CHOO CHOO CAKE!

My son insisted on a choo choo cake, so we had Nemo balloons, partyware, favors, etc...and then a choo choo cake! He loved it! Wanted it all for himself. One thing I did not even ponder, is that he decided to drive the choo choo edible sugars around the cake on the decorating gel track! Ha! The cake was a mess by the time everyone got a piece. I so love that boy! He had sooo much fun. Running, playing, eating his favorite food "pizza", his own pop, and his choo choo cake! He got a train table, jay jay the jet plane toys, choo choo's, cowboy boots, an animated/musical 'horse on a stick' as I like to call it. I just can't believe he is already 2! But, what a Handsome 2 he is!

HE'S 2...boohoo!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET HANDSOME,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOO YOOOUUUUU!

♥ ♥

Let me just say this again...

This boy of mine is simply AMAZING! The things he does, the things he now says...he just dumbfounds me most of the time. Today, I had a meeting at work. I took the babies. Both were very well behaved. On the way I picked up a Dutch Bros. coffee, but left it in the van since I was one hand short of being able to carry it in with me. When the meeting got started, suddenly Beau went rushing over to one of the other nurses, yelling, "HEY! MOMS!", I looked over to see him reaching for HER Dutch Bros. cup of coffee! Ha! I guess he does pay alot more attention to detail than I thought.

Puddle Stompin'

I took that boy for a walk today. It had stopped raining, so I put on his rubber boots, and rain coat and we walked down the road a bit. He did not hesitate to stomp in the first puddle he saw! And, as we went along, he got braver, and started walking through the ditches in front of all the houses along the road. He was super stubborn too when it came time to head home. Even though his socks were all wet, and he had fallen on his butt backwards, so his pants were all wet as well. He just had a blast stompin' in the puddles!

Big Brother Beau

This morning, the babies were wide awake very early. Leah was a busy one, and likes to get into the cupboard with my cookbooks, and my Beau knows better, so he started pulling her by the leg saying, "NO! lee-la, NO!" It was too cute! I had to take a picture.

A Breathtaking Moment

Today my Grace went shopping with Auntie for a few hours. I was napping when she left, the babies had gotten up at 5am. When they got back, and I saw them walking up to the door, I had to just stop a minute, and take a second look at Gracie Mae! She looked so pretty, so grown up! I don't know if it was just the way she had her hair pulled back, or her height next to my sister, (she has grown a bit!), but I just thought to myself, "WOW! She is so beautiful!"

Hello God, it's me...

Just want to say, 'Happy Birthday' to my GG! I love you GG! I miss you! ♥

Girls Day Out

This past saturday, a friend and I went ALONE shopping out of town. She needed to find something for her brothers wedding, and I just tagged along for a chance to get away for the day from kids. A nice break. We had a blast! We got there just as the mall opened, looked around, had a coffee, some lunch, got free facial massages, and makeovers at Meier&Frank (which was sooo much fun!) I never knew that some of the products they used even existed! It was amazing how they took pencils, and drew on our faces to make them look not only lifted, yes!, but shimmer, and shine, and GLOW! Ofcourse these things are outrageously expensive, just 18.00 for the pencil called, "high brow", or "eye bright". And, another 26.00 for the face powder called, "Dallas". Ridiculous. But, I tell ya, they do work some magic!
We hit major clearance at JC Penney, jeans for 10.00, l/s tops for 5.00. Can't beat that! We had so much fun, we just lost all track of time! I think we could have spent a full 12 hour day there.
It was great to get out, and do my own thing for the day, but as always, there had to be an absurd twist to it all. When we were leaving, I got no farther from the mall than a block or so, and we heard this strange popping sound like it came from under the van, and then I lost all power to it! I could not break, I had to think quick and put on the E break, and hazard light mid-DOWN hill mind you! I was so scared. Turns out , the rotor came loose, and it just had to have a new screw, and be tightened back down. I sure hope this NEVER happens EVER again! What a way to end my 'stress free' day.

This shirt says it all!

