The Truth

Below is a transcript of a conversation I had this morning with Logan before school:

Him: Mom. Poppy told me Santa isn't real.
Me: *heart breaking* What? He didn't say that. Why would he say that!?
Him: Well that's what he told me. You can't help me with my list this year.
Me: OK. Why not?
Him: Because I'm going to see if I get the first thing on my list. Then I'll know if Santa's real or not.
Me: What is it? Heely's?
Him: Nope that's 2nd.
Me: A Wii?
Him: Nope that's 3rd.
Me: You want Heely's more than you want a Wii? *assuming that the thing he wants most will be first.
Him: No mom! There not in order! I'm just gonna make a list.
Me: Ummmm ok.
WOW! He's good. He's going to make a secret list of things he wants. This list will be in no certain order & will be kept hidden from the parents. This is his master plan. To find out The Truth.
After he'd left for school I texted the FIL.
Me: Did you tell Logan that Santa wasn't real? *I'm a bit frustrated. This is something I felt Josh & I should handle. You know...kinda like the Birds & The Bees talk.*
Him: He said he thinks he knows where the presents come from (smart kid). Asked me if it was so. I said it's ok to believe Santa Claus is real in our imagination. Best way I knew to tell the truth. Hope you're not mad.
Me: *this man is one of the most faithful I know. He didn't want to lie which is understandable. I mean, he IS a preacher after all.* I'm not mad I'm just not ready.
Him: Sorry. Wish he had not figured it out.

Then I went on to cook lunch for Brynn & I. The tears came. The sadness of a little boy growing up too fast consumed me. I knew it was coming. He had lots of questions last year. I just wanted to hold on another year or two. Does this mean the magic of Christmas will be lost for him? How do we broach this subject? Will he shed tears? I want to make it more about The True Meaning of Christmas for him now. The miracle of the birth of Jesus. The REAL Reason for the Season. Maybe I should go on and tell Brynn The Truth now and save us all the agony later.

Farm Day

Last weekend we headed down the street with the kiddos to the

2nd Annual Agricultural Day.

It was going to have farm animals, hay rides, activities and it was

FREE!

I heart FREE.

We learned where our food comes from,

about composting & recycling &

what happens when our waters get polluted.

They had a huge Farm Animal Petting Zoo.

I decided to pass the camera off to The Hubs for the day.

Just to see what he would capture.

It was hard to let go & by the looks of things, I think I'll be holding onto it from now on.

This is Brynn & Smokey the Bear.

She LOVED the dressed up characters and hugged them

and gave them high fives like it was going out of style.

BUT, this is what he got. *sigh*

Now if you know my husband, you know is picture taking problems.

There's either always an eye closed, both eyes closed, a strange face or

he's just plain not looking.

I swear it's harder to get a picture of HIM than it is of the kids!

Please tell me this isn't an inherited trait.

Yes, that's a pet chicken and B loved him.

She loved him so much she almost squeezed the love right out of him.

Here's some shots of Logan on the hayride.

I'm not sure if Josh was even looking in the view finder for these.

I mean Logan's barely in the shot!

Poor guy. At least he was trying.

One reason I wanted to hand the camera off was so I could

actually be in some pics too.

I'm always behind the camera and I want them to know I was always there with them!

Even though Josh didn't get the BEST shots during the day,

he did get this one.

I actually really love it!

That's rare for me to say about a picture of myself.
We had a great time.

Just the Four of Us.

Who knows...

Maybe I'll hand the camera off again one day.

The Day That Shook Me To The Core

Sunday was gonna be a great day!

