Bad Mom Day

October 19, 2013 By Kate 3 Comments

Today was not a day that I am proud of.

I have these days, oh, about once a month, and I simply can NOT say anything nice.  To anyone!  I have no patience with my kids.  I sound like Debbie downer when my friends casually ask how I am doing.  They expect the normal “fine, thanks,” not “well let me tell you…”

It’s Friday night, and I am in my pjs, in bed, with all 4 maniacs in bed…at 7:59!

That’s right, 7:59!

That just doesn’t happen in this house, but it was an absolute necessity today, or you were going to get to see my picture on the news…and not in a good way!  If I had the energy, I would make these.  The good thing is that I made it to the Cookie Company today, and inhaled a doozie already, so I can pass on the PMS Brownies…until tomorrow.

Annnywaaay,

Tomorrow is Baylor Homecoming and the Rose Festival.  We are not going to make it to homecoming this year (BOOHOO!!!), but hopefully we will get to “see the princesses.”

And I can say with confidence that tomorrow will be a better day.

Since my precious little wild ones are tucked away in their beds, sleeping soundly, I feel that it would be good for my heart to see some pictures of them having fun.  They can’t talk back or disobey in pictures.  Right?  See below.

First, my little athlete loves playing football, and I love watching him.  It’s flag football, which is just perfect with me.  He rocks at it, and makes this mama proud!

And this picture is from another game, but I had to include it.  My big bug left everyone in the dust for the TOUCHDOWN!

Also, last week, Brad and I took the girls to see the princess dresses at the Rose Museum, and they loved it!  They kept begging to be one of the princesses one day, but we just laughed and squashed their dreams and told them that it was NEVER going to happen.  That’s one of those “nevers” that I feel pretty confident saying.  Poor girls.

Seriously, he is the world’s best daddy!

Okay, so I sat on the ground and politely asked these 3 to stand with the pretty princess so I could take their picture.  What was that about not disobeying in pictures?  So here are a few attempts…

That is my child petting the dress, right above the sign that clearly states “Do NOT Touch!”

Seriously!

Georgia finally stood up, and the tongue came out!

I give up!  Just go run!

I do love these sweet maniacs!  They make me crazy on days like today, but I know for certain that I, too, make them crazy.

I am so far from the perfect mom and so VERY far from anything that can be called “together” and so far from the woman I want to be.  And it’s days like today that I am crying out to the Lord as I hastily spread peanut butter and jelly on a sandwich at 7:35 am, after giving my third spankin’ of the morning, that I am thankful that He forgives me!  Before I even had a chance to get coffee, I was fussing to God about my children being so disobedient and hard headed.  I was telling God that I give them everything that they need and almost everything that they want.  I love them and do everything in the world for them.  I give them my all, and they just give me crap!  They don’t appreciate me and they don’t listen and they don’t respect me at all as their mother.

It was then that I started tearing up, because I realized I was talking about MYSELF!  I am that person to MY Father!

I am just as hard headed and just as disobedient and just as ungrateful and unappreciative.  It’s not intentional.  It’s busyness and worry and no time for the Lord and too much time on facebook and too much time texting and too much time doing all kinds of “stuff” that doesn’t matter!

It’s me not taking time to smell the roses and thank God for all the glorious colors and smells and sites.

It’s me being too quick to fuss at my kids for getting every single pair of my shoes out, to notice how cute they are wearing my shoes.

It’s me getting so flipping frustrated that I cook every meal with an arts and crafts festival at my feet, as I dodge glue, and markers and try not to slide on papers, instead of sitting down to draw with them or appreciate their artwork.

I have now started to ramble and confess all my sins to the www.

My point is this…I needed to see pictures of my little darlings tonight, and reflect on my own sinful nature and just be thankful that I have a God that loves me, regardless of all my junk!  He loves me even when I have a bad attitude.  He wants my time and my energy, and I know He will give ME the energy to deal with all those little maniacs that make me looney!

It’s days like today that I forget to count my blessings.  It’s not that I don’t know I should.  It’s that I am so self consumed with my bad attitude that I forget to thank God for these wonderful gifts!

