not getting better. No RT was coming and I was on the verge of tears and panic. Mom mode was setting in and I was scared. I began thinking am I going to have to switch to nurse mode...I had seen way to many kids go "down hill" and fast. I guess I knew too much at this point and I was thinking of the worse. FINALLY the RT walked in and took one look at Peyton and began to move fast....I lost it at this point and broke into tears. Someone was helping my son and my gut feeling had been right. It was too close to a bad situation for my liking. The RT was WONDERFUL and jumped into action fast. She called to Dr. and began treating Peyton. I told her I was scared of the nursing care he was getting and that they were not taking his situation seriously. I am sure they are good nurses but I did not feel they were peds friendly or assertive enough. The Dr. walked in and promptly told us we were not going anywhere and that he was calling for a transport team to take us to a children's hospital. Music to my ears! There were 2 children's hospitals to choose from and I quickly asked for CHOC. Having worked there for 3 years I knew he would be in GREAT hands. I knew a lot of the transport team and felt very good they would take great care of him. I could sit back and be a mom.

I always wondered how I would handle my own kids being sick after working with really sick kids all these years. It's funny how you fall into mom mode first. Once you come to grips that your child is sick, then you begin to let your nursing knowledge filter in. I tend to let things ride a little longer before calling our Dr. b/c I feel OK treating things at home first. Usually by the time I call the Dr. I know they need to be seen. This illness with Peyton REALLY SCARED me b/c this was the stuff I saw IN the hospital, not at home. I knew enough to realize he could go down hill fast and yet I was at home without my "safety zone" of support equipment. A very scary moment when you see your kid struggling to breath, not getting any air in and yet knowing just what he needs...just not having it! It's knowing too much and automatically thinking the worst. Working in Peds ICU you prepare for the worst so if it does happen you already have things ready to go and in your head have already thought about the steps you will take. Its critical thinking and helps in an emergency for things to run smoothly. However, it is very scary when it is your child and you are thinking of these steps but yet can't do ANYTHING b/c you are at HOME. Panic was an understatement that night standing in the kitchen trying to decide how to help him. Panic was in the ER when I felt the nurses were not seeing what I was seeing. There is something to be said for pediatric trained health care providers and hospitals. I always took it for granted b/c I have always worked with peds trained health care providers and in children's hospitals...now I understand the need for them. Children are NOT little adults. They give little warning before getting really sick, really fast. Thankfully in the community ER we went to the Dr. and Respiratory therapist were WONDERFUL. They gave us the care we needed and were smart enough to realize when we needed something they could not offer. All this to say, be proactive for your child. As a nurse we always say "parent's know their child best". We always listen to the parents. If they ever say "something is not right with my child"....they are right more times than not.

I have never been so relieved as I was when the CHOC transport team walked through the doors. 4 pediatric trained providers to safely get my child the treatment he needed. I knew 2 of the people and was more than happy to hand Peyton over to them. They let us put all the medical equipment on him so it would not freak him out. They let Chris buckle him in the car seat on the stretcher and gave him a bear to hold for the ride. He did not freak out once!

Sadly we did not have our camera near by to capture his first ambulance ride. Parker was quite excited to see the ambulance and wanted to "get in" with "Pey Pey". Peyton was a bit too sick to enjoy all the fuss and to even realize the ambulance was there. Not sure how it would have sounded if I had said, "Can you pause just a moment before you put my child struggling to breath in your ambulance while I take a picture?".... I did remember at the last minute that I could use my camera phone but they already had Peyton tucked safely inside.

Peyton's ride to CHOC. He was tucked away safely inside before I grabbed this shot with my camera phone.
Asleep in his room at CHOC. Obviously rides in an ambulance can wear you out!

Parker checking on "brough". He was NOT happy to leave "Pey Pey" at the hospital. Parker was FINE when I left the hospital with him to go back to our friend's house about 45 minutes away. We were sitting in good ole CA traffic and I had just gotten off the phone with a friend saying things could be much worse...at least they are not puking! NEVER, NEVER say this...not 5 minutes later Parker threw up ALL over the car. Thank goodness it was a rental. We were stuck in traffic and I could not pull over. Oh, the smell. He kept saying "all done" and "gross"! Yes baby it is gross and I too am all done. Not having slept the night before I broke down in tears wondering how I was going to do this. I just wanted to be home and I wanted my mom! By the time we got to our friend's home his fever was 104 and he was starting to wheeze. Great! Thankfully we went to bed at 6pm and he did OK through the night. Lots of stridor and barky coughing but he did not have trouble breathing like Peyton did.

Chris called the next morning to say that Peyton had a really rough night and was not any better. The breathing treatments and steroids were not working. The x rays and CT scan of his neck showed quite a bit of soft tissue swelling, thus pressing on his airway. I knew this meant only one thing. They were sending him to the PICU. I felt OK b/c I knew all the Dr's and nurses there, this is where I had worked for 3 years. He would be in great hands. Our old pediatrician had seen Peyton's name on his list when he made rounds that morning and stopped in to see him. Thankfully he agreed to see Parker in his office later that morning. All it took was being in the same room as Parker to hear his stridor...after seeing Peyton's condition at the hospital he gave me some oral steroids for Parker to try to ward off it getting any worse. Thankfully it worked and Parker never got any worse. We were ready for a break! Off to the hospital we headed so I could trade places with Chris. He needed a shower, clean clothes, food and some sleep. I was anxious to see Peyton in the ICU and also to see my old friends.

