Our camping trip was wonderful....it was beautiful....and perfect

When we arrived it was snowing!!! Our cabin overlooked the lake filled with cypress trees....cypress knees...dangling moss....and trees with shades of red, yellow, orange, and green leaves. The guys made a fire...while the women talked about...everything....the boys played in forts, jumped off coffee tables, watched their daddies build a fire, and insisted on undressing themselves down to their pull-up. Avie managed to scoot herself where ever the attention was and tried to eat everything she could get her hands on.

We laughed...danced...played...sang Christmas carols...roasted hot dogs...toasted marsh mellows...ate together...watched football....went hiking...canoed...and most of all...we just enjoyed being with each other.

Jack at the playground

The boys eating roasted hot dogs!

Cuddled up Avie

Daddy's Girl

Perfection...

Our hike begins

The Davis'

The Masons'

There was still snow the next day!

Silly Boyz

Avie in my awesome new bag! Thanks Sandra!

The boys in their tent....static and all!

wReStLiNg

Helping their daddies

While canoeing I got a picture of these guys....

American Anhinga...Black bellied darter...or water crow

Much of the day it sits motionless with its wings half spread,

suggesting laundry hung out to dry or perhaps just enjoying some sun.

Thoughts...

cold nose against my breast...big long gulps of breath...and little stuffy noses...this is my proof that winter is here. Avie is currently experiencing her first cold....im a pretty proud momma to know that I made it 8 months with a perfectly well baby. I especially love nursing in the winter...its something about the warmth of your baby cuddled close in your arms...knowing that your providing them with the best growing potion there is...and its seeing your baby look you in the eyes all shiny and warm, as if they are saying...this is the best place in the whole world!

My tree is up...and decorated...stockings are hung...and decorations strategically placed....this will be over and over again once Jack gets a hold of them. I am still awaiting the lights outside the house to go up...but I refuse to get out in this weather...my shopping is 90% done...and thats a great feeling. There are always those last minute small things...like stocking stuffers...and a gift for great grandma...nothing against great grandma...just clueless as what to get an 86 year old woman!

Times are busy...like always during this time of year. I made a promise to myself that I am going to enjoy it...its Avie's first Christmas and Jackson's third....I want to be able to remember this....how special it is....creating traditions....their faces of amazement and curiosity....their lack of understanding of Santa Claus and presents...its a good age to enjoy.

We are leaving to go "camping" this afternoon. We will actually be in a cabin so I guess you cant call it camping...but we will be roasting hot dogs and smores by campfire...so maybe its in between. And I am so excited to see my favorite friend and her family...its going to be a fun time! It is supposed to be really cold...like 25...and maybe even snow...I think I will spend lots of time by the fire.

Here are a few pics of Thanksgiving....

Jack wrestling with his cousins...he's pretty tough for a 2 year old!

My Family

Turkey place cards Jack and I made

Jack & Zack wrestling...if you look closely you can see

Jack's little crack...a few more years and this wouldn't be cute!

My brother & Jack...crazy how much they look alike.

Aunt Jennifer... Brandon's sister

Hubby's Family

The cutest turkey cupcakes Jack and I made...

the ones Jack made are not shown.

Oh I Feel Like I'm Falling For Fall...:)