Lord, thank you for keeping me humble.  Thank you for blessing my life more than I could ever ask or imagine with these little live wires!  Thank you that they all have big personalities and strong wills.  I truly am thankful for that…but it sometimes makes me crazy!  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise them, and please help me to show each one of them how much I love them in the way they need to be shown. 

Lord, on days like today, please remind me to hug them even tighter, to step back and breathe, and to remember what matters most to them and to you.  Thank you for blessing our whole family with a man after your own heart.  Thank you for his love and his kindness, and that he can come in and calm us all down.  Thank you for forgiving my ugliness.  My selfish, covetous, lazy, time-wasting ugliness!  Please daily convict me, very strongly, to be in your word and in your presence.  Help me to make wise choices as I lead these little ones, and I pray that they will not remember days like today or the many ways that I am screwing them up! 

Lord, please allow us all to wake up refreshed and happy and ready to have a fun weekend.

amen

-kate

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My Plea for Prayers

October 7, 2013 By Kate 6 Comments

I have 4 babies, and 3 of them are girls.  Since the moment I saw the positive pregnancy tests, I prayed that any girls I birthed would be blessed with precious friends that would love them, encourage them, be kind to them, hold them accountable, and lead them closer to the Lord.  Especially for girls, my prayer was that they would be blessed with friends…as I have been blessed.

I can say with certainty that I have been blessed beyond measure with lifelong, amazing friends.

Well this weekend, two of these precious friends were in a horrible car accident.

I know so many of you can relate to this, but my college friends are irreplaceable.  Yes, I have made friends since college.  Amazing, wonderful, dear friends!  But there’s just something about the women that you spend 4 years of your life with, that bond you forever as lifelong best friends!

Of course we don’t see each other as often as we should.  We have a million children between the few of us.  But all it takes is a second and we jump right back into feeling like we’ve never been apart.

We get each other.

We know each other.  We know each others’ home towns.

We know each others’ maiden names…and not just because it’s on Facebook.

We know each others’ struggles and quirks.

We know things…because we were together 24 hours a day…for years.

We know who fills coffee mugs full of ketchup and mustard for a snack and who has night terrors that wake the whole house up and who must clean her ears out every single day and who pops backs and who pops pimples and who is messy and who slept on a tiny corners of their beds because the rest of their beds were covered with clothes and books.  We know who showers every day and who should shower every day and who has a little gas and who claims she has NEVER!  We know who is responsible and who should never be allowed to pay the bills, and who would fall hard and fast for boys and who was skeptical and picky.  We know who can cook and who can eat and who works out, who makes messes and who cleans them up.  When we are hurting, we know who will cry with us, who will make us laugh, and who will punch the fire out of the offender!

We know each others’ family drama, skeletons in the closets, and Jerry Springer issues.

We helped each other through regrets and projects and deadlines.

We owned a cat together…and a goat.

We know what makes each other sad and how to cheer each other up.  We watched each other make wise choices and sometimes we laughed at each others’ walks of shame.

We watched crushes turn into relationships and sometimes we held each other as relationships dissolved.  We did more “drive bys” for each other than I can count.

We talked through a lot of “what ifs” and “what might have beens” over Taco C, big gulps, gut packs, and cafeteria take-out.

We cried on each others’ shoulders when we fell or failed.  We celebrated each others’ successes and accomplishments.

We baked cookies and muffins and rice krispie treats and shared so many bowls of batter that we should all weigh 400 pounds.

We learned how to pray together and learned the value of prayer together.

We grew from little girls into women together.

We have seen most everyone meet their mate, have giddy first dates and first kisses, and fall in love.  We helped plan engagements and plan weddings and celebrate wedding days together.

We have birthed babies that know and love each other (although not living in Dallas, my babies don’t get to see them as often as I would like.)

We love each other…the good, the bad, and the ugly…and we have certainly seen it all.

The photo below shows Ashley, Kristin, me, Kimberly, and Samantha.

…and this weekend something horrible happened.

Two of my precious friends were in a horrible accident.  Ashley and Kristin live in Dallas, but they were outside of Washington DC for Ashley’s little brother’s wedding.  Friday, Ashley was driving she and 5 other people, including Kristin, Ashley’s mom, and a few of her aunts, when a woman traveling the opposite direction veered into Ashley’s lane, causing a horrendous crash.  All 6 people in Ashley’s car were taken to the hospital.  Sadly, one of Ashley’s aunts did not survive the accident.  Kristin was the only one fortunate enough to walk away, but not without bruises and injuries and the mental horror of the accident.

