To share or not to share

I know most people want to come to my blog to see fun pictures of the kids doing things and everyone looking at the camera smiling. I have been feeling pretty down the last 2 weeks. It wasn't just one thing but a combination between not being able to get the house picked up and cleaned, the laundry done, Brier being sick, me not feeling up to par, dropping the ball on getting Brier signed up for t-ball, Dusty's job situation up in the air. I just haven't felt like I'm measuring up as a mom. And I could sit here and write about all the great things going on in our lives because they're plenty of them but sometimes it is okay to write about how sometime life isn't what it is in a magazine or on TV, sometimes being a mom and keeping it all together is hard, dang hard. And I think other moms should realize that we don't have to pretend it is all a fantasy (like we thought) all the time.

With that being said sometimes it is fun, lots of fun. Like last night. I've been wanting to take the kids to open jump night at Jump N Jungle for awhile but sickness or work has gotten in the way. Last night we gathered up and headed over there and we jumped and hit the slide until our hearts were content. I took my camera but you know what, I decided it was fun just to play without having a camera stuck in your face. We had fun and I didn't care that there was laundry to fold, dishes to wash and a floor that needs mopping at home, and it was good for the soul. It is easy to to get wrapped up in the whole "being a good mom" thing and forget what "being a good mom" really is about.

Then today my friend Holly sent me this blog, it is sad. If you don't feel like reading something sad. Just pray for this little girl, Layla Grace, to have peace now and her pain to be over with. But reading this blog today made me realize I need to stop and smell my kids neck after a bath and snuggle up to them a little more when they want to. I've realized to enjoy these days because they pass to quickly.

If you want to read her blog, click here. http://laylagrace.org
Make sure you scroll down and read the post Sleep, Valentines, and Regrets. It will make you stop and think.

1 smart cookie

No foolin' Baylor. She knows what is the good stuff.


How do they learn this stuff so fast? If you can't tell, she ate all the cream out of the middle of these Oreos and left the other part. She didn't learn it from me because I quit eating Oreos a long time ago when I figured out I couldn't eat just one.

A bath for the kiddos

For almost 7 years me and Dusty enjoyed the luxury of separate bathrooms but that meant I was sharing one with the kids. One day I finally realized that he was spending 90% of the time in Pennsylvania anyways so it was silly for the kids and me to all be using onr bathroom. So I made up my mind that I was going to whip up a cute kids bathroom during a long weekend. That was 8 months ago. I've just about finished it. I'd like to add a few more thing but I think B&B really like their kid-friendly bath. Here are the before and afters.

BEFORE

Brier all ready to help me

This is what started it all. We had to get a new light fixture because our old one quit working. When we took it down there was a huge hole in the wall that the new style fixtures would cover up so that meant we'd (I) have to patch it and paint.

I was going to go with a jungle theme with green walls, but it was horrible. 1. it was radioactive I think. Seriously, when you closed the door there was a green glow coming from under it. 2. it wasn't very good paint you can see the brush marks on the wall, it was after 3 coats.

You can see in these pictures where we were trying to pick another color. The picture above is where Brier painted the wall.

AFTER

I wasn't planning on getting a new mirror but I broke the other one taking it down to paint. What's 7 more years of bad luck?

Happy Birthday Baylor

Man, time flies when you are having fun. It is hard to believe Baylor is 2. Just doesn't seem possible. She's is starting to lose her baby face and get her big girl look. Makes me a little sad :( But we had one shindig to celebrate. I told someone yesterday I know she won't but I wish she could remember this in 20 years. Then later on I started thinking about it and thought, I know I probably won't but I wish I could remember this in 20 years. It was so much fun to have have all our families there to help us celebrate, she is one spoiled blessed girl.













Happy Birthday sweet baby girl!

Family Pictures just 2 months late, its alright

We had our family pictures done back in November by Holly, you can read about it here if you want to. Anyways, I'm just now getting around to posting our pictures. Hey it took us 2 years to take them, 2 months is nothing to get them posted.

Our Christmas Break

We welcomed Santa

We fingerpainted
We played in the snow


And we slept
Pretty much all my Christmas morning pictures are blurry and Santa didn't leave me a new camera, sorry their are only a few.

A new year, a fresh start

We had a challenging year but we are so very thankful for all our blessings. It has been fun for me, Dusty and the kids to take a break the last few weeks and get recharged. I am not terribly excited to get back into the daily grind but it is inevitable. I promise to get Christmas pictures up soon. I seriously thought about it a few times during the break but then decided to go play or cuddle in the chair with my kids and enjoy the time off.