Team USA

Man I LOVE the Olympics...I can't help it..I get all kinds of patriotic and feel so...well...American :)  I tear up when I see us on the podium and hear the National Anthem...I got so engulfed in women's table tennis a couple of days ago...I know, right?  Table tennis...but it got intense...

So as you can imagined I have been pushing this love of the US on the kiddos to watch these games with me...and they are loving it :)  Katelyn loved watching the gymnastics and the boys are really enjoying swimming...so I caught them the other night...so cute!! 

I hope you are enjoying the games :)

Random thoughts today...

So hello again...checking back in to record a few of my favorite things today....

1.  We got our family pics back and I LOVE them...our friend, Chris Fox, did an AMAZING job...he is so great with the kiddos and has the most patience.  I also love his style...capturing great pics..and even better, great moments...

2.  Grocery shopping...by myself...it really is the little things...I had just a few items to re-stock so it was nice that I could run in and out in the amount of time it would normally take me to unload 4 kiddos out of car seats and walk to the sliding doors :)  Thanks to my parents :)

3.  My sweet, sweet pup...Sutton went to the groomer today and got all pretty...LOVE HER...all she has done since she got home is sleep :)

4.  My kiddos tonight before bedtime were so fun to listen too...they kept playing super hero...they even called me a super here (insert BIG smile) and they were helping each other in all kinds of made up situations...like KK's cat needed to be rescued so her super hero brothers came to the rescue...wish I would have gotten a pic of Bryce's super hero pose :)  Then after prayer book time when it was time for hugs...they kept saying, "Hey superhero sissy...give me hugs!"  It was crazy cute!

5.  Hearing Austin say anything makes my heart smile...really really BIG...he says "Thank You" all the time...it is precious!


6.  Pretty Little Liars is my new show...man it is good!  Watched seasons 1 & 2 on Netflix and caught up to season 3 :)  Yay!

7.  We are preparing to head out of town in a couple of weeks...going to San Antonio for a little family vacay!!  I cannot wait to go on water rides, see Shamu and just get out of this zip code!

8.  My daughter starts school in 3 weeks...YIKES!  I am so not ready...when did she grow up!!

Well that is all I got for today :) 

Just walking around....

So once a week the kiddos stay the night at my parents house....yep...all 4 kiddos head on down to Granny and Papa's to hang out and mom and dad get a night to just hang out.  Truly is a blessing...however, tonight, Kev had to work and I knew I was coming home to an extremely messy house after a late night of family pics and an early morning of getting out to work/school. 

So I headed home and grabbed the ipad for mindless tv on Netflix (it may or may not have been The Hills....)  and started moving room to room picking up, wiping down and vacuuming each room.  Honestly, when I heard the door open and Kevin walked in, I couldn't believe how much time had flown by...and how many episodes of The Hills I had listened too....:)

But by the end of the evening, the house seemed to be in working order and smelled MUCH better, thank you Scentsy (vanilla suede...anyone use it??  I LOVED it!)  I was walking through the kids hall of the house putting up laundry right before piling up in bed and noticed that my empty house is still so full....I saw 4 little beds with lovey's and blankets...and all I could think about was how quiet it was without the kiddos home.  I also began thinking how incredibly blessed I am....actually became overwhelmed...

I have such ridiculous complaints sometimes...useless worries...So it was so nice that the Lord gave me the quietness of an evening to take it all in...all the things that I can give thanks for...I actually had a smile on my face as I cleaned and enjoyed the time I had to spend in thought of what the Lord has provided and taking joy in the fact that I have a home to clean, enough clothes that I have laundry to do for each of us, food to cook, and 4 little beds to make to tuck them in each night.  These little people that have such an incredible amount of joy for life...why would I want to lead with an example of worry?? 

So tonight I will give thanks for what I have been blessed with and ask for the strength to find joy and goodness in all ups and downs and hand my worries over to God.  

Ready for these little beds to be full :) 

I hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July!

Happy Father's Day

I hope everyone enjoys celebrating with the "Fathers" in their lives!!!!

We sure do love ours:)

DVR lovin'....