Sweet Ashley is in very critical condition.  She was 8 months pregnant, and she has lost her little baby.  Travis, her husband, and Ashley’s daddy got to hold baby Charlie, but Ashley has been in a medically induced coma since the accident.  We were told that although Ashley lost her baby, the baby probably saved her life.  Ashley has had surgery to repair different parts of her broken and crushed body, but she has many more surgeries to come.  Her left side was basically crushed…her femur, hip, elbow, and shoulder will all have multiple surgeries.

She will one day have to face the reality that her life will never be the same.  She will awake to the very harsh realization that she is in a hospital, hundreds of miles from anything familiar; that her two children (Jack Henry and Finley) are in Dallas with friends and family, that she missed her only brother’s wedding and her aunt’s funeral, that her body is bound and broken, and that her tiny angel, Charlie, saved her life, was born, and has gone to be with the Lord.

She has a long, hard recovery ahead of her.  Hard mentally, physically, emotionally.

But Ashley is a fighter!

The Lord graciously spared her life, and though she is currently in critical condition, I have faith and confidence that He will restore her tiny body completely!  She is determined and I know she will push through for her babies and for her husband and for her whole family.  She is a marathon runner, a go-getter, and one of those people that just seems to be able to do it all.  She will pull through!  But it’s not going to be easy.

At this point, I am begging for prayers for my friend, for her family, for the bride and groom (Ashley’s brother), for the woman that hit them, for the doctors caring for her body, for the friends and family caring for her babies, and for her husband, Travis, to have strength through all of this!

Please join me in lifting this family up today and in the days, weeks, and months to come.  As I type this, Ashley is in yet another surgery, so I am just going to type my plea and my prayer to the Lord.

Lord, as I look at the picture of my precious friend and my baby girl loving on each other, i thank you so much for ashley!  thank you that she gets me.  thank you that we understand each others’ struggles and insecurities.  thank you that you chose to spare her life friday, and i am begging that you will quickly heal her body.  Lord, i know that she is mangled and crushed and that her legs and arms may never be like they were on thursday, but please help the doctors to be able to restore her bones and muscles and skin and all the many parts of her body that they are working on, to be whole again.  to work properly again.  to function without constant pain or a constant reminder of friday’s accident.

please, Lord, help the doctors and nurses to always have her best interest at heart and know that she is a mama and a wife and a young woman that wants to resume “normal” life again.  i pray that they will know exactly what to work on, when, and what parts of her body need the most immediate attention right now.  help her heart rate to come down a little more.  please keep her body free from infection or any illness.  please continue to heal her kidney and her abdomen.

Lord, of course physically, i want you to make her “Ashley” again.  i pray that she will run again.  i pray that you will give her the ability and strength and determination to strap on her running shoes and train again.  i pray that she blows doctors and statistics away with her recovery, her physical recovery.

Lord, i can’t imagine how hard this recovery is going to be for her mentally.  it is going to try her and stretch her and strain her mind…but please, Lord, PLEASE give her the peace that comes only from you.  please give her constant reassurance and knowledge of your love and your presence and your hand.  help ashley see YOU in every part of this, and i know that is going to be hard sometimes. 

please give her sweet husband strength.  he is going to need enough for both of them.  help him to understand her cries and her pain and her struggles.  help him to hold her and love her through it all.  give him a sensitive heart to the anguish that she will endure over the next year.  Lord, i pray that this accident will bring out the strengths of their marriage.  that they would see, because of this, why they love each other so much.  please help travis as he plays mama and daddy and care-taker and house-keeper and all the many hats he will wear.  help him to not tire, and when he does, please provide the people he needs to assist him, rejuvenate him, and keep him strong.

thank you, Lord, for all the friends you have placed in ashley’s life.  thank you for all the people that love her and care about her.  thank you for all the people lifting her up in your name, around the country.

