Opinions Please!

Okay friends, I need your opinions. If you were here in my house right now, I would call you over to the computer and ask you, "which one do you like the best?"

I want to make one of these pictures into an 11X14 gallery wrapped canvas. I have a free canvas credit on a website, so I only have to pay shipping, Yahoo!!

So...which one do you think would look the best? Please leave your opinion as a comment with either "A, B, or C"

This is "A"

"B"

And Lastly, this is "C"

Worth 1000 Words

I don't have time to construct a real blog entry today....

I think this picture says more than I can :-)

Littlest Man

So, my littlest man turned 4 months old last Friday...craziness. Its been such a fast 4 months. I am blessed beyond belief!

Earthquake among other things...

In case any of you were wondering...

Yes, I felt the earthquake on Tuesday.

Yes, it scared the poo outta me.

Yes, it shook the house and made my heart race unlike anything has in a long time.

No, nothing fell in my house (well, actually I did notice a downed bottle of Downy wrinkle release in my closet).

I am just really glad I don't live out west where this happens more frequently. It was really scary!

The best story of the earthquake for me was that of my friend. She and her 5 year-old daughter were eating lunch at TGI Fridays when the shaking began...Thinking the rumbling was surely a TORNADO that had appeared out of nowhere, she freaked and told her daughter to get under the table. There she sat as the earthquake shook the building - knocking down the light hanging above their table and several of the things on the walls of the restaurant. Her super prepared soldier husband texted her about a minute afterwards declaring that he had just experienced an earthquake. Once she was told by her hubby that it was indeed an earthquake, she promptly crawled out from under the table at Fridays, stood up, and announced to the other diners that her husband was in the Army and he had told her that it was indeed an earthquake. The picture of this sequence of events just makes me (and her) laugh!

(For the record, I also thought it was a tornado at first. I even jumped up and ran to the window looking for the funnel cloud.)

Looking back at the whole situation, I think we all feel a little foolish because it really didn't end up being that big of a deal.

But at the time, it was scary. Really scary. The shaking got harder and harder and for me personally, the fear was "how much harder is this thing gonna shake us?" I had no idea if the roof above my head might give out or if I may begin to hear things crack and shatter. I really hope I never experience anything like that ever again...

I can't even imagine what it must be like for those individuals in communities who have experienced terrifying earthquakes. It must be a living nightmare.

On that note, I need to go now. I need to start preparing for Hurricane Irene - expected to slam us on Sunday.

Where is my husband when I NEED him? AHHHH!

Running Solo

Wow, has it really been two weeks since I posted a blog entry?

Sorry about that! I have one that is sitting here that is about 80% done, but it just isn't ready to be read yet.

My hubby has been gone for about 10 days and I have just been too overwhelmed to even think about writing. I am barely even checking my email, haha!

I had forgotten how hard it was to function without him. I keep reminding myself that this 3 week stretch without his is way better than any deployment, but still, when I am in the moment, its not really all that helpful. I am still struggling.

I think I have cried just about everyday.

I have lost my temper several times...maybe more than several. :-(

I have tried to ignore the chaos around me.

I have actually let the baby scream for more than a minute or two.

Tonight, I actually didn't tuck my big kids in bed. I just sent them in their rooms and plopped them in their beds. I did that at 6:40pm. I was DONE being a mom for the day.

I hate feeling so overwhelmed with them. They are just being kids.

Not listening, pouring apple juice over pizza, peeing on the floor, running around with a poopy booty needing to be wiped while I am nursing the baby, needing a drink of water after they've gone to bed, running around the house making pillow and blanket piles to jump in, leaving trails of clothes and crumbs everywhere they go....

But to me, its overwhelming when I have both of them and a reflux"y" baby to tend to.

So, please excuse the lack of blog posts.

My Grandma came and visited me last week to help out, but she has now left and I am back to fending for myself again. My mother-in-law comes in 10 days. And then my hubby comes home shortly after that.

Then I want to run away for at least one whole day. With no children.

For now, I will just reminisce at the fun times we had when my Grandma and Grandpa Gene came to visit last week. They were so helpful! Such a huge blessing!

Like brother...or like sister

Everyone takes one look at my little N and says, "Wow, he looks just like his brother!"

But, when I see him, I can't help but to think he more resembles his sister. I seem to remember those chubby cheeks and dimple-less smile in her as a baby 5 years ago.

So what do you think?

Here is little N -

And here is C at about the same age -

And then here is D...the one everyone thinks he looks exactly like -

Baby Clothes

To you, this is just a bunch of baby clothes.

To me, its the clothes I can't get rid of.

I tried to pack up everything N has out grown. He is wearing size 6 months clothes now, so all his 0-3 and much of the 3-6 month things need go to make room for bigger things in the drawers.

Many of the things I put on him brought me right back to the days I put them on C and D when they were his tiny size.

So, when I got out a big box and started packing things up, I got stuck when I went to lay these things in there.

A newborn outfit and bibs that my only daughter wore.

The boys' newborn hospital "gowns."

A consignment store outfit all three of my babies wore.

Also in that pile are the outfits my boys wore home from the hospital and gowns I bought when I was pregnant with C 6 years ago...gender neutral because I didn't know she was a girl at the time. All three babies wore them.

The rest of the newborn clothing is now packed away in a box ready to be given to someone else to love.

But these garments, well, they are mine.

Most likely, they will get packed up eventually. Maybe I will put something in a shadow box.

And maybe. Again, just a maybe, they will end up on baby no. 4 one day ;-)

8 Years

Eight years ago today, I was at our church with my mom and a whole crew setting up for one of the most special days of my whole life - my wedding on August 2, 2003.

I was barely 21 and very much in love with my sweetie. We had no idea where life would take us - just that we'd go at it together...

Today, I am 29 and still very much in love with my sweetie. I am more proud of him today than ever and though I still don't know exactly where life will take us, at least I know who will be along for the ride.

My secret to a happy marriage:

Have a bunch of kids - you will be so busy, you will not have time to think about your marriage. (Just Kidding...well, sort of)

The real advice:

Make sacrifices and keep smiling through the tears. If you both do that, things will work!

Oh, and have children. Nothing makes me happier in my marriage than seeing my dearly beloved be a daddy to the children the Lord gave to us.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!