Great Read

I'm currently reading a wonderful book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. For those of you who haven't heard about it, there's a link to an excerpt in the right hand column of my blog, look for the book. You can also go to http//www.thelastlecture.com/ and actually watch the video.

Pumpkin Update

Random

I really don't care for spiders, but this weekend while outside I couldn't help but become intrigued by the web and the dueling granddaddy long legs. I actually wanted to get a closer picture of the spider in the web, but my lense is short and I will openly admit that I was scared the stupid thing would jump on me.

Tis the Season...

Hunting that is.. Kenny has bought a 2 person tree stand and had the girls in it this weekend. They can all three fit in it. He fit both the girls with safety harnesses and put wood panels on the sides for safety. The girls were so excited and insisted on climbing it with him multiple times this weekend. It will be interesting to see how neat Kenny really thinks it is the first time they go out and the girls are talking, giggling, telling him they have to go pee, etc. I cant wait! I took pictures, but I'm still unable to post them. Tomorrow I'll insert pictures into all of my posts from today.

Who's Who

After the most recent pictures I posted of the girls, I've been asked by several "Who's cat?". It's our cat, a stray that showed up as a kitten a couple of months ago and had never left. The girls have named her "Whiskers". We also have a dog that we inherited from they Downings when they moved to Virginia Beach. His name is "CoCo", named by their daughter Destiny. He is a Cocker Spaniel, very sweet dog. We also have 1 hermit crab, had 2 ,but 1 died yesterday. I got them at the Amish auction for the girls. I had no thoughts on the life expectancy, but wow that was short.

I'll post pictures in a bit, for some reason I'm having trouble with that today. I also have a new pic of the pumpkin, spider pics (random I know) and new pictures of big Daddy and Ellie that I'll write about later.

Heaven Sent

OK, so you now how in a movie two people see each other and instantaneously fall in love. There's usually a golden aura color surrounding both of them, like they were sent from heaven. That's how I felt this weekend when Kenny got our new dishwasher installed. I swear I think I heard an angelic choir in the background when I ran the first load. It was serendipitous.... I'm pretty sure a few tears fell as I looked at a clean glass that I pulled out of the new beautiful, heavenly machine.

OK so I know I'm being dramatic, but seriously we haven't had a dishwasher since I belittled our last one and it quit... what 2 months or so ago, felt like an eternity. We are in business now, with one exception.. We also got a garbage disposal this weekend and the install is not going so well. Kenny, my stud husband, insists on doing everything himself and I'm very thankful he is so talented. I'm sure he'll get it all squared away soon..... (fingers crossed).

The Lone Pumpkin

Last year we dumped our rotting pumpkins out by the fence line. I had bought 6 or 7 varieties. (OK, so I do love pumpkins). Anyway, we now have a pumpkin growing. I'm going to post a picture of it weekly. It appears it's going to be a traditional orange pumpkin not the heirloom type. We have decided that next year we are going to plant a pumpkin patch. Then everyone can bring the kids out and pick a pumpkin. Have I mentioned that I LOVE fall.....

To be or not to be..... that is the question

Let me know what you think about the new layout, should I keep it or go back to the old?

Outside this Weekend

Treasures from the Auction

And, so....

I know everyone has been anticipating this blog, curious if Kenny and I are still married with three children. But first I must explain the delay in blogging. Chloe got sick Saturday night and so I’ve been home, holding her lil baby butt for the past 3 days. Thankfully, her fever broke today and she is feeling much better. I’ll spare you all the details, but it must be put in writing, for viewing by Chloe when she is older, that today I scraped her poop out of her diaper with a wooden popsicle stick, and delivered it to the lab. Nothing like a good ole stool sample for humility sake….:).