thank you for her 2 precious babies.  please protect them as ash and trav are away.  please give them peace and help them to have “fun” and protect them from knowing all the details of what is actually happening.  Lord, let them welcome their mother home with open arms as quickly as possible.  please help them to maintain a sense of normalcy and help the people caring for them to try to do things as much like ash and trav would as possible.  comfort them as they are without their parents.

thank you for sending sweet charlie to save ashley’s life.  thank YOU for saving her life.  thank you for providing so many to help her get through this.  thank you that she knows YOU as her Lord and Savior!  Thank you that she knows you have a plan for her.  may she never forget that you DO have a plan for her. 

help her to feel all this love from all over the world that is directed at she and travis. 

for now, help her to rest peacefully and to heal.

thank you, Lord, for my sweet friend!

amen.

-kate

²⁰ “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”  -Eph 3:20-21

LK’s Candy Land Birthday Party

September 29, 2013 By Kate 3 Comments

Over a month ago, I had a birthday party for my big girl…and I am finally posting some pics.

My girl loves Candy Land…just like her mama.  She wanted a Candy Land swimming birthday party last year, and her party was SOOOO late that we went with a Princess Party at the Rose Parade, and postponed the Candy Land party until her seventh birthday.  And now, my baby girl is SEVEN!!!

Brad’s parents graciously allowed us to use their pool and their beautiful yard for the party, and it was perfect!

The decorations were super cheap and simple, but that’s the best kind.  Brad’s mom, Kay, helped a lot with them.

Party favors were easy.  Kids got to fill their own bag of candy.

The cake was simple and fun.  It was just white buttercream with fondant and candy accents.  My baby girl LOVED it!  She just giggled and giggled when I showed it to her.

I wanted to make a Candy Land board for the kids to play while they were at the party.  I never dreamed that it would be such a hit.  They played it the whole time.  In fact, I am not sure many of the girls ever got in the pool.  It was very simple.  The rectangles were just sheets of felt from Hobby Lobby.  They were $.25/sheet, regular price, and I am sure that you can catch them cheaper if you plan more than 2 days before the party starts.

The gumdrops at Gumdrop Mountain were buckets and pails and cups.  The lollipops in the Lollipop Woods were very obvious balloons and sticks with cellophane around them.  The stars and “snow” to the right are for the lovely Princess Frostine.  An ice skating rink wasn’t in the budget.

The Peppermint Forest was full of empty cellophane rolls, wrapped in white table cloths and red tape.

After the big girls finished, these three gave it a try.  They are hilarious together!  Poor drew has 2 little mamas.

And this one is just a little sassy!

But drew is so funny, that I know he can hold his own with those women!  Isn’t he the CUTEST?!?!

Some of Lilly Katherine’s sweet friends, Eden, Reagan, and Laura.

Preston and our most favorite TWENTY YEAR OLD…Tayler.

Caleb, AnnaLeigh, Charlotte, Ashley, and Truett.

My little bro and his precious baby girl, his mini-me, Brinley.

I am not sure what Aaron said to the crew on the swing, but it was apparently hilarious!

My beautiful nieces and my little monkey.  I could not make it at these parties without these 2 girls!  LOVE Y’ALL!!!

My big little brother, Taylor and my tired, tired smile.

My baby girl loved the “boons.”

My sweet nephew David (aka “Daby”) is the happiest baby I have ever seen in my life.  His sister, Laurabeth, has combined baby and David, and she calls him “Daby” which I am sure will stick with him the rest of his life.

My mother and cute little Brinley.

My baby loved her party, and I loved it, too!  Good times in Candy Land!

-kate

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Lemonade Stand: Supply and Demand

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First Day of School

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We’re Moving!

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Summa-Summa-Summa-Time!

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The Love of my Life!

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Lake Day with Fabulous Friends

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Homemade Puff Paint

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Thank You, Lord, For My 3rd Grader!

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My Little Graduate

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Church Artwork

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Red Lobster’s Biscuit Recipe

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Honeysuckles for my Honeys!

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The Balance

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Sent From Above

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Rodeo Roundup

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Fishing and Fun

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Photo Dump!