I had high hopes for that day.
The weather was supposed to be gorgeous, I was really looking forward to church &
the NFL season was beginning.
After church I got a message that my Mema was coming to town.
I couldn't wait to see her!
I headed outside to round the boys up (my nephew was with us) because Josh was mowing and I knew they needed to come in before I left.
We were standing in the driveway.
Josh was in the middle of the front yard.
At least 20 feet from us.
I heard a loud smack.
Turned to Logan and saw red.
Blood curdling screams & Gushing red from Logan's head.
Dear Lord!!
What The!!??
My heart is pounding.
Josh stops mowing.
We run into the garage, I grab towels and apply pressure.
I devise a plan.
It's called the "Gotta Keep Myself Composed & Strong For Him" Plan.
I have to draw strength from somewhere.
Just then the In-Laws arrive (they'd planned on coming by after church).
We've gotta get to the ER!
The blood is literally squirting from his head and
the wound looks like a mini cave carved right out of his little skin.
Deep enough that it might have hit the skull!
Josh jumps in the back with Logan and I ride up front with Steve.
I'm trying (unsuccessfully) to keep my plan intact.
I have to hold it together for him.
It's not working!
Steve is driving the fastest I've ever seen that man go!
Like 50 MPH!!
Remaining completely calm the whole time.
I hear Logan say from the backseat,
"I'm really tired! Can I just go to sleep?"
NOOOO!!! GOD NO!!
I'm Losing him! This is it.
"Buddy, You have to stay awake. Sleep is not an option. Please GOD keep him awake!"
The minute I step foot in the ER I loose it.
Sobbing uncontrollably. I can't even get out our last name to the receptionist.
She looks shell-shocked.
Logan is turning very pale. He says he can't see and needs to go to the bathroom.
Josh carries him there while I'm attempting to fill out papers with a completely unsteady hand.
A man rounds the corner.
"There's a kid throwing up everywhere! We need help quick!"
I'm thinking, "Great! Some kid in the ER is super sick and Logan might catch that now!"
NOPE!
It's Logan!
They get us in a room.
Josh asks Logan if his ok.
He turns and sees the floods of water pouring from my eyes.
"I'm ok. Is my mom ok?"
I think, "Dear Lord! He knows he's ok because he's going to heaven!
He wants to make sure I'll be ok!! How can I be losing my little buddy this soon!?"
Routine cleaning and sterilizing begin. The doctors look nervous.
He's so pale and the wound is so big!
We wheel down to do the CAT scan.
I'm standing in the room with the nurses watching the X-rays of his brain on the screen.
Looking for any sign that something is wrong.
"I can't watch," I think. If I watch and see something that is really nothing it will not help with the whole "Gotta Keep Myself Composed & Strong For Him" Plan.
I turn away. Test is done and we will have results in 10 minutes.
Longest.10.Minutes.Of.My.Life!
If I had a knife I would've cut that tension to shreds.
But, Logan's talking. He's remembering things like what happened yesterday and what our plans for the week are. Color is coming back.
The Dr. strides in. He has an air of confidence about him.
This has to be a good sign."You're CAT scan results came back normal! Everything looks completely fine!"
The life that had been sucked out of me for what felt like forever finally returned.
My head stopped swimming with what if questions.He would be ok. He would be ours to keep and raise and cuddle for many many more years.
Then the Dr. turns to us and says, "I'm going to speak to you in grown up terms now so he doesn't understand."
I'M thinking, " Well, if he can't understand them then I probably can't either!
How old does he think Logan is?"
I prepare to follow along with some very scientific words and he says,
"He got very lucky. If the laceration had been a little farther left, on the temple,we might have had a very different outcome."
WOW! Very difficult to understand there buddy!
Now that we know there's no skull fracture or brain bleeding we wait.For close to 3 hours to complete the stitches.
But, I don't even care.
Cause my buddy is there and he's having conversations with us and joking around and he's here.
He will have stitches and a head bandage that resembles The Karate Kid for a week.
When we got home he said he was sorry for bleeding all over my dress and that when he threw up in the ER he stretched his neck as far out as he could so he wouldn't throw up all over his dads clothes.
Seriously, the kid is thinking of us when he's got the massive head wound.I slept in his floor last night.
I knew I'd need to get him to flip back on his back and re-adjust the bandages. He was very nervous and wanted to make sure I'd be waking him up every so often.
It was nice to be there and to be the one taking care of him and soothing his fears.
The bandages have now been replaced and the wound cleaned.
Life will resume tomorrow and I pray I never experience a day like that again.
Having the actual real life fear that you're losing your child is
the most painful thing I've ever experienced.
I can't help but think his Guardian Angel was in full effect that day.
I Thank GOD that the in-laws arrived when they did
that father-in-law had a steady hand and remained calm enough to drive us safely
that mother-in-law was there to watch the other kids
that HE gave him to US for keeps.