My mom and I faired the weather at the Amish auction, with our umbrellas, ponchos, raincoats and rubber boots. A testament that we were indeed much more prepared than most of the attendees who were in shorts, flip flops, etc. Early in the morning, before the rain began, people stared at our boots and looked at us like we were crazy… then the torrential down pour(s) began. I must say I would’ve stared at us too; we looked hideous in our boots. Obtaining the boots was the hard part. Friday night I went to Target and called TJ Maxx in search of rubber boots and rain ponchos. No such luck there… what the heck? I always see these cute leopard, polka dot and stripe pattern rubber boots at the store, but not now. I begrudgingly called Wal-Mart and of course they have both. I get to the store, only to discover that the only ponchos in the store are NASCAR. I must apologize if I offend anyone, but nothing screams redneck like NASCAR. I had my choice of NASCAR on the front or Dale Earnhart #3. I just knew there had to be more options, so I found a sales clerk and inquired. She said I should try the hunting dept that maybe there are some camouflage ones back there. Perfect… redneck options 1 and 2. In my desperation I did go to the hunting dept and they were sold out. So I went with the Dale Earnhart #3 Poncho, because it only had small font on the front. The poncho itself was black, so I took a black sharpie and covered in the #3 and Dale’s name. Kenny said “I don’t know which is more redneck, the NASCAR poncho, or you coloring it in with a sharpie”. OK, point taken. So onto the boots, the only option was black boots with an army green sole on bottom. My mother will attest that those boots were the most uncomfortable shoes either of us has ever worn in our lives. Just the same, we arrived around 8:00 and left at 5:00. We had a great time, met a lot of people and had some good conversation with the Amish. I bought some old crocks and watering cans to plant flowers in. I’ll post picture of my treasures later.

I called Kenny about 11:30; he was in the car with the girls on the way home from the fair. He said they had to leave early because there was a torrential down pour. The girls were in the back seat, stripped down to their underwear and diaper. No, I’m not kidding. Kenny said that they were all so wet by the time they made it back to the car, that he had to take all of their clothes off. He said poor Chloe looked like a drowned rat. Of course Kenneth Malcolm knew full well that it was going to rain, but didn’t take any rain coats, umbrellas etc. “Preparation” is such a silly thought. Regardless the girls of course had a blast, saw all of the animals, etc.

So yes, we are still married and still have three beautiful, crazy girls…

Wild and Crazy Weekend

It's time for the annual Amish Auction in Clarita, Oklahoma to be held this Saturday. The auction is held on acreage owned by one of the Amish men. The Amish make homemade goods, furniture, quilts, lots of great food, etc. They also allow outside vendors to come in. All of the proceeds benefit the Amish School. I am giddy at the thought, I love everything about it. I will admit that it is typically miserably hot and humid and this year proves to be much worse. With hurricane Ike approaching they are forecasting 7 inches of rain in that area. I'm all the more excited... that maybe most people will be detoured given the weather, leaving that much more for me to peruse through. I'm going to buy some rain boots tonight and a rain poncho. I've told a couple of people at work that I'm attending. Their reaction was comical, "Wow Tamatha you really know how to get wild and crazy on the weekend, sound fun... in the rain, hot, porta potties, etc".

Enough about me, now to the most comical part of this weekend. I had originally arranged for someone to keep the girls as it is an all day event. I'll leave around 6:00 am and get back at 6:00 pm. Kenny thought he had prior commitments with the school, but has since discovered that he doesn't. So he decided he will keep the girls. Kenny is great with the girls but he has never kept Chloe for more than a couple of hours as she is indeed a "Mommas girl". Anyways, he first said he was going to take the girls to Calvin to my parents house. I said "Hey slick, my mom will be with me at the Amish action, so you don't have the dump them off at Grandmas house option and run and disappear into the woods all day". That stumped him...until yesterday he told me that he has decided to take the girls to the state fair. OK, if you have children I know you will understand the logistics of packing up three girls, stroller, diapers, bottles, snacks etc and taking them to the fair... a fairly complex task. Kenny is going to laugh (roll in laughter, actually) when I tell him I think I should make a card to put in Madelyn and Ellie's pocket that has their name, our name and a phone number to call if they get lost. Kenny again is very responsible, but he also walks 20mph and is often not cognizant that our children are lagging 2 miles behind him. In any event this weekend should prove to be entertainment for all involved. I'll let you all know how it turns out and if we end the weekend with all 3 children...