Its 8:00 am and I wake up with my head burning...I try and adjust my eyes...they are not working....finally they focus in on my 6 month old little girl...her hand comes in and grabs my hair...its everywhere....and it hurts...I grab her wrist and pry open her little fingers one by one. Its the kind of hurt that I have to remind myself that its my 6 month old and she doesn't understand and I need to loosen my grip on her wrist....I choose the word understand because I think she purposely likes seeing my reaction..and her brothers, but his reaction is a little more severe....I have to make sure I am close by. Jackson is still sleeping....in my bed....so I grab Avie before her babbling can wake him...I really only want to deal with one child awake right now. I smell something coming from Avie, and try to recall when this could have happened, she just woke up. We go the changing table and I try to be somewhat jovial that I get to start my day off by changing a poopie diaper. Lately this is all I do....all the girl does is poo...I dont know where she fits it...I guess she doesnt. She is clean...I put her on a blanket with toys all around...and I head towards the coffee. I can smell it as I get closer...thank you honey for making coffee before you left this morning....I love it when its already made....espcecially this morning. My slippers are crunching beneath me...I look down and see goldfish...those little whole grain chedder ones. The whole grain makes me feel so much better...in fact I am more likely to say yes when he asks to eat them for breakfast. At this point I dont even try to dodge the rest...I just step on them...I figure the damage is already done. I make my coffee quickly and decide I will sit in the living room with Avie and "wake up". I start looking around and just sigh....there is Cane's sauce on the wall in the kitchen from last night when Jack fell out of his chair and took the whole box of chicken with him....I thought I cleaned it all...but I must have missed some....of course there are the crunched up goldfish....several toys in the kitchen and lots more in the living room....basically this house is a wreck....but I just cleaned it yesterday...how can this happen so fast! Then I recall the wonderful night I had...Jack decided that he would crawl into bed with me around midnight, and because I value my sleep too much, I just let him in...and Avie decided she would join in around 1...then she would wake up at 4:30 and decide that she wanted to play....this went on for an hour and a half! I spent my night barely moving...in fear that if I roll over, I might wake Avie up. My husband, lately just assume turn the couch into his bed. We have to plan out our "intimate time" and make sure the baby monitor is on...because you never know when Jack will decide to barge in...okay maybe I am the only one that has gotten busted by a two year old!...And maybe I am the only one who has a two year old that is wired at 10:30! Am I not working hard enough...am I being lazy...do I just not care anymore...I am thinking...and thinking hard for answers...and then I realize...there is just no real answer....sometimes days, weeks, months, and years are harder than others. Yes I believe there are limits and lines to draw and that the husband should not have to sleep on the couch every night. But I realize that our life on this earth is but a vapor....a vapor! And when Jack is 4 or 5 or 6 or 7...he will not want to sleep in his mommy and daddy's bed...and there will probably be that day when I am sitting in the front row watching his bride walk towards him and I will probably say....man... I wish I would have snuggled with him more, or I wish I wouldn't have worried so much about the small stuff...that, in the long run doesn't really matter. Does this mean that Jackson and Avie will continue to co-sleep with their parents....no....because I need a good nights sleep....with my husband....but my point is that we shouldn't criticize our motherly instincts and we shouldn't sweat the small stuff....those crunched up goldfish can be swept up.... and that sauce can be wiped off...eventually....everything doesn't always have to be perfect...I have to remind myself. I have the best job there is....being a wife to my husband, and being a mother to my children....and yes there are some days when I would willing get a different job, but then I would be missing out on some of the most important things in..my life...my world...my vapor!

This...

Changes are ahead...

Time flies when your having fun...We have two weddings down and one more to go. My little brother just got married last weekend....everything was beautiful and couldn't have been more perfect. They were so cute to watch...so in love...and at the same time made me feel much much older! I made his groom's cake...he wanted it to be something soccer and he also wanted to incorporate the place where he proposed to her...the three crosses at Bethany Church...so I had to get creative. I have pictures posted below. I was very pleased with the soccer cake but not too sure about the cross cake.

With this rain we have been couped inside a lot...trying every chance we get to go outside, all the while we are melting in this humidity. Jack has to change his clothes after every outing because he comes in covered in mud from head to toe...literally. Avie is content just sitting in her stroller watching all the commotion. Lately she has been doing so much....she loves real people food and hates baby food. I have resorted to mashed potatoes, mashed carrots and bananas, and her favorite is gnawing on the end of a pizza crust! She just needs to hurry up and get a tooth so she can chew stuff. She can sit up by herself for a little while until she sees something behind her that she wants and then she falls to the side. She can scoot forward and backwards to get whatever entices her. She can say mama and dada...and knows when to use each word correctly...mainly she calls me for food! Jack, to me, looks like he is changing lately...I don't know what it is, but his features are starting to look more like a little boy and less of a toddler. His facial features are starting to change too, although he still looks like his daddy. I cant believe that in 6 more months I'll have a 3 year old and a one year old!

I cant wait to see the kids in their Halloween costumes....Jack has been running around with his Buzz lightyear cap on and his underwear saying whatever lines he can recall from Toy Story. I am planning on taking some fall pictures of them next week...I've been trying to do this for two weeks now....and I either cant find a hay bale or its raining! Hopefully I'll have some to post next week!

My little handsome man!

1/2 Year!

It's hard to believe this....

grew into this...she actually had more hair!