So I will admit it...I LOVE me some television....Kev and I use it as late night date nights, if you will....after the kids go to sleep we like to pile up and start looking through our DVR...we get a little crazy with how many shows we actually try to keep up with :)

So, one that we are sad to see go....One Tree Hill...I have watched this show since the beginning...and when Kev and I started dating I got him hooked :)  It really had a little bit of everything....love, laughs, crazy people and death, fires, kidnappings, babies, marriages, breakups....it ended really well and I felt good about it...nothing is more annoying than loving a show only to have it end in a way that you didn't want it too....it like leaving a bad taste in your mouth...

Our new show of the year...The Firm...LOVE IT!  I am hooked and sad to know that it is not going to have another season...but honestly feel like they can tie it all up pretty well in one season.  We are loving it and followed it on each of the four nights that it has moved too :)  That is dedication...

My teeny bopper shows....Gossip Girl and 90210...kinda embarrassed to say it...but I don't miss either show...they have such cheesy love triangles and ridiculous drama...it is mindless...this Kev will not watch...so this is usually background while I put on makeup in the morning :)

Reality fun....Well, I liked watching the Voice auditions...but then lost interest...but I am hooked on American Idol...pretty sure it is one of the best seasons...I may or may not have a crush on Phillip Phillips...I know, what am I?  Fourteen?  Anyway...I do enjoy seeing all the talent...they are crazy good :)  Watched a little bit of Dance Moms, Biggest Loser, Fashion Star....too much really...but honestly, The Bachelorette and So You Think You Can Dance is around the corner....

Oldies but goodies...Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice....just can't help but watch both...

Anyway....now you are probably are thinking I have been holed up watching Tv and not blogging....kinda true :)

Back from Hiatus...

So...(obviously) I took a break from blogging...for no other reason than laziness...our days usually are pretty busy and by the time the kiddos get to bed....the only thing I have wanted to do is go to bed :)

But, this is my only way of keeping up with all us Guys, so I figured I needed to get back in the game.  So I am back :)

As far as life, it has been going pretty good...little Austin is getting over double ear infections and swollen tonsils, all while breaking in his molars...this does not make a happy baby...poor little fella.  However, he has been on some extremely powerful antibiotics for the past 3 days and is more like the little boy I know....praying for full recovery!

Also, living in Oklahoma this time of year means, doppler radar, weather reports as breaking news and storm shelters....ugh...severe weather season.  We spent our Friday night watching the news until 3am and waking up the kiddos and sitting in the closet...not so much fun!  Saturday was full of news watching too....we are planning on getting a storm shelter soon!

The best thing that has happened in the last couple of weeks...EASTER 2012!

We had a blast :)  There were hundreds (literally) of plastic eggs, candy, dress clothes, baskets, crafts and memories.  Last year I deleted every pic we took...so I am glad this year...I did not :)  So I am going to end this blog with a pic recap...Sorry for the overload :)

Good night ;)

Weekend Randoms

What a day...

Not going to lie, started out a little rough....today was a long day at work for Kev so it was me versus and the kiddos all day....the kiddos kicked my butt for a little bit...and I felt the enemy sneaking in and making me doubt myself...but then after much prayer and re-focus, we got the day on track and really enjoyed a day of playing and cleaning :)

There was an injury today...me!  In a random incident our steam cleaner/mop/thing fell off its hook and landed flat on the top of my foot....OUCH!  There were quite a few tears and the kiddos were so sweet...they kept asking me if I was ok and Katelyn told me I needed ice and to rest :)  I got a good bruise coming up and walking isn't super comfortable...but fine :)

Anyway...

This morning was Katelyn's first soccer game and she is so excited to be playing with her best friend from school....

I also finally got around to uploading some pics and found this sweet pic of the kiddos before we went to the zoo last week...love it when they love on each other...



Found this and it just made me laugh....Never fails that we have something random going on in this house :)

Also, been loving all the colors out this season so been wanting to add some color to my wardrobe...been checking out Target/Gap/Old Navy for some affordable ways to do this...and these are somethings that I have been looking at....

Hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

A beautiful day in the neighborhood

We spent this beautiful day at the park....going up and down slides. We brought our lunch and enjoyed the sun....I even got a sunburn.  Of course the first words out of Katelyn's mouth when we got unloaded were, "I need to go to the bathroom" LOL.  Nothing like trying to figure out what to do at a city park with a 4 year old, two 2 year olds and a 1 year old when a bathroom break is needed with no bathroom.  Luckily Papa was down the street and swooped in to take her to one close by :)  I just think I am ready for Carter & Bryce to be potty trained...I am sure we will be in and out of the bathroom ALOT ;)

Carter was super happy and ready to pose for a picture

Bryce was in climb mode today...so he was up and down and up and down...taking a little break :)

Austin decided to do a little munching and a little swinging...he is a mulit-tasker....:)

My precious girl....doesn't matter where she is...always practing her dancing...this was her attempt at an arabesque :)

It was a fun day and we ended up with only one playset induced injury...Big ol' bruise on Bryce...after a few tears (and some spaghetti) he was back to smiling. 

Only 25% of my kiddos injured...I will take :)

Happy Friday!!

(Linked up to SUYL - Moms of Multiples - Kelly's Korner.  Love finding other moms of multiples:)  Thanks for visiting!)

Superhero powers....

It has been one of those days....one in which if I possessed at least one superhero power...it would be the ability to silence whining with the mere blink of my eyes...or ease hurt feelings with just a simple hug...

I have been working on alot of things lately...mainly how I handle these tantrums my kiddos have that leave me feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and helpless.  Then BAM! like a slap in the face...that is exactly how they are feeling...overwhelmed, frustrated and helpless...in a big world around them where people are always telling them, "yes", "no", "not yet", "hold on", etc. 

That would leave me wanting to cry too....

Of course I know there needs to be boundaries for how to behave in certain social situations, that we can't just what we want...but they don't, they are learning each day...with each encouraging word I give them and while I am, show them the right way, instead of the wrong way.  Teaching them about God...and showing them examples of Faith, Mercy and Grace. 

So when they are screaming and crying, instead of losing my cool and trying to "put them in their place" with harsh words, which, sadly I have done....I get down on my knees and hold their hands.  A little human contact goes a LONG way...and show them the correct way...and show them mercy and remind them that I love them and I will be there the next time they fall down....not there to make sure they sidetrack holes or hard times...as hard as that is...but there for them after they fall to encourage them to get up and do it again. 

Is this easy...not always...like today, picking up the kids from school and Bryce breaking down and answering each thing I said with "No" and "I don't want to"....followed by tears and not listening and sitting down in the middle of the hall refusing to move....after a few deep breaths and moments to gather my thoughts about whether to put him in a bag to carry him along or stand up and demand he move....I gave him a few minutes, a few words and we got moving...it is hard to allow your children to have all these feelings of sad and mad...happy is easy to see and deal with...but sometimes when it isn't a big deal to you and you want to say suck it up, you have to put yourself in their shoes and allow them to get through the sad and mad.  I am learning it is about boundaries....

Are there consequences?  Of course, we have timeouts and we have three rules to be Respectful, Honest and Obedience....if these are broken there is a consequence.  But now it is done out of love and as a teachable moment.

This is an area in my life I have alot of growing to do and I will continue to pray for guidance. 

I guess, I do have superhero powers....the power of prayer and the strength of the Lord. 

Good Night!

What day is it???

Seriously....I was writing in my planner and couldn't quite figure out the day...sad...I know!  But here we are ending this Tuesday (at least I catch on quick LOL) and I figure I would throw together a random little post for my friends...

Friday night my sweet niece stayed the night with us...she is such a brave soul...and has the best heart in the world.  She is such a huge helper with the kiddos and I can't believe how big she is now....I used to dress her up and fix her hair....we played with makeup and glitter....she is such a sweetie!!

 

Saturday the kids and I spent most of our day outside....and what a beautiful day!  We ran around outside, took a walk and threw rocks (in a pond...not each other...well not much LOL) and colored ALOT with sidewalk chalk...what a great invention....the kids love it and Austin finally doesn't eat it :)



On Sunday we headed to church....but before we went and visited this sweet guy (and his parents).  He recently became a big brother!!  The kids had such a blast hanging out and playing and I held the baby the entire time....ahh....had to get my baby fix :) 





Now that Spring Break is over....it was time to prep for school....4 bags, 4 lunch boxes, 9 diapers, 3 changes of clothes, 4 sippy cups, 4 blankets, 2 nap mats and we were ready to go :)

After school yesterday we headed out to the zoo....what else do you do on a perfect 80 degree day???  It was amazing...nothing better than following behind 3 kiddos (while pushing a sweet guy in a stroller) at the zoo and watching them in their amazement of all the animals and surroundings...making animal noises...running and giggling...pretty sure all I could do was thank God for such amazing little people.  We got to see the elephants, gorillas and the macaws...which might be the kids favorites :)

Random side note....I got a new CrockPot :)  This is how I cook 90% of my meals...so I was super excited!!  