Good TV

OK, for those of you who don't watch the TV show "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" on TLC, you should. Jon and Kate have a set of sextuplet's and a set of twins, and the show is a documentary of sorts of their life. It comes on Monday nights at 8:00 pm central standard time. Kenny and I watch it every week. It makes me feel sane and normal as I watch them deal with their children and bicker back and forth. In fact it's watching Jon and Kate's interactions with each other that is the most entertaining! If you haven't seen it, you should give it a watch...

Naughty Tot

Ms. Chloe bug starting crawling on Sunday. So cute and so funny, very robotic and methodical in nature right now. I'm sure by the end of today she'll be a crawling machine. Chloe will be 9 months old this coming Saturday. She is so funny, such a monkey. She decided she wasn't the least bit interested in baby food, so we skipped that and went straight to table food. She then decided that she didn't really care to eat in her high chair, she prefers to sit in our lap and see that she is eating off of our plate with our silverware...... I know... she is a naughty tot! She also has a mouth full of teeth, 6 teeth. She looks hilarious, she's so tiny and then she opens her mouth and has a full set of dentures, 2 bottom and 4 top (2 front, 2 eye). She also has a smile that will make you melt.

Ellie update: In addition to the mismatched socks, she has also decided she wants to wear one pigtail on one side of her head and leave the hair on the opposite side down. She's a nut!

Madelyn update: She is her sweet, considerate self, she loves animals and all kinds of bugs. She is constantly helping Big Daddy or I with something. She loves to wash dishes! She certainly didn't inherit that from me..

Nix the Status Quo

Ellie Kate has decided that she wants to wear two different socks to school each day. Today she wore one with primary colored hearts and one hot pink hello kitty sock. I love it that she is her own crazy self. For those of you who have a free spirit on your hands, you should check out littlemissmatched.com

Hunting with Big Daddy

The girls went dove hunting with Big Daddy this weekend. They were in full camo with camo hats that had a pink bow. They went to Pauls Valley and went with Craig Ensey and his three children. I asked Madelyn if Kenny shot any birds. Madelyn said he only shot one ,that he shot a lot but didn't hit any. I love it! Kenny said he told the girls they were going to have to try a different approach on their next trip as they were running everywhere and of course talking and giggling. I'll post pictures later. I have to admit if you would've asked me 10 years ago if I would be married to a hillbilly and sending my children hunting with my hillbilly husband, I would've laughed and said you were crazy. I must admit I love him heart and soul, hillbilly and all. Needless to say my parents are getting a big laugh out of this.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. Madelyn started 1st grade and Ellie began her school adventure in Pre-K. Ellie Kate was so excited and so proud to take her tinker bell backpack to school. Madelyn was also excited. We got her a messenger bag for her birthday that you color with markers, so she had colored the bag and was excited and nervous at the same time. It's so funny how different she and Ellie are. Madelyn is very reserved, shy and is very quiet in new situations. Ellie Kate is like "whatever", rock on, lets go. I cant wait to see how Ms. Choe bug is going to be. They both said they had a great first day.

Madleyns 6th Birthday

Madelyn wanted a dolphin theme for her birthday, so she had a dolphin cake and straw beach birthday hats. I don't know what I was thinking putting 12 kids into a small blow up kiddy pool, genius...... It didn't matter they had fun just the same. Our good friends "The Creeds" came and it was so wonderful to catch up and see their four beautiful children. We did miss the Downings. The highlight of the party was when Kenny caught a mole and we put it in Madelyn's bug geranium. That poor mole got tortured for a couple of hours. I refused to let Kenny kill it, so he took the girls down the road and they dropped it off in a pasture. The bad news is his parents, siblings and distant cousins are still living in our yard. Good times!

Seriously

Ok, so the dishwasher was obviously offended by my harsh comments and has now decided to boycott any operational functions... Additionally the air conditioner has gone out in my car, got freeon put in, no go, needs a new compressor and I got a speeding ticket on the way to work on Monday. I think God has a great sense of humor and must be thinking this is hysterical as I curse my way through these obstacles....

