So Frustrating

Today I got a text from a friend asking if I sent her an email about some sort of shopping experience. I had not; then I remembered I had heard from another friend a while back who had the same thing happen to them. Somehow an email was sent to everyone in my contact list that looked like it came from me.

I was at a track meet all day, so I did not get a chance to look into it just now. I sat down to email my contact list of the error, and to warn not to open the first email when I noticed ALL of my contacts, except for anyone included in the letters R, T, U, Y and Z, were missing.

Yep, that's right. Tons and tons and tons of email addresses lost. Some of them probably needed to be cleaned out anyway, but most of them were used daily, weekly, or monthly. Of course I don't remember any of these by heart, nor have them written down anywhere. I can't begin to imagine how hard it is going to be to track them all down. Boo.

I'm in the process of reporting the issue, and am hoping somehow the magical techs will be able to recover my lost contacts.

If not, I guess most of you will be hearing from me soon.

Happy Easter!

The day started with a few tears from both kiddos....but soon turned brighter. We had a great time at worship this morning. For lunch, the church provided ham and rolls, and we all brought other sides to enjoy a meal together. They had blow-up bouncers for the kids to play on, then we topped the afternoon off with an egg hunt. It was fun watching Avery discover eggs. Braden's trick was to open them up, eat the goodies inside, then throw the egg like a ball while running to find the next treat!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Easter with friends and family!

Sweet Buns and Mad Dancers

I've included a picture so you will get the full effect of what I'm about to tell you.

Every day I open the blinds (and on cool days, the windows) to reveal the bright sunshine (hopefully), and let a little light into our humble abode so the kids and I don't feel so cooped up. As you can see in the picture, we have three rather large windows, open wide for the world to see. {You can also see Braden near passed out on the couch after a long morning! But I digress.}

I've always wondered if I shouldn't open them so wide, leaving our comings and goings of the day vulnerable, but I know our neighbors are older and would enjoy watching the kids run around and play. (They will just have to get over watching me exercise too.)


Avery has always enjoyed dancing around to loud, crazy music, and now Braden has joined in the liking. This morning, I had the "Awesome 80s" cd blasting. The kids were enjoying themselves so much that I decided to join in the dancing.


Let's make a note that I was not just dancing.


I was jumping around like a crazy person with A.D.H.D. Arms were flailing, legs were kicking, booty was shaking....because it made the kids laugh. I was zapped straight out of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine tries to dance.

It was during this madness that I felt like someone was watching me. As I continued to convulse, I looked out the window, only to catch the eye of our ever so friendly, walking mail man. Oh yes. You read right. He was less than three feet away from me, and we made eye contact for a full three seconds.


He was laughing. Hard.

Then I realized the kids were rolling on the floor laughing, so it looked as if I was the only one dancing around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Nice.

___________________________________________


In other news, Avery asked me if I would "fix her hair like Cinderella's." So I've included a picture of her cute little bun.

Experienced This?

I am debating whether this is too personal to post for the world to read, but I am curious to see if anyone else has dealt with something similar. Avery probably won't like the idea 10 years from now that I wrote this so publicly, but she'll just have to get over it.

I'll start back at the fact that I have always had strange, wacky dreams. Those don't normally bother me, and in some cases, I've wondered if I have basis to write a book or movie from some of them. Unfortunately, mixed with the crazy dreams, there are also terrible nightmares.

I remember as far back to two years old, being terrified to go to sleep because of these nightmares, most of them reoccurring ones. To this day, I have yet to escape those same dreams, although I know now they aren't real.

Ever since my kids were born, I've been worried that they will experience the bad dreams as I did. Unfortunately, my fears have been confirmed, and Avery's wild imagination continues in her dreams as well.

There is nothing worse than looking into your child's eyes, and seeing nothing but fear there. I've been able to figure out and eliminate certain shows, movies, books, or ideas that seem to trigger her nightmare spells. It seems that we have limited, but not been rid of, her worries.

I don't think there will be a way to get rid of her bad dreams altogether, and that's not even why I write this.

There have been 5 times, that I can remember, where Avery wakes screaming, wild eyed, staring into space, and jabbering nonsense. It is really a frantic, scary experience for whomever runs to tend to her because she doesn't make any sense, and she can't stop crying. Normally Kenny has to take care of her because I panic since it scares me beyond measure that I can't snap her out of whatever it is.