I was rifling through the girls' boxes of stashed away clothes, and came across this tank top I got for Drew on clearance last summer for this coming summer. I had forgotten all about it. It just fits her to a T!

I miss...

...reading books without pictures in them.
...the sunday paper, and a nice cup of coffee without a baby hanging off of one boob grabbing at my coffee, and newspaper!
...nice warm, bubbly evening baths!
...a shower before noon, without someone knocking the door down trying to find me.
...adult conversation.
...watching a movie from start to finish.
...spontaneity.
...summer.
...Evie.
...my skinny self.
...my husband (sometimes,ha!)
...crafts with the big kids (babies are so absorbing!)
...my Grandma Georgia.
...actually going away for Our Anniversary.
...just being a kid!

Beau Micheal...

what shall I do with you boy?! How busy you are, how crazy, how WILD! Flipping light switches off and on a million times while standing on a diaper box, or pink play kitchen chair! Throwing all of your food on the floor just to reitterate to me that you are "DONE!" Wiggling, and laughing hysterically, falling limp like jello everytime I try to change your diaper, and dress you, making me ever SO frustrated!!! Dragging all of Drew's clean laundry down the hallway as she makes a very lame attempt at putting it away. Analyzing and disposing of every choo choo I give you as I lay you down to sleep, declaring, "NO, THOMAS!" Getting out of bed, and turning on the light at 10pm, and being found by Mom or Dad lining up your choo-choo's on your bedroom floor! Freezing at the sound of a diesel truck driving by our house, (while inside of the house). Sneaking the box of cheez-its and hiding behind your crib, or the coffee table eating them first thing in the morning. Watching 'Polar Express' every chance you can get. Come running telling Mommy, "Mom! Lee-la, poop!" every time YOU poop your diaper! Hurrying up to hide the evidence of a mess made, and blaming it on 'lee-la' when you aren't quick enough!...I could go on and on. You WILD little boy! "I name you King of all WILD THINGS!"... "I'll eat you up, I love you so!"

Victoria's Reasons Why...

Beau getting into everything! Even the girls' jewelry boxes!
Beau having food fights with the floor!
Leah now finding everything in the cupboards! (As sweet as she may look!)
Beau's everyday, every meal highchair mess!

...I need a break once in awhile!

Drew's New Do

I cut her hair all by myself! She needed a trim anyway, and asked if she could have shorter hair, I didn't want to go too short, but I think it turned out really cute! She says she looks like the girl in the "MATILDA" movie.

Funny Little Things

Beau Michael was singing the 'Hot Chocolate' song from Polar Express today while he was eating his breakfast in the high chair. As I listened closely to him, he was actually singing, "hot hot hot hot choo choo! hot hot hot HOT choo choo! HOT CHOO CHOO!" I just laughed! It was too funny that what he got from that song was 'choo choo' vs. 'chocolate'.

We went to town today for a milk run, and I didn't have time to nurse Leah once more before we left. By 11am ( and I had to be home by 12 noon) she had taken her hat, and nursed on the ball at the top until she fell asleep in her carseat!

Boys and Toys

The other day I was playing with Beau and Leah, some wooden blocks from the older girls that you can make flowers out of. I was showing Beau how to put the blocks so that they ended up looking like a flower. It has to do with colors, shapes too. Well, he watched, said, "WOW", but once I got done making 2 flowers with him, he took one apart, keeping only the stem, and flower center on and, like a boy, started jabbing it into the air and making these funny sounds like he had a sword or something?! It was so funny! So strange how it is engrained in him, the boy, so opposite the girls. Everyday he surprises me.

My Twin

OH BABY!

Little Leah Lou is just starting to do so much more now. She is pulling herself up onto furniture, and toys, pushing buttons on toys and realizing how to work them on her own. She is gabbing nonstop, and gets sooo excited when the girls get home from school, or Beau wakes up to greet her with his, "HIIIIIII LA-LA, HIIEEE!" It is so precious to hear him in his little high pitched voice, so happy to see sissy in the morning. The other night I gave them both popscicles in thier high chairs, and Leah was in heaven! Her first popscicle. So now, everytime Beau gets one, Leah fusses for one until she too gets one. If I give Leah a gerber cookie, Beau must also have one too. I can see how being so small together will make them close. He adores her, and she loves him. I will be so sad when the baby days are all over. I wish I could just bottle them up and keep them little forever!