We had Madelyns birthday party this weekend, great time, I'll post pictures soon.

Awesome

Kenny started the dishwasher yesterday and the dishwasher door was partially open. Now granted most dishwashers wouldn't run with the door open, but not this fine piece of machinery from 1978. (Like most appliances in our home there is a secret way to operate them i.e. stand on one foot, blink twice and push the door in three times to shut it.) Kenny wasn't aware that the door was open and left to go pickup Chloe. I came home and started dinner and water started flowing out of all of the seams of our laminate wood floor. Needless to say the laminate is now lifting... I must tell you that when we do get a new dishwasher, I'm going to take a sledgehammer to this one, seriously....

Super Star

Ellie Kate is our performer. She sings daily, making up the lyrics as she goes along. She insists that we sit quietly and watch her sing. She comes out pretending to be on stage and greets us like we are her fans (and of course we are :) Will this be great to drag out in 20 years or what?

It's The Little Things..

Yesterday we were talking about Chloe's birth and remembering the girls reaction. Of course they were excited and so sweet when Chloe finally arrived. They both however separately, without the other knowing asked me where her eyebrows were. Ellie said "Where are those things over her eyes Mommy?" and Madelyn said " Mommy when will she get her eyebrows?". (Let me clarify that Chloe did have eyebrows, they were just very light. ) So funny, the things they notice.

Perspective

Today while driving to work I noticed this cow with his neck shoved through the barbed wire fence. He was feverishly reaching for the grass on the other side, obviously convinced that it must taste better. I laughed and thought, it's not just humans but an animal as dense as a cow believes that the grass is greener... Of course, most life experiences have taught me that indeed, it is not. I guess with age we learn to enjoy what we have, live in the moment and cherish what's in front of us. Lord knows I'm still working on this. No one does this better than my Dad. He wants for not, and is content as long as his family are happy and safe. I love that about him. He's always so calm and at peace, takes everything in stride. Such an admirable man with a genuine sweet spirit. I've been blessed with incredible parents- I only hope they know how much I truly adore them.

Happy 4th!

Ode to Technology

I just recently discovered a few wonderful gadgets and a great website (thanks to my friends) that anyone with children should investigate. First is the Bissell SpotBot. It is a compact carpet cleaner that you simply place over the stain, turn it on, walk away and it sprays cleaner, scrubs and sucks up the water and cleaner- I borrowed my friends machine to clean some spots on our carpet and it got every stain out. I have to go buy one, I loved it. It is truly a miraculous machine.... I know, I'm easily amused.

Second is Flip Video- This is a small video camera (3x5) that records up to 60 minutes of video. It takes 2AA batteries and will fit in your pocket. It has a USB port that flips out from the side, plugs into your computer downloads the software and videos all together. We borrowed one from a friend to see if we liked it prior to buying, and we absolutely loved it. We videoed more in the 2 days we borrowed it than we have in the 7 years we've had our big video camera. The Flip Video camera was just so convenient, that we were constantly grabbing it to video the girls. It's also not terribly expensive, you can find them on the internet from $120-$150. Be sure to get the one that records 60 minutes as they do have one that records only 30 minutes.

A friend just recently introduced me to the website Freecycle.org. This websites mission is to reduce the waste in our landfills and to give items away free to those who can use them. The posts contain offered and wanted items. You cant sell or trade items, only give them away free. I've already given away a couple of things that we no longer needed. It felt good... with a family of five, I feel like we generate so much waste. It was nice to do something "green" and participate in the recycle process.

For the Love of Pete....

For the record- I hate pumping! While I've enjoyed every second of nursing, pumping SUCKS, lugging around the pump, cleaning everything, packing ice packs, storing and freezing the milk- all of it SUCKS. Taking the time out to do it everyday, kicking my male office mate out etc... And I cant even tell you how many parking lots I've invaded and busted out the cigarette lighter adapter to pump. If the innocent bystanders in the parking lot only knew...I'm certain they would be mortified. And dont even get me started on the nursing bras that make me feel like an 80 year old lady. I've committed myself to 1 year with each of my children and I plan to stand by that, but wow.... am I tired. OK, I'm done.