Insert Dad/Husband of the year award here. Both times that we have had a child in the hospital overnight for multiple nights Chris has been the one to stay. It has allowed me to go home both times to care for our other child and to get the much needed sleep that you do not get in a hospital. I take most of the day shifts at the hospital and he takes the nights. I could not ask for more!

This is how I found Peyton in the PICU...does not look like an ICU patient to me:) Sitting in bed playing with toys. What a relief. It seems rolling through the doors of the ICU was all he needed to turn the corner. The Docs were waiting to put in a breathing tube and this is what they found! Obviously the steroids had kicked in and his airway was more stable. They watched him for 8 hours and then sent him back to the general peds floor. He went home the next morning!

My favorite pic from his hospital stay! ALL he would eat was chocolate pudding with whipped cream. At that point it was whatever would keep him quiet and food in his belly. The more upset he got the worse his stridor and breathing were...so it was whatever he wanted. I think he was living it up b/c he quickly learned there were not many consequences for his behavior as we did not want him upset. This took a good 2 weeks to break!

Peyton was discharged from the hospital that Wednesday. Chris and Parker flew home that day. Peyton and I stayed one day longer to make sure he was strong enough and well enough to fly. The dry air in the plane could make the croup worse. Thankfully, we were all back in GA by that Thursday, several days behind schedule.

"Thank You" is not enough to cover all Brad and Kim did for us. I am sure we overstayed our welcome by many days. 4 sick kids in a house being remodeled would be enough to drive the sanity from many of us. Now that all is said and done...we are all well and their remodeled kitchen looks fabulous!

Boys and their toys

2007-11-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

Luke was so wonderful to share ALL his toys with the boys. He was always helping out, showing them what to do and playing big brother....he is only 6 months older but years beyond the boys. They all loved playing outside and had a blast on all Luke's riding toys.

This was the night the boys got sick. I thought I had heard Peyton wheezing while running around and knew he had been running fever. However, once he stopped and sat down...the wheezing went away. If we only knew what our night was going to be like...

Peyton

Daddy and Parker...his legs were a bit too short:(
Luke showing Peyton "how to".
OK, not quite what we had in mind for showing the boys "how to pee like big boys"...the toilet Luke, the toilet... very funny anyway (sorry Kim, it was too cute not to post). Not quite as funny as the story you posted here.

Of course Parker found a truck!

Supporting our 2 favorite things!

2007-11-16T15:40:00.000-05:00

We were able to go to California to visit our friends because Chris was going to be out there working. There was a store grand opening in Moreno Valley that he was helping with Food Distribution. This was very near our old store, home and friends so we all went along.

The weekend before a store in California opens, Food Distribution is done. This serves several purposes out there. Here, on the East coast they mostly hand out coupons for free food for the grand opening and everybody LOVES it. Back in 2004 when we were out there for the first freestanding store openings ( the mall stores had been there for 20+ years) no one knew what the heck Chick-fil-A was, let alone what the BOG was for. You know...the Be Our Guest card, usually for a free Chicken sandwich. Food Distribution was created so we could get the taste of the food in the people's mouths and a free coupon to come back for the opening. How many times have you gotten coupons for food in the mail and thrown them away b/c you have never heard of the restaurant? Since we didn't want this to happen we would hand out 10,000 Chick-fil-A original sandwiches the Friday and Saturday before the store opened. This way we could get people hooked and excited about their coupon!

Things have changed a lot since 2004 and MANY more people know what to expect now. They even know it is a food restaurant and not a girls clothing store...no kidding. I am sure the operators out there meet new people everyday trying the food for the first time. Chick a fil... Chick fil a (short a)... just some of the common pronunciations we would here. Chick a fil? Come on people...the "a" is at the END of the word. No, we are not a mom and pop restaurant. No, we do not sell whole chickens. No fish on the menu. Sweet tea is made with tea and SUGAR...and my favorite: "where are you from...Texas?" Nope! Georgia..."where is that?"...you are killing me people! Fun times.

It will always be neat to say we were part of the West Coast Expansion with Chick-fil-A. It was such an honor to represent the Cathy family and the restaurant business while there for 3 years. We made many life long friends, both in the community and in the company. It was really neat to share good southern hospitality in a restaurant and to introduce people to the best chicken sandwich ever! We had multiple opportunities to share the Corporate Purpose of the company (To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A) and the reasons we are closed on Sunday. Yes, the company is really founded on biblical principles and no we the owner/operators are not Mormon. I guess we lived close to Utah and they associated all the "good" the restaurant and company did with Mormons? I just wish the boys would remember being a part of it all. I was pregnant with them when we opened the store in Corona, CA (though we didn't know it at the time)...the blue bows announcing their arrival hung on the store doors, they dressed as cows on cow appreciation day and made it in the local paper...such fun memories.

Watching daddy pass out the famous Chicken sandwiches...they loved the fact that he had a cow on his shirt! They loved watching the big trucks go by even more. Funny thing is, out there a big jacked up truck does not = redneck...it is usually some rich kid with too much of mommy and daddy's money...very preppy and hip...not hunting and such.

Sampling some of the food and supporting their two favorite things. Chick-fil-A and Clemson!

Go TIGERS!

What a fitting shirt for the occasion...although it really means the Gamecocks...but people out there have never heard of Clemson, let alone the Gamecocks:)

What a beautiful shoe! Supporting their team from head to toe!