Bedtime, Shmedtime!

The boy is just not cooperating so well anymore with staying in his toddler bed. Since discovering the ease with which he can get his own self out of his bed, then out of his room, and back into the living room where the choo choo trains are kept, HE WILL NOT STAY IN BED! I think the past few nights he has arose an average of 10x, only to be shooed back to bed, as he yells, "more ba-ba, read me, pee-pee, CHOO CHOO!" Anything he can think of the get out of bed. It's driving me crazy! This has to get better, or I think I might have to put the crib rail back on!

Dance Baby, Dance!

Leah got this adorable toy for christmas from my MIL. It's called "dance baby, dance!" There is a little monkey on it that spins and dances as the music plays, and a mat to trigger the music as she steps on it. For the first time christmas day, she started dancing to the music after we got this all put together! It was so cute! She pulled up, and started shaking her leg like Elvis!

Choo-Choo Heaven

Our nieghbor so generously loaned us thier sons old Thomas the Tank Engine wooden train set for Beau to play with. I was so gracious. Not that he is in NEED by any means, but what a nice thing for someone to do! ♥

Day AFTER Christmas...

Well, never made it to get kids photos done for christmas as I usually do. So, today, I took them out back, and took a picture of them sitting on a log that has been overgrown by ivy and this is what I wil send out in christmas cards. It's not too late yet, is it? OOPS! I never mailed out any cards either!

What a Christmas Morning!

I went to bed last night, expecting only to rest my eyes, then rouse to "play Santa". Well...at 3:30 this morning I awoke, jumped up realizing that I had not stuffed stockings nor placed presents under the tree. So, I quickly got out of bed, and did just so. Then, I realized I we had not left out any cookies for Santa, so I quick thought of something, and drank some milk and left the cup out next to the empty plate. On my way back to bed, I then realized that all the batteries to the camcorder, and digital camera were DEAD! SO DEAD! So, I had to round up the chargers and get batteries charging for morning. By the time I got back to bed, Jack's alarm went off to get up for work, (yes, he had to work on christmas!) so I got up as he showered, made him some breakfast, and went back to bed. Leah then woke, so I fed her, then as she was falling back to sleep, I could hear Beau crying from his room, so I just got up, and stayed up. He was sooo whiney, over tired, late night christmas eve, and early rise. So, he was not quite too thrilled with opening presents(not even one's specially wrapped in choo choo paper!)...Grace had to wake up Drew or we would never have gotten around to opening gifts, and when she opened the first present, she started balling..."I didn't get a gameboy, I asked Santa for a gameboy, why didn't I get a gameboy?" Grace said, "Drew! YOU asked Santa for so much things, he can only choose one thing on your list!" Then,the next gift was a gift certficate in a box, so very light, like an empty box, as she removed the wrap from that box, she exclaimed with tears running down her face, "I JUST GOT A BOX!" I had to laugh! She got over it, and the day got better, but I am so exhausted. Thank goodness it's all over...till next year that is.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

To My Man

So, recently, my husband butted in while I was posting in my blog. He asked to read, I said, fine, you go ahead, and let him sit down and read awhile. To my dismay he came away from the computer stating I was a "B", and that he should start his own blog. Apparently he had some wild fantasy that my blog was not about the normal, daily things that happen to me, but rather a blog of professed love for him, and never ending praise for "all the things he does". Don't get me wrong. I LOVE THIS MAN, SO MUCH IT HURTS! But, my average day does not consist of much interaction with him, rather, my very demanding and all consuming children. So, I must give him something to read, to understand just how much I feel for him, should the occasion occur that he reads my blog again...