Because I Was Tagged...

Yep, I got tagged by Ann.
So I'm gonna answer a few of her random questions.

If you could buy one object, no matter the cost, what would it be?
3. Because It's a good round number.
Again, this is if money was no object sooo no, it won't be happening.
Sorry, Mimi.

What is your favorite food?
Cheese dip. More specifically, queso from chili's.
Ohhh or Zaxby's chicken salads! I could eat those things every day!

How many cousins do you have?
MAN, there's ALOT of us!
Hold on, i gotta count...
There's 13 on my side
and, if I'm counting right, 23 on Josh's side.

Who was your first celebrity crush?
Leo DiCaprio. fo shizzle! I'm talking Growing Pains days here.

If you could interview any celebrity, who would it be and why?
Definitely Dave Matthews.
No question about it.
He's got an amazing backstory, being from South Africa and all.
PLUS, he does tons of humanitarian work.
AND he's an awesome, with a capitol AWE, singer/song writer/guitar player

What was the first concert that you went to?
Beach Boys.
My mom super hearted them.
It was at Starwood with the fam.
And we got to toss the beach ball around in the crowd.
Man, I miss Starwood.

Share your most embarrassing moment.
Probably when I spilled chocolate milk all over my white jeans in the 8th grade.

Another Year Older~Another Grade Higher

Everyone says, "Fourth Grade is when it starts getting tough!"
More homework, more responsibility, more, more more!
Well, so far, they're right!
But before we get back to school we had a
Back To School Bash!
Lots of Kids
+
Lots of Water=
Lots of FUN!!!

NOW Back to School...
Getting back into the swing of things was not really something anyone was looking forward to. Gone are the glorious lazy days of summer. Waking up late, staying up even later.
This summer was a far cry from last summer when school couldn't get here fast enough. I think it's because Bynn's older and her and Logan actually PLAYED together.
We sure have enjoyed ourselves this summer, even if we didn't go on vacation. It's evident from the pics below that no one was ready for summer to end.

BUT, we made it.

And with this year, as I said earlier, comes more responsibility.
This is the year he gets his laptop.
Yep, his very own MAC(blasphemy in our house) to use until 6th grade!
You see, the hubs works at Dell and has for some time now!
The mere mention of us getting a MAC (I would LOVE to have one) has caused huffs and puffs that could blow a house down!
But, it's coming.
I hope we don't burst into flames when it comes through the doors.
And now I'm being asked to set up a kid friendly email account (that I monitor of course).
He will be able to communicate with his teacher this way, teaches him email etiquette and basically how to use this popular form of communication.
So much responsibility for such a little guy!!
I mean, isn't 9 just like a big toddler!?
I digress...
He is definitely entertaining at this age.
And it's pretty fun to carry on a conversation with him 'cause we kinda have the same sense of humor. Yes, I have the sense of humor of a 9 year old boy and I'm proud of it!

Welcome To Fourth Grade Buddy!!
can't wait to play on your mac.

The Sleep N*zi

It was a nickname given to me by friends when my firstborn was a tot.

I know, I know, it sounds really bad but,

I was strict!

I'm pretty sure he had a 6:30 bedtime til he was 5.

Ok, maybe not that long but, pretty long.

He was NEVER to miss a nap.

If, for some odd reason, he did miss a nap

it took me forever to get him back on schedule.

See, he needed this schedule.

I needed this schedule.

I went something like this:

Wake: 6-6:30

Get us both up, fed and ready for day.

Him off to preschool, me off to college.

Study, learn, study, learn

Pick him up at 12:15

Nap: 12:30

I could study & get homework done.

Wake: around 3

Play, take a walk, get ready for dinner (eat promptyly at 5 cause mamas hungry)

Bedtime: 6:30ish

Me: possibly off to night class

See how perfectly planned the day was!?

Now, with my secondborn, I'm definitely a little more relaxed.

She must take a nap but bedtime can be pushed back a little if need be.

Like Fourth of July, she was up til 10!!

That NEVER would have happened with Logan.

There's even been a crazy occasion or two where she's missed a nap!

Like, if we are on the lake at nap time.

This isn't often but it's happened.

See how much more lenient I am now?

So why so strict with sleep schedules? What's really the point?