With Easter festivities approaching quickly I am planning on Easter baskets, filling eggs, a couple of crafts I am going to attempt and our Resurrection rolls that we will all be making on Easter weekend.  Can I tell you how many eggs I have to buy, fill and tape for school activities??? 108....that is ALOT of eggs...any suggestions on where to purchase????

Happy Tuesday!

My BIG family :)

So I have never done a link party...but I saw this today and thought "why not?"  So I am linking up to Kelly's Korner.

So these are my sweet kiddos....

Carter, Austin, Katelyn and Bryce

My sweet loves.....

Here is our story...the short version...

Met and fell in love with the hubs...2 years later we were married on May 20, 2006....Shortly thereafter we started talking kiddos...I had some female issues that gave us problems, so in December 2006 I was put on clomid and on my second round, I took my first positive pregnancy test....we were overjoyed with the idea of our first baby.

We welcomed our sweet daughter, Katelyn, on November 4, 2007.

Katelyn - 7lbs. 2oz 21 inches

Man that girl is precious!!  We had an amazing time learning the ropes of parenting with this sweet girl...we knew we wanted 2 kiddos for sure and loved the idea of having them close together...so we approached my doctor again when Katelyn was around 6 months old on what the plan should be, not knowing how long or if we should be on medication again.  Well...we held off a couple of months before going back on the clomid...and then the day before Katelyn's 1st Birthday I recieved a call from the doctor with results from bloodwork...and she told me to go buy a pregnancy test...sure enough I was pregnant!!!

Family of 3

We went in for an ultrasound to confirm and sure enough everything looked great...until 5 days later....some issues and severe morning sickness had me thinking something was wrong.  We went in for a second ultrasound to make sure everything was growing correctly and found out that instead of just one baby...there were TWO!!  We were in complete and total shock...like the kind where you don't even speak....just total silence...it is really funny to think back on.  So I grew and grew and grew....seriously...

About to POP!

So we welcomed two precious boys into this world and within 19 months of having children we went from 1 to 3....whew....so we set out to figure out the way our little family would run. 

Left: Carter Henry 5lbs 17.5in Right: Marion "Bryce" 6lbs 4oz 18in

Family of 5

Then one night in February....I decided I had felt "sick" long enough....and I knew the jig was up...after putting my 2 year old to sleep and my 8 month old twins to bed after their end of night feeding...I took a deep breath and took two pregnancy tests...which were both positive :)  I am not going to lie...I cried...I was totally scared and overwhelmed...fortunately for me, God gave me a man that put his arms around me that said with amazing confidence, "We can do this" and friends and family that were crazy supportive and a doctor that was the biggest cheerleader in the world. 

(Photo by Chris Fox Photography)

(Photo by Chris Fox Photography)

So months later of more growing and growing :)  we celebrated Katelyn's 3rd birthday as I waddled her to and from school and dance and birthday cake with my parents.  I laid down on the couch ready for sleep...only to go into labor with my 4th child exactly 3 years after having my first child...and we brought to the world this sweet boy :)

Austin Ronald Guy - 7lbs 7oz 19 in

Here we are today...a 4 year old, two 2 year olds and a 16 month old....we are kinda crazy all the time...but a good crazy.  We love parks and games....helping mom cook and do laundry.  The kids have an amazing MDO program and have really had fun interacting and making friends.