Jack (and I say that affectionately with very little sarcasm), I love you more than I could ever love a man. YOU make my life complete. To me, you are the most handsome fish I could have EVER reeled in! YOU gave me 3 beautiful, amazing children for which I could never be more thankful. In them, I see you every day. If ever a day came that you did not arrive home after work as expected, should some unfortunate event take you away from me, I would die inside. I am not perfect, I know this. I will try harder every day to let you know how I truly feel. I am sorry for all of the angry words that I have said. I am sorry for always trying to push you to make the decision that would be mine. If we had nothing, I would still love you. I love you forever, and always.

Sick of Kids

I awoke yesterday with what seemed like the start of a mild cold, but today it is a full blown head cold! I feel miserable. Yet, everyone still expects that I 'hold the fort down', and act happy as ever. I feel terrible! SOOO terrible. I have taken tylenol 3x, with no real relief, my head is pounding, and my nose is stuffy, my throat sore, and a hoarse, nasty cough, along with occasional forceful sneezes. I hate this. I am usually not the one that gets sick, but I failed to avoid it this time around.
Because I feel so horrible, I had the girls go to bed tonight at 9:30. They just about had a heart attack right there in front of me, "but it's not a school night!" SO WHAT! That's all I could stand to argue back. They are undoubtedly mad at me, but I just cannot handle anymore fighting, no more noisy T.V., and I am not going to be getting up to make sure they turn off the T.V. in a few hours from now. They are in bed, but they did not get there without some rebellion. And, what does Daddy do, but come right in after me, and say, "You can stay up late tomorrow, Mommy will be at work!" So, they respond, as I'm listening in from the bathroom, "Mommy works tomorrow? Good!" Nice. That makes me feel wonderful. Now I just want to cry.

He's a Big Boy now!

Today, I turned Beau Michael's crib into a toddler bed. He was so excited for me to finish so he could just climb up into his bed. Once I was done, and I showed him that he could get in and out all by himself, he did just so, climbing in, and sliding out, "up...down....up...down". Shortly afterward, he was way overdue for nap, so I made him his ba-ba, and he got into bed, and I said, "you stay in your bed, naptime!" He nodded yes. So, I came out here to my room, and started picking up toys, etc. then next thing I know, I hear some rustling in the cupboards, and here comes Beau, with a bag of cheerios, and sits on the couch! "Ba-ba, gone!" Ha! I chased him back to his room after taking the bag of cheerios, which made him scream, but he did stay in bed this time, and napped quite a long nap. He is now in bed for the night, only 1x up, for 'more ba-ba'! Not bad for the first night of newfound freedom, huh?

Christmas is here!

I get my children an ornament each year that somehow signifies an event that occurred in the past year, or something they really enjoyed. Beau just loves airplanes, so for his 2nd christmas, I got him this adorable little biplane. He won't leave it on the tree!

I just love the sparkle of white christmas lights on a dark winter night!

My son is also a 'choo-choo' fanatic. These are the first words out of his mouth each morning, and they continue ALL DAY LONG!

My Sweet "Lela" ~ 9 months

T'was a bad day today.

Good vs. Evil

I have debated upon blogging this. A rather horrible part of my life, in my opinion. I have nearly lost my mind, and my husband! My stepdaughter is no longer living with us at this point. A tremendous trail of events lead to this. We found notes, web pages she created (all parents out there, beware myspace.com), her sneaking out, running away, attacking my husband & scratching him till he bled. She has been nothing short of pure evil in this house. We are both at a loss of what to do, and so she is no longer in our home. I am sick of sacrificing the happiness, and attention that my 4 children so greatly deserve! However, her crack head mother continues calling our home, multiple times during the day, making threats, blaming US for the events of the past year, when everything she is saying could not be farther from the truth. I just cannot understand how a Mother could lead her child to a life of drugs, dishonestly, hatred, anger, irresponsibility, and mischeviousness. How could a Mother choose drugs over her child? How could she stand to live? She has turned my stepdaughter against my husband, her own father, all for her own satisfaction. I fear the person she will become having been in, and raised around all of this drama. But, I do know, that I must go on, MY children need ME! And, I cannot allow them to be slighted by my preoccupation with all of this. I will not let this affect them like it has affected me, and my husband. We were near divorce, so very near divorce so many times this past year due to dealing with the problems created by this Meth Mom, and her daughter. Satan back down!!! I will not let you use them to destroy MY family! The love we have for eachother through God will win this one!