I mean, they'll be out of the naps soon anyway right?

Don't they need to work around my schedule?

I'm glad you asked!

These are my thoughts. These are in no way meant to be seen as THE way and if you don't do them you're a bad person. Just my thoughts and how & why I do things. Yes, sometimes I get heckled for my strictness, hence the nickname but, hey I'm ok with that!

Schedules

Kids love schedules. Really it's true! I can't remember a book or article I didn't read this in.

They like to know what's coming next. That lunch will be around 11:30.

That they'll nap after lunch and so on and so forth.

Ofcourse there's times you need to be flexible (ie vacations, special outings) but, for the most part, stick to what they know.

I mean, let's face it, they'll have a schedule pretty much the rest of their lives. Whether it's school schedule, work schedule or just palin being on time to meetings/events.

Kids are happier when they know what to expect and get the right amount of sleep.

Especially when they have a nap.

It's easier for you, for them and for whoever may be keeping your kids if you're away.

Schedules makes for less tantrums throughout the day and

who doesn't want less tantrums!!??

Falling Asleep and Staying Asleep

One of the hardest things to teach babies is how to fall asleep and stay asleep on their own.

I have taken the Feber approach with both of mine to help with this.

It takes time and patience and no kid will do it in the same amount of time as the other but, it works. If you stick to it and a few days or weeks of trials will payoff ten-fold in the long run! The Ferber Method, is not a leave them to cry until they pass out method as some might think. It's more like, do your sleep routines (bath, book, bed etc...), get them drowsy but not asleep yet and put them to bed. If they start fussing, wait 5 min., go in to re-assure them, say goodnight and leave. Never pick them back up.

Add 5 min. every time until they finally fall asleep.

This teaches them to not only expect sleep at certain times but, also how to put themselves to sleep. And even put themselves back to sleep if they happen to wake up in the middle of the night. These are lessons they'll need for the rest of their lives.

Co-Sleeping

Not.My.Thing.

At all, not ever.

I know it works for some, having a family bed and all and they love it.

I say more power to 'em.

I, however, like my bed and my room in that bed. I like my personal space when I sleep.

The only time I've let our kids in the bed is in their first few months because they are nursing throughout the night. B was in her bed at 2 months and Logan at 5 months.

I have never laid down with them to get them to nap. They can easily get confused, think that's what they need to sleep and then it takes so much longer to break that habit. I can't imagine having to do that everytime they were supposed to nap! I'd never get anything accomplished. I have had an issue with Logan sneaking in the bed in the wee hours of the morning but, that's because he's beds wet and that's a whole other topic!

White Noise

It is a life saver. I highly suggesting purchasing a sound machine before the babies home.

They are used to that sound of swooshes and whooshes in your belly. Plus it helps to drown out any background noise that might wake them (ie other kiddos, doorbell, having friends over). This does not mean falling asleep to a tv. That, to me, is just another bad habit. One that just might follow them into adulthood. I think you'll just know when to stop with the sound machine. When Logan was around 4 he pretty much told me he was done with it and it's never been an issue. That kid could sleep through anything.

I know my thoughts are completely different from others and I am in no way saying it's my way or no way but, I do have pretty strong feelings regarding sleep. It's worked very well for us. Having these sleep habits instilled early in life can only make for

happier kids throughout the day.

To sum up my thoughts, this is a great excert from a book I love

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child:

"Sleep is the power source that keeps your mind alert and calm. Every night and at every nap sleep recharges the brains battery, increases brainpower and your attention span. Sleeping well allows you to be physically relaxed and mentally alert at the same time.

Then you are at your personal best."

To see short term and long term effects of good sleep habits

(or lack thereof) check out this link.

Sleep Habits

What are your thoughts?

Potty Training 101

I had been planning since Brynn's 2nd birthday to start the potty training process this summer.
My plan of attack was to just stay home as much as possible
and let her run around naked, moving the potty from room to room with us.
Her prize would be a sticker to decorate the potty and a few chocolate covered raisins.
I figured that summer would be the best time since we didn't have any vacation plans
and I wouldn't have to worry about running Logan back and forth to school.
Well, our washer broke, as you might remember.
At the beginning of summer.
Plans were thwarted.
BUT
Floors are now dunzo!
And potty training has begun!