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Mickey Mouse Pops

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Mickey Mouse Train Birthday Party

Hello!  My name is Kate, and this is my blog.  I do exist, but the more I want to put on the old blog, the more I have going on, and the less likely it is that I will actually post anything.  I feel like I just can’t catch up!  Sooooo, instead of doing the […]

Baylor Basketball at it’s Finest

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Roasted Green Beans

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I’ll Love You Forever

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Salmon with Jalapeno Caesar Pasta Salad

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Beep Beep!

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Remembering MamaSara

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Last Week

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My Little Monkey is ONE!

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Um…Yeah! I Worked Out!

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Caught Up!

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I Am Going To Catch Up!

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I’m Alive

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Mississippi-Last Thanksgiving Post, Whew!

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Thanksgiving Day-Yes, I am Behind!

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My Little Recessive Gene

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The Newest Addition

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Pumpkin Cobbler

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Baylor Homecoming

Last weekend, Brad and I loaded up the kids and drove to Baylor for Homecoming.  We planned on leaving our house at 7…HA!  Yeah, those that know me, know how laughable that is.  We left at 8:30, and managed to completely miss the parade.  We drove in the second it ended.  However, we got to […]

BOO!

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LK’s Rose Parade Princess Party

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God’s Faithful Provision

There were several things that happened this summer that I never got around to blogging about, because we were so busy enjoying summer.  However, this is something that I kept thinking I would post and I have put it off WAY too long! When I first started this fun little blog, I posted about having […]

S’mores in the Backyard

We had our first little cool snap this weekend.  I am a summer girl!  I like sun and heat, and I do not like any temp lower than 70!  Thankfully in East Texas, warm weather bounces in and out of November and December.  I just don’t like to be cold…but I do like S’MORES and […]

Septmeber Randoms

Brad took 2 of our kids to church and I am home with the 2 that didn’t need to go spread green snot and throw-up kooties to everyone.  You’re welcome! I have all these random pics on my phone from September, and while I should be working on my BSF lesson, I think I will […]

PMS Brownies and our busy lives

So I am pretty sure that I have NEVER been away from my computer or neglected my email or my blog this long.  I am still here, but just like all of us, life is crazy! The week before last, my time was devoted to the CCC Sale. Last week I was consumed with making […]

Griswold Style

In August, we went on our third annual “Griswold” Family Vacation with my parents, my sister and her family, and my brother and his wife.  We had a blast!  With the ages of our kids, we have found the easiest thing to do is rent a big ol’ house and just hang out together.  We […]

Tough Lesson Learned

For all of you parents who are hating the attitudes and the meltdowns that the first few weeks of school bring, please just know that you are not alone!  Just as I mentioned in this post last year, starting school has always been hard for Preston and now we have added Lilly Katherine to the […]

In a FLASH!

This summer was absolutely wonderful!  We didn’t do too much.  We just had fun together doing things the kids wanted to do.  We did not go to the gym and my jiggly thighs are proof.  We did not go to the grocery store as often as we should have.  We did not clean the house […]

Learning to Ride

This post is a month old at this point, but it’s such a milestone for my babies that I must post it. I have this little boy.  He is 8.5.  He is wild and he is ALL BOY!  He is rough and athletic and busy and completely scared of everything!  He is so cautious, analytical, […]

Ice Cream in a Zip-Lock Baggie

Last year the kids and I made a “Summer Bucket List” and we did very few things on the list because I was so yucky feeling.  Thank you pregnancy nausea!  Last year we just survived!  This year, we are actually doing the things we said we wanted to do, and this was one left from […]

Preston’s Baylor Birthday Party

Preston’s birthday was in January and we had a little family celebration then.  However, in typical Kate fashion, we had his party this past Thursday!  I was 9 months pregnant in January and miserable and he wanted a swim party, so we decided to celebrate his HALF birthday this year!  It was wonderful! The party […]

Mississippi Part 3-Comparisons

First of all, I would like to state that it’s 10:38 on Saturday night, and I have spent the last 3 hours trying to convince myself I did not need to bake a cake for myself!  I WANT WHITE CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM ICING! I have rummaged through my cabinets and refrigerator no less than 43 […]

Mississippi Part 2 – Oxford

All I can say is there is NEVER enough time!  I need a few extra hours in my day…everyday!  Here are more Mississippi pics.  They will bore you to death, but I want them for my memories and my kids memories, so skip them if you would like.  You won’t even hurt my feelings! The […]