And he speaks...TOO MUCH!

I just could not wait for this boy to start talking, and now I am thinking I should not have been so eager for him to start! He is never, and I mean, NEVER quiet anymore. One good thing is the binky has taken a backseat more often than not. But, my home is now so full of noise at all times of the day, my brain is frying! If it's not Leah crying, it's Beau screaming "CHOO CHOO", or Drew begging for something to eat, whining to play with somebody, or Grace retelling what happened on some TV show that, quite honestly, I just could care less about, (sorry Grace!).
It is quite cute however, how they say things at this age. He says "neenee" for binky, "hush", "lee-la" for Leah, "pop", "pease?" for please, "pay" for play, "mam" for Grandma, "Gayce" for Grace, "dew" for Drew, "baf" for bath...the list goes on and on, I wish I could think of it all right now.
I do just adore that boy. Man, do they have it right with the 'planes, trains, and automobiles'. I have watched Thomas the Tank Engine's greatest hits so many times I know the songs by heart. And, did you know that Alec Baldwin is one of the narrators? I now stop everytime I see a choo choo train, or truck in a store. Something I never did before in my life. I love this new part of me that wants to join in as my son pretends to be the choo choo train, or run through the house pretending to be an airplane, arms stretched out. He is so amazing. So, beautiful. SO BOY! I just love it! ♥♥♥

HIDING

I'm hiding, I'm hiding, and no one knows where,

For all they can see is my toes, and my hair.

And I just heard my Father say to my Mother,

"But darling, he must be somewhere or other."

"Have you looked in the inkwell?", and Mother said, "Where?"

"In the inkwell.", said Father, but I was not there.

Then, "Wait!" cried my Mother-

"I think that I see him under the carpet.", but it was not me.

"Inside the mirror's a pretty good place."

Said Father, and looked, but saw only his face.

"We've hunted,"sighed Mother, "as hard as we could,

And I AM so afraid that we've lost him for good!"

Then I laughed out aloud, and wriggled my toes,

And Father said, "Look Dear, I wonder if those toes could be *Beau's.

There are ten of them. See?"

And they were so surprised to find out it was ME!

♥This was a poem in an Child Craft book that was handed down to me from my Mother, who recieved them from her Mother. This stuck out in my memory once I took this photo of my son, "hiding" beneath a stool. I added his name to it. It's such a cute poem!♥

Pretty in Pink

Morning Mowhawk

Leah awoke the other morning with a mowhawk, it was hilarious! The girls giggled till Drew about pee'd her pants, and insisted that I take a picture...so, here it is!

Mmm,mmm, good!

Little Leah is an absolute monster when it comes to eating. She is still under the spell of the booby, and refuses to eat much more than baby rice cereal. The doctor informed me that she must have more than rice cereal and said to just mash up real good, whatever it is I made for dinner. So, I have been doing that. Tonight, I made macaroni&cheese, green beans, and chopped up some vienna sausages for the babies. She loved it! Green beans and all! Crazy baby!

My Incredible Boy

A House without Handsome?

My adorable little man is spending the night with "PaPa" tonight. It is sooo much more empty feeling in this house without him. It is not quiet, Leah keeps the volume up, but it most definitely is strange feeling. By 8pm, both Grace and Drew were saying, "I already miss Beau, he's so fun to play with!" And, I keep expecting his little body to come running out to me yelling, "Mama! Ba-ba! Hug!" I just adore him. I guess I should be enjoying my one baby night, after all, Leah is sleeping in her crib vs. my bed! I am enjoying the freedom, there's just something about that boy that makes me feel whole.

Beau Micheal Joseph...YOU ARE VERY MUCH A WANTED BOY!