New Years eve

We wanted to end this year with something special for our family so of course we hit Myrtle Beach. Again. 

I was warm so we took a picnic and our girls and drove off toward the sunrise.  Not really but it sounds good :) 

Eldest had been fighting a cold and molars coming in and had not been sleeping well so we thought this adventure would also help cheer her up. 

We built a sandcastle and then played giant and attacked it. We went shelling, and walking on the beach.

Then once we started to get tired we loaded back up and ate our lunch in the car while we went sight seeing.

Middlest and BigGwrl were sooo excited to see that BASSA Pro shops are here in this land too! 

We trained them girls right. :) They really just like the fish tank and all the animal tracks on the floor. Eldest however.. well she found something she's ALWAYS WANTED and has decided that she and I are going to have a busy spring. 

 Once we finally were able to leave we discovered where all the RIPLEY'S Museums were (Tonya) so that when people (tonya) come to visit we could go. We also found a fishing pier. Eldest has been BEGGING to go on one since we've first gone to the beach. 

She LOVED it. She looked for dolphins and whales. Talked to the guys fishing. 

We checked for sharks and cool shells. 

It was so much fun! 

Then BigGwrl saw a fishing boat and started screaming that the Fire Nation was coming to attack us!! I though one guy was going to fall off the pier he was laughing so hard. 

That was pretty much the end of our drive the girls were worn out and we needed to get things ready for NEW YEARS EVE!!!!! 

Now this whole day Eldest was laughing and playing. We kept her meds going and other than her throat being sore she said she was feeling better.

New Years Eve... We got home and cleaned up the family room really quick so we could have our wii night. It was so much fun!! I kicked everyones butt. Then i had to go cook bread. They cheered when I left. 

We ended up calling New Years at 11 because the littlier ones were tired and CRANKY and Eldest was starting to feel bad again. 

About 3 she woke up and her throat hurt so bad she could barley swallow anymore. So Daddy took her to go get throat spray. No fever STILL but she had white stuff so in the morning he took her to the ER. She had Mono. yea. 

We were all just so worn out that after they got back we decided EVERYONE would take a nap. We ALL slept until after 5. It's been crazy around here. 

I pray you all had a much better New Years than we did.. or at least a more healthy. 

Mornings

Having all the kids home for almost a month and Big Daddy home for five months ALMOST helped me forget why I HATE weekday mornings.  Our routine WAS BigDaddy gets school kids up, dressed, fed, and on the bus in the mornings, So I could get a little extra sleep ( this started when we first got married because it held off the morning sickness). I think it's going to change. I HATE getting up and having half empty plates and cups all over my nice clean kitchen. I HATE waking up to a huge mess left from him making lunches. I hate the clothes thrown all over the floor from the child who decided the kitchen was where she needed to get dressed. And most of all I HATE waking up and finding BigDaddys mess from the night before. Stinky socks thrown in the middle of the floor, cups everywhere, chairs where they are not supposed to be. UGH. 
SO. I have decided that from now on I AM going to get up with BigDaddy and the girls. I have already started making middlest's lunches for the week ahead of time. Now comes the big stuff. No more " Did your father actually let you leave the house looking like THAT?" No more clothes on the floor. I am ready for battle. I really enjoyed waking up to making my girls breakfast and sitting at the table before our day started and being together. I'll be hornswaggled if this is going to continue. God put us in a new place so we could grow and change and I sure as heck am going to. WATCH OUT WORLD MOMMA IS GOING TO  BATTLE!

Photoshop

So.. I've been thinking today about Photoshop. I know people swear by it and im sure if you read enough tutorials that you can figure out how to use it, that it's awesome. HOWEVER is it cheating?
Shouldn't someone's skill be judged from how a picture looks straight out of the camera?
I use my editing software to straighten, crop, or change a picture to black and white. Thats it. Now i do realize i am not a professional but i think on occasion I take good pictures. I don't think they compare to Ansel Adams. Though.. i don't think he used Photoshop either.
I'm just saying.
I've been looking at all these pictures on various blogs i follow and they talk about how they do all this editing of pictures show before and afters.. I can see that Photoshop can take a mediocre photo and create something amazing. I dont have the time for that much fiddling around. I think a picture should be judged on the feeling not just the editing.

<----- This one.. Straight out of the camera.

Oh Christmas Tree...

Well apparently this post got erased haha so i posted a blank blog post! 

Thanks T for letting me know it wouldn't pull up. 

On Sunday evening we had our tree decorating party! We made cookies, drank egg nog, and had the best time ever!! 

I think our tree shrank though... 

Normally the tree took over the whole living room. This year hahha in the new house it appears small. 

I wonder if it has something to do with the huge ceilings?  

This year.. it struck both Bigdaddy and I that our babies are growing. :( They didn't need help reaching the top. They evenly placed all the decorations. We didn't need to move any higher up. BigGwrl had some issues with knocking decorations off on accident. She said she fought she was the worstest decowaiter evew. Mommy and her had a talk and she decided she wasn't as bad as she used to be. 