Mississippi Trip-Jackson and Grenada

We went to Mississippi last week to visit my grandparents and cousins.  It was a wonderful trip, except that my sweet MamaSara is not doing well.  The very long drive was as smooth as we could have ever imagined.  The kids did so well, and I think Georgia only cried about 5 minutes total!  It […]

Catch Up with iPhone Pics

I have never gotten this behind on my blog, but I have been so busy that I have had absolutely no time at all for blogging!  We have had crazy weeks with swimming, baseball camp, spending time in Mississippi, enjoying families that have come to visit us in Texas, hosting parties, and all the fun […]

Who Does She Look Like?

Every single day someone says to me, “Where did those blue eyes come from?”  or “Who does this baby look like?” or “She just doesn’t look like y’all!” I call my sweet Georgia Peach my little recessive gene.  We don’t know where her sweet blue eyes came from, or why she as white as snow, […]

The Maniacs…

We are LOVING summer!  I cannot tell you how much I love spending time with friends all day, hanging out at the pool, eating lunch outside, and having absolutely NO SCHEDULE!  I am a SUMMER GIRL, and we have had a great start to this summer.  Here are a few things that we’ve done over […]

Splash Day!

My crazy son lives for specific days on the calendar.  Splash Day would be one of the days he anticipates from the first day of school until it happens the last week of school.  He loves it!  I’m a little behind posting…since school is finally OUT, but here are pics from Preston’s Splash Day. The […]

Let’s Play Ball!

First of all, happy Memorial day! I ended last year’s Memorial Day post with this statement, but I feel I should say it first this year. We are so blessed to be able to spend time regularly with our family.  We are so blessed to be able to enjoy freedom, to live in this great […]

Abracadabra

When I think of toys from my childhood… I think of my treasured Cabbage Patch Kids, I think of my very fancy keyboard, I think of board games like Operation and Mall Madness, and I think of my Fisher Price Magic Show! My girls love to play with my old Magic Show…especially Lilly Katherine, of […]

Saying Goodbye

I have mentioned my sweet friend Dominique a million times.  She is a precious woman, a wonderful mother, an inspiration, a wise woman of God, an encourager, a cooking/baking machine, and a dear friend.  I am so sad that she and her family are moving to Clinton, Mississippi, but I’m so thankful they will be […]

Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce

This is a family recipe that has been passed from generation to generation.  I don’t remember my grandmother making it, but I remember my mom making it, and it’s always been called Grammy’s Chocolate Sauce!  Yesterday I taught Lilly Katherine how to make it.  I was telling her what I remember about my Grammy. Grammy […]

Where have I been?

I have so many things I want to blog about.  I have lists in my head of events that have occurred lately and stories to tell,  but I am in between computers, and my blogging has been put on hold.  I ran out of memory space on my old computer, and it sits 5 feet […]

Oatmeal in a Muffin Cup

I have mentioned many times that I LOATHE mornings.  I am a night person!  For example, it’s 12:44 on Sunday night and I’m eating a muffin and starting a blog post while washing loads and loads of laundry.  I go to bed LATE, and I love it…until the next morning.  Because of my bad night-owl […]

Lilly Katherine’s First Dance Recital

I SWORE I would not be “that mom!”  I was not going to be the mom that had a 5-year old in dance class.  Then I had this little girl who came into the world spinning and twirling and begging to take dance.  I finally gave in this year, and I am so glad I […]

Delightful Dinner

The weather has been so absolutely gorgeous lately that we have been outside soaking up God’s gift of nature and SPRING as much as possible…before his gift of summer and mosquitoes arrive.  Last week we decided to walk to dinner in order to enjoy as much of this season as possible.  It truly was a […]

First FRIGID Swim

I love to walk or jog, even with all my maniacs, but lately I look like a side show when I do it.  I am usually pushing Lilly Katherine and AnnaLeigh in our double jogger with Preston running beside me and Georgia in a sling around my body!  I know that people do double-takes as […]

Easter…Finally

This is so late that I am just going to post a few pics.  I did not have my camera, so all of these pics are from my phone!  Pitiful! We enjoyed a beautiful Easter with our family.  The weather was gorgeous and it was truly a perfect day celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord […]

Open Wide

It’s been a busy week around here.  One day I will get to posting Easter and a recipe, but for now I thought I would share this… Trips to the dentist are always fun. I have actually said to my kind dentist that I would rather give birth than get a filling. It’s the truth! […]

Eggstravaganza!