(Photo by Chris Fox Photography)

More accurate shot :)  (Photo by Chris Fox Photography)

It has taken me awhile to get out and be comfortable with all of them at malls, Target, grocery store or even playdates outside of the home.  It wasn't until just recently that I have just decided who cares what other people think....alot of negativity has surrounded me being seen with all the kiddos...I often get, "Are they all yours!?! Are you done!?! You know what causes that right!?!" from complete strangers with disgust on their face....or walking into restaurants and people giving the hostess the "Please don't sit them by me" look....it has often been disheartening to me...hurtful...even to the point of not wanting to go anywhere...but I have now thrown that out the window.  I am extremely blessed to have 4 healthy kiddos that have the ability to jump, run and play...they get excited and therefore loud at times...they get their feelings hurt and don't understand things...which results in tears sometimes...they are stubborn but man they have some serious perserverance....they are kind and just love getting out to see new faces and places.  If you ever see me...I will sometimes look flustered...or catch me counting little heads...but I am always amazed that they were entrusted to me.  They are my joy and they teach me so much everyday.  They have such gentle moments of tenderness with me and even better....with each other.  Their smiles can bring tears of joy to my eyes....

I often have a guilt in me about spending enough time with each...I try but I am not always successful.  I am not good at big craft days....gourmet meals...and I never have a clean house and laundry done...it is usually one or the other.  A successful day to me sometimes just means we are all out of our pj's....and I am learning to be ok with that :)  I had always wanted to be that "put together mom" with the great clothes, hair, car, etc....but honestly while our family grew our priorities changed...my husband left a job that was extremely demanding (well paying) and he found a job that he can be with us more...but the exception was to make it work financially I would go back to work part-time.  Which I honestly love....but we certainly have our financial woes...lets just say a trip to, well anywhere, is out of the question for awhile :)  Once we get three our of diapers....I think there is a chance LOL.

I never thought I would have four kiddos...2, maybe 3 tops....(my husband and I are both from families of 3 kiddos)...but now...I wouldn't have it any other way.  Honestly...I still get baby fever...crazy, no?  But I am happy with our crew and watching them grow.  I am so thankful to God to have the honor to care for each one. 

Testing...1...2....testing....1...2...3

This is how I feel lately...I feel as though I am talking into a microphone in an empty arena...and no one can hear me...or in my case, in a house full of kiddos that have decided listening just isn't part of their daily routine....whew...this can be EXTREMELY frustrating....trying to figure out my approach with this during this past weekend has been a little crazy...me and Kevin have looked at each other numerous times with just blank stares...feeling a little lost in this whole parenting thing :) 

Anyway...sorry about the complaining...I will move on to the fun :)

This past weekend was super fun and busy...per usual :) 

1.  Friday I attended a really great luncheon hosted by OSU Business College.  They invited Randi Zuckerberg...the older sister of Mark Zuckerberg...you know the inventor of Facebook....she spoke about her time there as marketing director and talked about the social networking scene these days.  It was very interesting and I was so glad that I got to attend. 

2.  That evening I had my annual gig as the judge for pom tryouts at a local middle school :)  I have been judging for quite a few years now and I love it!  Dancing was always so fun to me and I loved trying out for squads in my prime...so it is fun to see these girls dancing their hearts out :)

3.  I also helped host a couple's shower for a sweet friend of mine that is getting married on Cinco de Mayo!  The theme was "Lucky in Love" get it...St. Patrick's day LOL...The set up was BEAUTIFUL thanks to the talented hostess in charge...we had it at her house and she had a great tablescape.  Do I have any pictures??  Of course not....boo me!


4.  Thanks to my wonderful job, I was blessed with free tickets to Sesame Street Live for the kiddos...honestly we don't watch the show alot...so when it came down to it...the boys FREAKED out...tears, screaming and absolute craziness broke out...it was quite funny...they do not like anything that is a character....however, Katelyn and Austin loved it :)







5.  Possibly my favorite part of the weekend....DATE NIGHT!!  Kev and I have a friend that was out of town for Spring Break and sold their tickets...to us!  YAY!!  We went to the Thunder game and we won!!  So it was a blast :)

6.  This morning we woke up to rain....rain...rain...and the boys were a little sad that they couldn't go outside...but man they had fun staring outside :)  They spotted an earthworm on the porch...which was followed by:

Carter:  Mom, mom there is a snake!

Bryce:  Gross, it is licking the sidewalk....

Random but oh so funny boys!



7.  Went to the grocery store with the family tonight :)  It was fun...and we got everything on the list...including all our friends :)  I think we are good to go on juice....



Anyway....not a whole lot else going on right now :)  Maybe this week I can come up with some fun material to write about...we will see...I am sure the kids will come up with something crazy :)

It depends on how you look at it.....