Last night, I was closer to her when she started screaming, so I went to her. It scared me that it was one of 'those' situations and not 'just a bad dream.' I held her and tried to talk to her, but she only kept repeating, "I need it! I need it!" between babbles of nonsense. At first she looked like she was pointing to one of her blankets, so I handed it to her. She turned it over in her hands indifferently, then began her frantic crying and screaming, "I need it!" Holding and rocking her wasn't enough, so I swept her off the bed and cradled her on my way to the light switch. I thought if I could get it bright enough she would wake up. That didn't seem to work, then she screamed louder and more frantically that she "needed it!" I was about to take her into the bathroom, when she couldn't control her bladder anymore. It was so sad because she was shaking and crying and seemed so helpless. I don't know why I didn't just stay in one place, because I made more of a mess running her to the bathroom. Once there, she still was not completely awake. It wasn't until I started cleaning her up that she snapped out of it. I had used a wipe, so I assumed the cold helped.

I guess she was trying to tell me she needed to go potty, but couldn't get awake enough. I asked her if she wanted to talk about it, but she couldn't seem to remember anything. It was then that I realized the times this had happened before, I normally immediately took her to the bathroom. I hope this never happens again, but if it does, I guess I'll know what I should try first so she won't have to be scared as long.

I've often wondered, and can only assume that this is what people categorize as 'night terrors?' I've had one friend tell me they had similar experiences with their infant, and the only way to wake them up was with a bath. Has anyone else experienced something like this? I'd like to hear what you have tried, or done to help it.

A Long Time A Comin'

I've always tried to keep my life a little more sane by keeping the kids' toys organized. There's a doll bin, a dishes bin, a tractor bin, cars, Barbies...you get the idea. That way, at the end of the day (or throughout the day, actually) everything will have a place, and Momma can feel a little less antsy.


I guess it started with the influx of toys after Braden's birthday (October) that I yearned for a playroom. I was pretty jealous of my friends who had playrooms; they could tuck all the toys away. They could put the kids to bed. They could watch a movie and have adult time without being surrounded by blinking lights or singing books.


I started trying to figure out ways to add on to my house. When I woke up from my 'dream' I started trying to reconfigure our home the way it is to provide a room especially for kids. Nothing lined up in a way that all of our needs would be met by taking away an existing room.


Then I began to settle on some sort of cabinetry where I could at least consolidate the toys that normally reside in the living room baskets. Our dining room is a bit of a pass through to begin with, so I thought that would be the room for the final resting place for my shelving unit. Early one Saturday, Avery and I headed out shopping for a specific thing I had in mind. Of course no one had what I wanted, or it was the wrong size, or too expensive.

On to plan B: call Daddy. You see, my Daddy is my hero and can do anything. Really, he can. His official job now is working for the City of Dallas, but he used to build houses. That's right folks, houses; according to my calculations, he's built 4 of the 6 houses my parents have ever lived in. He has since retired from houses, but he still works on side projects for my brother, building custom furniture.


I explain all this to say, I don't know why Plan B wasn't Plan A for me. Actually, I do know. There's quite a bit of mileage between us, so I didn't know how we would get it here once built. After a few more shopping trips, I realized the only way I would get exactly what I need or wanted would be for dear Daddy to build it for me.


I sent a sketch of what I wanted, and of course he agreed. Then the hard part was for me to wait for a time when they could come visit so we could build it together. The earliest they could come was March. The months dragged by, but before I knew it, Spring Break was here, and so were my parents!


After tracking down appropriate tools that were too large for him to bring with him, a few hours (days) of hugging on the grand-babies, an early morning breakfast, and a shopping trip to Lowes, we were set to begin...in the rain. We only had a few days to work on it since they couldn't stay long, so we constructed the fabulous shelving unit on my side porch. Talk about close quarters! It came together rather quickly, and turned out a hundred times better than what I had in mind!


One of the even better things is after it serves it's purpose as a toy holder, it can be turned into a buffet or entertainment center by simply adding doors!

So, after five long months of anticipation for me, below you will find pictures of our helpers along the way, then the final product, followed by pictures of my new and improved "Adult Living Room!"

I Love...

Chubby thighs and tummies.....

A Little Fun, Family Competition

The kids and I bought Kenny Mario Kart Wii for his birthday. It has been one of those things that has brought fun to all! When we find a spare five minutes, we all try to squeeze in a game or two. Avery has played so much that she can turn it on and navigate the menus by herself!