P.S. And don't think I wont remind my children of my enduring commitment and dedication to keeping their little bellies full. Who am I kidding, they'll be no gratitude, only disgust that they sucked on my breast :)

Poopie

I had to put my cat Poopie of 17 years to sleep this weekend. He had renal failure and had become increasingly worse. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. For some insane reason I thought now that I have 3 kids that when the time did come that Poopie died, I would deal with it better.. I know... retarded.

When I got back home from the emergency vet clinic, the girls were in bed crying (with Kenny) and had a million questions. Kenny of course couldn't get out of bed fast enough (all that emotional stuff). Ellie's biggest concern was how did the angel get into the clinic to take Poopie to Heaven. Did he (the angel) use the front door like we do or did he come through the wall. Madelyn, my deep thinker wanted to know if Kenny and I were going to die before she and Ellie (BRUTAL!!). All the while I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry myself to sleep. It sucked..

I had Poopie since his birth, and before that had I had his mother. I always get asked why I named him Poopie. He was just such a mush... followed me around room to room since he could walk, and didnt care if you were hanging him upside down, as long as you were touching him. He was the most loving cat... and I will miss him terribly.

Ellie Kate's 4th Birthday Party

Ellie Kate just turned 4. She wanted a Princess/Swim party and a castle cake... I stayed up until 4:45 am making her birthday cake. When she awoke that morning and saw the cake, there were two things she wanted to know.
1. Where was the princess that lived in the castle - I told her she was inside the cake and that we would eat her later (kidding) I did tell her she was inside the castle
2. Where were her real wings? (that she had asked for months ago). I told her only birds, bugs and butterflies get real wings and can fly. She was very disappointed and devastated.

Despite the let down over the wings, we had a great time, all of her cousins were there. They played in the water, sprayed everyone with the sprinkler, played in the bubbles and made tiara's.

Good Question

Today Ellie wanted to know why God created wasps.....

Sweet Chloe

Oh Ms. Chloe is so sweet and such a Momma's girl. She is also a thumb sucker like Ms. Ellie. She also enjoys sucking on her feet :) She smiles all the time and Big Daddy is good at making her giggle. She also loves to poke out her big belly so you'll rub it. She has an incredible smile, eyes that say everything, and I swear I could stare at her all day. I held her practically all weekend, just soaking up every second. Time seems to be flying by, she is 5 months old and eating baby food. The girls were infatuated with her first green bean poop:) We've moved on to carrots now and she's drinking water from a sippy cup. The girls are still crazy about her, kissing her hands, feet and baby butt. They absolutely adore her. Her big blue eyes and chunky cheeks.. It doesn't get any better than this!

Our Big Girl

Ms. Madelyn graduated from Kindergarten on Friday. It's crazy how fast it all goes. She of course was her normal shy self, and you could tell she hated walking down the isle and across the stage in front of everyone. They sang a couple of songs with hand motions, hilarious! She's so sweet and so thoughtful of others, a precious girl.

My Little Brother

My little brother Jerred graduated from high school this last weekend. It seems like just yesterday I was a senior in high school and was completely devastated that my mom was pregnant with #4. (What can I say, I was 17 and extremely selfish). Of course once he arrived I adored him and still do. He's grown up to be quite the guy a sister can be proud of. He also has an amazing girlfriend (Lindsey) that we all adore. He has decided to go to ECU in Ada and study to be a radiology tech.

Good Grief

Wow, what a month and half it has been. We had no water for 4 days (had to get the well repaired), both vehicles broke down simultaneously and had to be towed to 2 different mechanic shops and then today Kenny broke his ankle and is in a cast and crutches!