Hello friends!  Another (busy) weekend in the books....as I went through the weekend I realized how many time my perspective could have changed my attitude...I can be negative type at times...without even realizing it honestly...so I figured I would try to look at things differently...to appreciate the things that I have :)

This is just a messy playroom that needs to be cleaned....or it is the room where I the kids imaginations run high...sometimes it is a pirate ship, a classroom, a stage...sometimes it is a quiet place where they lay on their chairs...either way, it is more than a just a messy playroom..

This is just laundry....this is actually the perspective I need to remember...it is just laundry...another load that needs to be washed, dried and folded...but sometimes it can wait...and it is okay to not have it done...

This is just another dinner...but after a long weekend full of a working husband....this was actually our idea of date night :)  It was also our time to connect in conversation and catch up on each other's day :)

This is just another party....but to this girl it was the best day ever!  Seeing that smile just makes me smile....it gets crazy some weekends trying to make it all happen...but it makes it all worth it when I see this baby girl!!

This is just a dirty table after breakfast....nah...this is my favorite place in the morning....I am not going to lie, once the kiddos get up and it is time to get everyone ready and out the door things can become quite chaotic...but there is nothing better than seeing the kiddos eat breakfast together.  Carter is usually the first one up...then comes Bryce (who is totally NOT a morning person LOL)...then when Katelyn comes in, Carter always says, "Good morning sissy!!"  He is always so happy :)  Then I hear Austin talking and I bring him into the room...and when I say, "Tell everyone good morning bubba," he will smile and start waving like crazy!  I love it!

These are just clothes....I found myself getting caught up worrying far too much about how I look, I realized this weekend...is it cute enough, stylish enough, etc....they are just clothes...they don't define me or say who I am...I have to remember this and not feel as though I am judged so much on the oustisde...shift my focus to inside instead of outside...

This is just a couch...it is hard to tell in this picture...but there is officially marker all over our new couch...courtesy of my sweet children ;)  Confession....I lost my cool completely...I had all the three kiddos (Austin napping) to color on the floor while I put the clothes from the washer to the dryer...I came back in to see them all on the couch with 5 or 6 markers without lids...and I found myself yelling to get off the couch and put the markers down and go to your room...I acted out of emotion before even gathering a complete thought in my head...and then immediately when alone in the living room felt horrible for how I reacted...it is just a couch and I had just hurt the feelings of my three kiddos and I had taught them nothing...honestly they probably didn't even know what I was truly upset about...so after I called them back to the living room and apologized for my actions we talked about their actions and a consequence.  I love how even though I am 30 I am still learning lessons everyday...

This is just about the cutest kid I know....well at least one of the four :)  His eye is finally starting to heal up completely...yay!

Well, I hope everyone out there had a great weekend :)  We sure did...although I am looking forward to a day off with my hubs tomorrow!!  Yay!!  Date day while the kiddos are at school...good times!

We got ourselves a Wildcat....and misc Tuesday fun :)

So this was a special day for me and my girl....

Katelyn and I headed up to her school-to-be tonight and enrolled for Pre-K....tear...



I can't believe she will be in full day school next year and she is SO EXCITED! She can't wait :) Her question was, "Do they have a cafeteria?" Love it...

We had to turn in paperwork, fill out more paperwork and they did an assessment by talking to Katelyn. They asked her how old she was, when her birthday was, what she liked to do and what she wanted to do at school next year. 

So precious!

After we got home, Kev went to pick up the boys so it was just us two.  We made sandwiches together and sat  back on the couch and talked and ate our dinner.  I love hearing what she has to say...she has such a big heart and she is super funny! 

After dinner, Katelyn set up her Barbie House and got out all her dolls (I apologize for naked barbie LOL).  We played dress up and fixed their hair :)

Then we moved on to a puzzle

Love this girl!!

Katelyn then set up Tea Party for her and her closest 11 friends :)

I knew there was a reason we had  4 tea party sets LOL

Then bubba's got home and crashed the tea party :)



It was a great day with the family!  So blessed to have such sweet kiddos...I will leave you with a picture of my sweet baby...he got his first shiner yesterday...this is one tough kid!  Sissy accidently pushed an (empty) swing through the air and Austin happened to walk by at the wrong time and took a swing to the eye.  He was tough...a few tears and he was back to playing!

Good Night!!