This was the scene I discovered after bath time the other night.

Snow Day!

A Little Nervous...

I find it interesting that I am okay with being solely responsible for the well being of my children during the day time hours daily. However, when there is a tiny presence of danger, I get a little nervous when I am the only adult present.

Case in point. The tornado sirens just started going off. There is no rain, no thunder, no lightening, just bruised and swollen skies accompanied by an eerie silence.

Kenny is stuck at school with all of the kids that he is responsible for there. I am huddled up in our home, with two kids napping, wondering if there is a point that I should get them out of their warm beds and have a campout in the hallway.

It's a little nerve-racking being the one that is responsible for keeping everyone safe.

When Kenny is here, I don't feel this way. I guess it's because I am confident that he will take care of us.

Bless his heart if he feels this way all the time!

Glad the Lord is on our side. That's keeping me calm right now (as I sit blogging!)

Date Night

Kenny invited Avery to go with him to the dinner theater at Faulkner University last night. Avery looked forward to her Date with Daddy, and was ecstatic when the night finally arrived! She wore a fancy dress and got all pretty for her Daddy. They saw "Thoroughly Modern Millie" which was comprised of many ACA students alongside Faulkner students.

The part that I think was most interesting was hearing about her inquiries during the show. Kenny said she was more interested in learning about the props and why you couldn't see the stage hands really well. He said one conversation went like this,

"Where did that girl come from Daddy?"

"The house."

"Well, why aren't there bedrooms in the house?"

One thing she told me when she got home was, "there was a man dressed in all black, way up high, and he was not going to come down until the whole show was over."

The production started late because it was a full house, and was going to run well past 10:00, so Daddy brought Avery home during intermission.

Avery informed me, "When I get bigger like all the older people, I can stay until the whole thing is over."

They had a fun time building new memories. Kenny says he hopes to make date night a tradition with his little gal. I know she will remember their special times together for years to come.

Wee!!!

What to do when it's too cold to play outside?!

Bring the fun indoors!

I tried this too (but I had more clothes on than Avery does)...it was fun for all!

Silly Avery

Today during school time, Avery was learning the consonant sound "c." The picture in her Pooh Bear book was of a cake, which held one candle on top. While she colored she asked, "do you think Pooh Bear is turning one year old like Braden?"



I told her that it was a great possibility since there was only one candle. Then I asked her how many candles would be on her cake at her next birthday.




She answered with "four."


We continued on with how many would be on Braden's?


"Two."


I decided to mix it up and say, "If momma is 29, then how many would be on my cake at my next birthday?"


"A LOT!" was Avery's reply.


Ha, ha.

Sweet Boy

Braden has an ear infection......

....and CRAZY hair...

...and he loves his sister.

Think Fast Mom

This:

Plus This:

Equals This:

(Please look past the yucky non-makup face, and notice the nose...)

Way to use your head mom!

Hodge-Podge Part IV

Ta-Da!

And for those of you who might like to see proof of the pantry pilfering, here you go!

Latest Work Of Art

On days where Avery wakes up before Braden, she normally pads into my room and gets into bed with me. Today was different though. She wanted me to come to her room.

Of course I groaned a little, wanting to steal a few more minutes of warm snuggly time under my own covers, but found my way to Avery's room so she wouldn't keep yelling, then wake Braden up.

"Momma, look at this," she happily gestured toward her wall that holds her wooden letters than spell her name.

This should have been my first clue.

This was my second.

"I traced my letters so I will know how to spell my name better. And I made a maze that traces around my hands!"

She was so pleased with herself.

I know this is something that should have warranted a spanking, but I just didn't have it in me this morning. Her art was creative, and when she saw my expression she immediately felt bad.

"Avery, does that look like paper?"

"No."

"Where is the only place we are supposed to color/draw/write?"

"Paper."

"This is a no-no."

"I'm sorry Momma. I thought you might not like it."

"If it were on paper, I would like it very much."

"I know what! Let's get the white eraser then get it wet and wipe the walls."

I was under her covers by then. She felt so bad, she didn't even try to ask to get up and play. I got lots of extra snuggles, and every often she would add, "momma, we need to get the wet eraser...."

Once she knew it wasn't supposed to be there, she wanted it gone immediately.