We had our annual church Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck Lunch this past weekend…always a fav for my fam!  It was so much fun!  My sister and I decided to stick around and take a few family pics after the festivities were over. What do you get when you have 7 tired children who have […]

Opening Day and Sic ’em Bears!

This Saturday was Opening Day at the Ballpark, and my little calendar (Preston) has been counting down the days!  He LOVES baseball and was so excited to get the season started.  This is his second year of 5-pitch and I thought I had everything ready for him… Black shirt-check Black socks-check Black belt-check Black hat-check […]

Family Fishing

Every Sunday night we have “family dinner” at my parents’ house with our family, my sisters family, my parents, and my mom’s mother, Memama.  It is a fun, crazy time with 7 wild maniacs acting like they haven’t seen each other in months.  It is often very loud and very out of control. My dad […]

Easter Ideas

I simply cannot believe that Easter is only 2 weeks away!  I should have posted this sooner, but you still have time to get your Resurrection Eggs together.  If you’re like me, you will wait until Tuesday night to do it anyway. :) Last year I made Resurrection Eggs for my kids. They are a […]

Georgia meets MamaSara

My little Georgia Sarullo is named after two very special people…Brad’s dad and my wonderful Italian grandmother, MamaSara, whose maiden name is Sarullo. This picture was taken 5 months ago when MamaSara was recognized for faithfully serving the Lord as the church organist for SIXTY-SEVEN years. (I love that Papa is ready for cake with […]

My Weight Loss Tactic

Somehow Georgia is 8 weeks old today!  Somehow she has eyes that are this blue!!!  I know this isn’t a great pic, but it’s one of the few that shows her eye color. Somehow I have 3 girls!!!  Somehow they all ended up in my bed this morning. :) Somehow I have FOUR children… And […]

Veggie Quiche

Life has been so busy around here!  We have had screaming babies, sick babies, spring break, birthdays, trips to Mississippi, and more! I’ll keep from posting the sick pics, but I need to post about all the other things!  All of these pictures are all from my phone, so the quality is marginal at best. […]

The Tale of the Gray Tooth

There once was a beautiful little princess that had a smile as bright as the sun, eyes that sparkled and danced like the stars, and a dimple that could light up a room.  Everywhere she went she smiled, and the world smiled back.  She was a joyful little princess.  She loved to sing and dance […]

More babies!!!

My sweet baby Georgia is now 5 weeks old!  Where oh where does the time go? Lilly Katherine loves her and wants to hold her all the time.  I have prayed for the bond that these two will have.  I pray that they will love each other and support each other and really have a […]

Because I like to Procrastinate

Things have been rocking along around here, but we are in the newborn fog a little because sweet Georgia has had a cold for about two weeks.  She can’t breathe, so she can’t eat, and she can’t sleep, so I don’t get to sleep too much.  My poor baby.  It’s so hard when they are […]

Random Pics from our Exciting Lives

Lately, we haven’t done much of anything.  We have worn pj’s a LOT!  We have not fixed our hair.  We have barely ventured out of the house and I have worn my new house shoes almost every day.  I live a very exciting life. Here are a few random pics. The big girls have played […]

BFFs 4 Ever!

First of all, I am a MOM.  I have had more bodily fluids on me in the last 24 hours than any person should.  Between my lactating self, a baby who squirts poo-poo and tee-tee on me, then spits up all over me, to a 3-year old who has decided she should pee all over […]

Blessings from Friends-Unique Baby Gifts

My sweet baby girl is 12 days old already, and I love her even more today! She is so sweet, and rarely cries…except when I’m ready to go to bed.  Some of that is due to the fact that I simply can’t put her down.  I hold her 99% of the time.  Brad asked me […]

Birthin’ Babies Ain’t for Sissies!