Notice her strategically placed sticker for one success.

Things went very slow.
She'd have 3 accidents to every success.
I was feeling discouraged.
"Did I start this too early? Is she really ready? How will I know for sure?"
So many questions.

A week and a half later.
We are getting there.
Today was a major milestone!
She pooped AND peed without me even having to ask!
To make the day even better,
Logan ran upstairs to me this afternoon and said she'd pooped again!
She had even taken it to the big potty, dumped it out and flushed!!
All By Herself!!
Today has given me renewed confidence that she IS ready.
She CAN do this.
Who knows, maybe she'll be fully trained by the time school starts back in a week.
Plus, it's pretty darn cute seeing this bare butt running around the house all day.
*although dads not too thrilled with it*

And not one accident has happened on our
glorious new floors that I'll post about soon.
Promise.

My Dear Son Logan's Future...

Apparently includes this:

Which is completely fine!
Because I LOVE Jeeps.
BUT

It also includes these:

And if you don't know, those are spinners.

Yep.

He wants a Jeep with spinners for his first car.

He's been saying this for about a year now.

Hmmmmm
So I guess it'd look a little like this:

But in my mind,

it looks like this:

Yes, I know that's a hummer but still.

To make matters worse...

He spotted one of these gems in my sis in laws car the other day

(for what reason she had it in there I haven't a clue)

His eyes twinkled off the fake gemstones.

As soon as I saw it I knew what was coming.

"MOM! What is THIS!?"

Eyes of wonderment are abounding.

"Can I have it?"

I do NOT like where this is going.

I mean, kids change their minds all the time right!?

My Daily Monlogue

Having Brynn toddle along behind me all day

makes for some very interesting conversation.

Really!

It's riveting!

I'll give you an example:

Me: Brynn are you hungry?

Her: A ewe hungy?

Me: Brynn, where's your cup?

Her: Wheres cup?

Me: MAN! It's so hot outside!

Her: Soo Hot Mom!

Me: You're hot too?

Her: Hot too?

Me: Brynn! Why are you soaking wet?

Her: soakin wet.

Me: Did you play in the potty?

Her: Play potty?

Me: BRYNN! Why is there poop all over your bed!!??

Her: POOP BED!!

Me: Did you poop in your bed?

Her: Poop bed?

Me: Yep, I think so.

Her: Yep, tink so.

These are just snipets of stimulating conversations that happen 24/7 around here.

Like a conversation with yourself all day long.

Maybe one day she'll actually start answering questions but,

for right now, it's pretty darn funny and I'm ok with that.

Her: Ok wit dat.

Finding Sleep

Some nights it's very hard for me to find sleep.

It doesn't happen alot

but when it does,

MAN my brain is on overload!

WELL

Last night was one of those nights.

Ofcourse I think about things that are stressing me out

But, I also write blog posts in my head.

I do this ALOT

and they never get written.

So today I decided to write a small list of posts I wrote in my head

This way, I'll HAVE to write them!

At least before the end of the year.

Here Goes:

9/11

(this would be thanks to the movie Remember Me that I just watched)

My Super Awesome Amazing Friends

He's Not So Little Anymore

The Sleep N*zi

(Don't want to use that term loosely but that's what my friends call me)

The Tales of a Two Year Old Toddler

Soooooo That's 5 right there.

I know I can do it!

*UPDATED*

I went to see what the kids were into and Logan informed me he HAD to build this castle from Lego's. He'd laid awake thinking about it and designing it and it had to be built!

WOW we are so alike it's scary sometimes.

THIS TOWN

This Night

This Crowd

Come on put em up

Let me hear it loud.

This Town

This City

This Crowd

Stand up on your feet

Put your worry down

And everyone of you

All Around

Come on ya'll let's take this town

I know I've mentioned Smithville before.

And the Fiddlers Jamboree that's held there every 4th of July.

My entire dad's side of the family lives here.

But, in all my 30 years of going, I've never really taken any pictures of this spectacular event!

Well, that's all changed now my friend!

I wanted to really capture the

True Essence of Smithville.

Let's explore it through photos now:

This is my cousins pool that we swim at every year.

It's on a golf course and right beside my Mema's house.