Your probably wondering how Kenny broke his ankle. Well, Mr. "I'm in my prime, I'm at my fightin weight" has been playing basketball with the boys high school team daily. In his attempt to score 2 more points, he went up for a lay up, heard his bone pop and hit the ground. Tonight while laying on the bed with his casted foot propped up, he said "I wonder if I made the shot, I'll have to ask the kids tomorrow". He is out of control... Of course my mind is in a different place, I'm thinking you're going to be useless for the next 6 weeks and cant help with the girls :)

In spite of it all, I must confess we are blessed- delusional husband and all.

Infatuation

Ellie Kate just recently starting asking Kenny and I "When can we go to Hannah Montana's house?". I said "Sweetheart, Hannah Montana doesn't know us and we cant go to her house." She said, "But Mommy we know her and I want to go see her at her house". She truly could not comprehend why Hannah Montana wouldn't want her to come over, after all she knows Hannah very well:)

She continues to ask once or twice a week...

Ma's Birthday

Saturday was Ma's 79th birthday so we all went to Calvin for the party on Sunday. We had a great time, lots of food and good cake. Olivia was hilarious, she loves Madelyn wants to sit in her lap all the time. Olivia also wanted to hold Chloe, she would walk over to her and signal for us to hand Chloe to her.

Kenny, Madelyn, Ellie and I rode the 4 wheelers down to the creek. We left Ms. Chloe at the house with Grandma and klan. When we got back she was asleep on Jerree. Mom said they checked my diaper bag twice for a bottle and were appalled that there wasn't one...Of course the bottle(s) are attached to my body:). They said "they were fixin to give that baby some sugar water!".

Camping Out

Last night Kenny, Madelyn & Ellie camped out in our back yard in the tent. We had a huge bon fire because Kenny was burning brush from our yard. We cooked hot dogs and smores. The girls ofcourse were in heaven. They slept in the tent all night. Kenneth was making fun of me because I made the girls wear 2 pajama tops with bottoms and 2 pairs of socks, he kept saying "We dont live in Alaska". The next morning when they came in the house I asked them if they got cold and they both said yes. Ofcourse Momma always knows.....

If I only had wings

This morning in the car Ellie says "Mommy this year for my birthday I want real wings not pretend ones". I said ok. She said" When I get my real wings I can fly to Ms. Heathers house instead of you driving but first I probably need to practice flying at the house. Then when I get good, I can fly to Ms. Heathers house." I said ok again, torn on what to say. She was obvioiusly so excited about flying and I didnt want to break her heart and tell her that she wouldnt be able to fly. Children are so precious and so full of great imaginations and big dreams, it makes me laugh and cry all at the same time....

It's not who wins.....

Kenny, Madelyn and Ellie were playing Candyland in the living room floor. For those of you who don't know, Kenny is fiercely competitive- to the point of no return. They were playing along and Kenny said "Oh it looks like Ellie is winning". A few minutes passed and Ellie drew a gumdrop card from the deck that put her considerably ahead of both Kenny and Madelyn. Suddenly Madelyn threw her game piece, threw the cards and said " I don't want to play anymore". I was shocked for a moment as I looked at her and saw "Kenny Jr.". Kenny was equally shocked and seemed even more confused at the image of himself in his daughter. We both started laughing. I said "Kenneth Malcolm, that is all you....and it appears that you might want to start teaching your daughter about sportsmanship". He turned to Madelyn and said "Do whatever it takes to win" :)

Madelyn and the Pains of Beauty

Yesterday when I picked up Ellie Kate, Ms. Heather (who keeps her) had French braided her hair, so naturally when we got home and Madelyn saw it and wanted hers braided. I have never French braided before so I told her I would try. I did it and it actually looked really good. I told her however that if it was messed up in the morning when she woke up that I wouldn’t be able to re-do it as we wouldn’t have time. I told her not to cry in the morning if it was messed up that we could fix it again on another day. She said okay and went to bed. A couple of hours later I went in the girls room to check on them and Madelyn was sleeping on her stomach with a stuffed animal under her chin with her head sitting straight up on her hands, perfectly perched so that none of her hair would touch the pillow. She looked so uncomfortable and so hilarious. I moved the stuffed animal and laid her head on her pillow.

This morning she woke up and ran to the mirror to ensure it was still intact, and thankfully it was…..

Pictures