It has been a few days since my last post, because I’ve been holding this sweet little peanut! And kissing this sweet little body! And loving on this sweet face!  (See that little dimple?!) And managing to figure out life with these FOUR maniacs! I’m trying to soak up every second…kissing on that little neck, […]

It’s A…

It’s a GIRL!!! Can we say SHOCKED?!?!?! I am still in shock that the Lord has blessed our family with a perfectly tiny little PINK bundle of JOY! Meet Little Miss Georgia Sarullo… Georgia was born Tuesday afternoon, weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces.  She is perfectly precious and we love her so very much.  I […]

Keeping My Mind Off of the Induction – Zucchini Bread

How’s that for a title?  I am trying to not let my nerves get the best of me, so I decided to post a recipe that I promised MONTHS ago! First, let me tell you that I went to the doctor today and decided to schedule an induction.  I have very mixed emotions about the […]

It’s a GIRL…Niece!

Today was a long, exciting day!  Yesterday morning my sister, Ashley, and I went walking, both determined to get these babies out of our bellies!  Last night we were both timing contractions starting at about 9 pm.  Mine were 10-15 minutes apart and hers were getting a little closer.  At 2 am she texted me […]

Stuffed Artichokes

I have been having contractions for about 24 hours.  Some strong and some not.  I am getting VERY anxious.  So much so that I tried to take a brief nap today and my heart just kept racing, my contractions were strong, and I was feeling that this baby would be making it’s appearance sometime in […]

Fun Family Day

Soon and very soon I will be bound to the house with a little bundle of joy, so I wanted to get my people out of the house today to enjoy the sunshine.  Brad was working, so my mom and I took the maniacs to the zoo.  They loved it and I was hoping to […]

Already a MANIAC

I am excited and so anxious to meet baby #4!  This baby has already earned the title of MANIAC!  Glad he/she will fit in with the other 3 maniacs that I am raising! Warning #1:  If bare pregnant bellies freak you out, do not watch the video. Warning #2:  If the Linea Negra (dark line […]

Homemade Reading Pillow

I’ve mentioned before that getting Preston to do his homework is often the hardest part of my day.  He is so smart, but he just doesn’t like to sit still long enough to read.  I needed something to motivate him and a Reading Pillow sounded like a good idea.  A few months ago I ran […]

Dump Truck & Hello Kitty Birthday Party

Right before Christmas, my sister and I realized that we needed to have Truett and AnnaLeigh’s birthday parties asap, because both of us are due in January.  Truett’s birthday is February 11, and last year we did a joint Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party, and it worked out beautifully.  We have the same guest list, […]

Happy Birthday, AnnaLeigh!

Thursday my little baby girl turned 3!  She promised me she wouldn’t.  She told me she would stay 2 foh-evah, but she lied.  She’s growing up just like the rest of them and she turned 3 years old this week! I love this little maniac more today than ever!  I love her smile and her […]

Happy Birthday-New Year!

Today my first born, my baby boy, turned 8! 8 years old! He’s not a baby, or a toddler, or a little boy anymore.  He’s 8! I remember being 8!  It wasn’t that long ago.  Ok, so it was.  But still, I REMEMBER being 8! And now I HAVE an 8 year old.  A pretty […]

Welcoming the New Year

Every New Year’s Eve we hang out with my sister’s in-laws (Alan’s parents) and we ring in the new year at their house.  We’ve gone there since I was pregnant with Preston.  This year, we will be attending a wonderful wedding for a precious, fun, and very deserving woman, Morgan…YAY! :) Since New Year’s Day […]

Baylor WINS the Alamo Bowl

B-A-Y-L-O-R BAYLOR BEARS FIGHT! Tonight we had such a fun family time watching the Baylor Bears WIN the Alamo Bowl!  I think Preston was more excited about the coming of this game and RGIII than Christmas and Santa Clause!  This was a big deal to my little man!  He got football pads for Christmas, and […]

Christmas with the Maniacs

I love Christmas! We have MANY family traditions at Christmas time, and I love every one of them!  I wish I had pics of them all, but I don’t!  Here are a few fun moments from last week. For years we’ve decorated gingerbread houses with the Chilek girls.  It’s always a treat for the kids […]