It's peaceful and country and I love it.

Here we have the Square.

Where all the action is!

I spent MANY evenings scouring these streets for boys

with whichever friend made the trip up with me that year.

And, ofcourse, with my dear friend Rachel (whose family I mentioned before) from ATL.

Obviously this was many years ago.

This particular photo

Cracks

Me

UP!

I mean, when will you ever see

Facepainting

Bratwurst Ice Cream

Italian Bistro

And a man clad in a sleeveless tiger shirt.

Yes.

Really.

That's ALL happening here.

I have no clue what these little puppets are actually called

But I had to have one!

Every year!

You just weren't quite cool if you weren't walking around

with a fake pet on marionette strings.

Anyone know their name?

Mmmmm

FESTIVAL FOOD!

Fried Twinkies, Oreos AND Moonpies.

Deep Fried Pizza

And Batter Fried Veggies.

Ehhh

I'll start my diet tomorrow.
These rays were

BREATHTAKING
I have no good commentary here

except I really liked these colors.

Don't you just want to sit on the curb

With a Sweet Tea

And maybe a

Deep Fried Moon Pie

And listenin to these fellas!

I told you my ENTIRE family lives here.

I'm pretty certain there's also a

Cantrell's Car Lot

Cantrell's Cemetary

Cantrell's Pizza Inn
*maybe not*

I just really liked this shot.

He looks all

Teenagey

and

Angsty

And I love the fact that the mailbox beside him has

SPARKLE

written in the dirt.

Ole Timey Pharmacy

My other cousin is the pharmacist here.

This may or may not have been a

good boy meeting alley.

Look at those ladies!
And that pink building!

And the aqua detailing!

I can definitely see why

Cantrell's Jewelry

Is Going Out of Business

with

Granny's Goldmine

to compete with.

This shirt along with a

Belly Button Lent Brush

were just a few of the treasures we encountered.

Yes, belly button lent brush.

My OTHER cousins house is just up the street from here and you must see it!

He's selling it and I took the photos for him.

It's glorious.

I'll post them soon.

Til Next Year Jamboree!

Ahoy Matey Shower

As me and the girls were sitting around brainstorming ideas for this shower it seemed to be going nowhere. Maybe we shoule just do colors. Not really a theme. That's kinda how her room is decorated anyway.

Then it hit us.

Like a ton of bricks!

A sailboat theme!

Blues & Reds & Starfish & Sailboats!

AHOY!

Our main inspiration is from the photos of the

Proud Parents to be below.

These crazy kids had Team O (for Overton) shirts made for a canoe trip one year.

His said Captain on the front and hers, First Mate.

I decided to use a photo from her recent Maternity shoot I did as the guest book.

And I also FINALLY got to make these adorable Pom Poms I've been dying to make
(via Martha Stewart)!
Don't they just SCREAM party! I love them.
So festive.

Everything on this cake is edible.

EVERYTHING!

Even that plastic looking baby.

Honestly it kinda freaks me out.

A baby being edible.

But man that cake is gorgeous!

See!? Would YOU feel right eating that baby!?

These tees were made by our friend Katie. Some were iron ons and some she sowed
(is that the right word)! How cute is that guitar!

I had to throw in this shot of sweet Annabelle.

She's not feeling the baby eating either.

Seriously. I'm dying to take this little girls pictures!

One Proud Mama-To-Be

You think it's hard to take pictures of a group of kids?

Try a LARGE group of ladies!

Seriously, when we all get together it's pretty much constant chatter & laughter.

I Love You All!

Exhibit A:

Where's Jenn? I can't see Jenn?

Emily, what are you doing to Baby Ethan?

Amanda, are you still eating?

At least Michelle's ready.

Exhibit B:

Still can't see Jenn.

Teesha? Is that you peeping in there?

Now Michelle's gone and Katie & Emily are just so HAPPY to be there.

Exhibit C:

Carrie. Why are you still singing?

Amber, Carrie's singing is not THAT funny.

Tina. Smile!

Michelle's still gone but there's Jenn!

Exhibit D:

FINALLY!

I think we got everyone In

And everyone Looking!

Can't wait to meet you Baby Ethan.

You guys will be Amazing, Loving parents.

He's one lucky little guy.