All in all it was a great time. :) 

We are getting so excited! It's almost time for our Happy Birthday Jesus party!! 

Mother VS. Friend

Well apparently Eldest thinks of me as one of her best friends.. well kinda like a friend who is a mom.. you're like the cool mommy. Woohoo.
I am concrened
   First: Does this mean i'm to friendly with my children and not MOTHER enough? Like do I let them get away with to much?? I mean I know to some extent they are spoiled but..  they aren't bratty or anything like that, just over hugged.
   Second: I dont know... Im just worried that this si going to turn into the will you buy me beer situation.
  I know that Eldest and I have an odd situation being that I am her Bonus mom but she lives us most of the time. I think this is probably a good thing though for her and I. She is respectful and well mannered, sharp, helpful and all that stuff you'd like a daughter to be. But she is still fiesty a trait we encourage up to a point. I go to bat for her over certian things that she might be to shy to ask permission for. I am glad she see's me as a friend yet still an authority figgure.. Maybe the biggest part is that I make to encourage her relationship with Mrs. Ducky and she knows now (being old enough to notice) that I know im not her mommy and i am not trying to be. There are a lot of maybes.
The biggest thing I worry about though is are we skirting a border??? COULD this turn into a beer and tatoo thing??? Would I not see that coming until it's to late? Was this all because I let the girls have a biscut fight?? Or a sprinkle fight??? Or stay up late watching NCIS??  OR does this make me a good mom for worrying about being to much a friend and not enough MOTHER???  Will explaining that, her thinking of me as a friend but still a mom isn't always a good thing because im not her friend be enough??  Or in eldest's own way is she trying to say.. i love you very much??
Someone send help.
Love,
Eldests MEME

PTA, Meetings, errands and Kids

I am so sorry dear friends that I have been neglecting you. It has been super crazy around here this week. I've had meetings, PTA stuff, Ms. Kitty went back in the hospital. Normal everyday errands and everything else a mommy gets to do. It's been hard to keep my head from spinning off. I would say I think its FINALLY under control but... it's not. I did not write on Saturday and Sunday due to the Holiday and spending time with family.
   We had a GREAT Easter filled with love and family. We spent Saturday with my family and Sunday with Big Daddy. We had soo many Easter Egg hunts. I of course took to many pictures.
We had all the staples Ham, Pork Roast, Potato Salad, Jello salad, hot rolls and of course no good southen meal is ever complete with out homemade Mac and Cheese. Ya'll just don't even know!
I think I gained 30 lbs. this weekend.
 Monday Ms. Kitty went back in the hospital. We had been expecting it but.. well its still difficult. We love her so much. The girls and I went and visited her later after they got home from school. Then Tues Middlest had her very FIRST school program. I have to say SHE was the bestest Kindergartner there. And the TALLEST, but I am not biased in anyway.  She was such a rock star! I am so proud!!
Today is Ms. Kitty day!! Im takin some lunch and we are going to hang out and color our hair.. in the hospital. Im not sure how it will work out but you never know.

Spring has Sprung... kinda

March is almost over and well it's not leaving like a lamb... at least not so far but in the south does it ever? We go from warm and sunny to thunderstorms (or snow) in a matter of hours! So this afternoon on the way to Nanna and Grumpa's house we saw some flowers that i couldn't bear to not take some pictures of. Daffodills. They just say spring to me well those and Iris' but my love of Iris' are another post for another time.. i am a little obsessed.
anyways.

These next ones were taken at Nanna's house... im not sure what kind of tree this is.. it may be some type of magnolia but it is sooo pretty.

Thank you for sharing the few hours of Spring with me

2am

Im not usually to keen on being up at two am, but this morning just feels diffrent. Possibly because I slept half the day. Its so quiet. I can hear Genesis and Indiana shuffling around and I can even hear one of the girls talking in thier sleep. Now that is kinda funny. Its probably Riley, my mother said I never shut up even when I was sleeping.
Seriously though being up tonight reminds me of when the girls were newborns. They would wake up in the middle of the night and we would bundle the girls in the car and drive around. Sometimes we would go to Krispy Kreme and wait for them to open other times we would have a picnic breakfast and watch the sun come up from the mountians (or what they call mtns). Van Morrison is softly sining in the background. My soul is fed. I came across these REALLY old pictures of the girls..

This was eldest and middlest back when they were best buds and inseprable. and yes I know I spelled that wrong.  Middlest was 2 1/2 and Eldest was 5 or 6 . Now they would never admit to walking this close to eachother :)

This is the girls same age about the same time 'cept that little baby is my now biggwrl.

Seeing these pictures makes me think it's time for another baby. However until we find out about Big Daddy's job Thats prolly not going to happen.

I hate colds

For as long as I can remember every cold has turned into a sinus infection. Okay I think I've had two that haven't. From the time my cold starts I am doing sinus rinses, sitting in the steam, drinking lots of water. Doesn't help. Soon the migrains from pressure start. Woke up this morning with what I call the drunkness. The dizzyness and the upset tummy. I am taking the day off to rest. But it's spring break. So i'll try.