Avie turned 1/2 a year old on September 27. Crazy how fast these past 6 months have flown by! I am so in love with her...her soft, sweet, delicate manner. The way she makes me work so hard to get a giggle out of her...her bright eyed, melt my heart smile...the way her daddy thinks she's the most beautiful thing he's laid eyes on...her innocent ohhh's and ahhh's....her ability to suck her toes....her bald head...the excitement she gets when I come to get her out of bed....her grunts and calls....how she fits so perfectly in my arms....her love of blankets over her face....and how she thinks she can do everything her brother does, and no matter what he does to her....she loves him unconditionally! She is such a great baby...so perfect in every way:) Mommies are so partial to their children! I've been trying to savor every moment but sometimes I get caught up in the busyness of life...doesn't everyone!? I feel like I have been non stop lately...always having something to do....showers, weddings, birthdays....I think we have something going on for every weekend in October!

Lately I've had a gorilla living in my house! I was grocery shopping the other day with kids in tow...trying to make the rounds and grab my listed items. I ran into an elderly lady from our church...I don't know her extremely well but I know her face and she knows mine. We do the usual small talk..."hey how are you".... she then precedes to tell Jackson hello, in which he promptly greets her with a loud, mouth wide open roar, head flail from side to side, and last but not least fists beating against his chest! I decided that we would put Tarzan at the top of the closet until a later date...maybe next year. I was "slightly" embarrassed! How do you explain that to the elderly. To tell you the truth I don't remember how I justified that...maybe I just smiled and pushed my buggy right along, or maybe I said "Oh look Avie's smiling at you!" Anyway... I am hoping that this need for dominance subsides soon. I did have this quick thought of him being Tarzan for Halloween...but after my mental picture of a two year old thrashing around in a loin cloth, that didn't seem like a good idea!

I finally got all my fall decorations up...I'm so proud of myself and enjoyed every minute of it...the pumpkin lights around my front door...my newly decorated wreath....the creative mantle decor...pumpkin spice candles.... yellow, red, and orange leaves...and of course we had to put out Spidy the spider and Lizzy the black cat to complete our Halloween decor! Yes...I hear all the snickers in the background, but this is what keeps me myself and keeps me exercising that wonderful sense of creativity God gifted me with!

Wake Up Call

Every now and then I get a 5 AM wake up call from my bed side monitor. I usually dream that some kind of animal has gone rampant in my house. She does this high pitched grunt/strain...the kind that if I tried it, would cause my throat to burn and a hacking cough...but she is completely happy, and can do it for very long periods...I finally give in and go get her...by the way this is my child I'm referring to. I have become a pro at nursing while sleeping...I remember when Jack was born and I could only nurse with pillows strategically propped behind me...and HAD to have that bobby pillow....oh how times have changed! She nurses...and again I wake up to the grunting call....she has decided that she will not go back to sleep. I am in and out of sleep trying to put a nu nu in her mouth....she is 5 months old and she has never taken a nu nu...I was really hoping that on this early morning that today would be the day! Then I hear a faint noise that seems to get closer...sounds like feet slapping the floor...it is....Brother Jack has come to join us! He has brought all 3 of his stuffed animals with him, including his green blanket. I sit up, look over at my peacefully sleeping husband, and....for a few seconds I feel bad...then I shake him and boot him off to the couch...he quickly grabs his pillow and quilt and flees...this is a common scenario in this household and there is not room for seven in a queen size bed...I am counting the stuffed animals too! Avie baby is still working on her call....I don't know who she is calling but it is someone/something. Jack is still squinty eyed and trying to focus in on the source....Avie....ready to play...grabs a wad of his hair...I have to break this up...for I know Jackson will take it to heart! Okay Okay! I am getting up! I head straight to the coffee pot! I don't know how a little body can make so much noise! That is one thing I wish I had the ability to do... is wake up as happy as she does! She if full of smiles and giggles and I wish I could be more into it. After a cup of coffee I do use this time to my advantage....we play....just me and her....read books.....and snuggle! By 6...I am on my second cup and Avie baby is getting restless....all I have to do is put her in her crib...place her blankie in her hands and she is out in no more than two minutes. I so want to crawl back in bed with brother Jack....but I have things that need to be done....but am I doing them....NO. The sight of the dirty laundry sitting on the floor....the dirty dishes from the night before....and all the toys lingering so ever more...what I am trying to say is...none of that interests me...so here is my blog! I could so be a poet!

Growth Spurts

Our Labor Day weekend in Pensacola Florida

Oh how I hate cleaning out clothes that my two have out grown. Avie has moved up to the 3-6 month size and is fitting in some 6 months clothes....tear....! As I was putting away her out grown clothes I came across the preemie outfit she whore home. I held it over her with her arms and legs poking out about 5 inches longer than the outfit! I cant believe she came home in this just 5 months ago...I thought. Reminds me of just how fast they are growing. Jackson is outgrowing shoes before he can even get them dirty. I swear I just bought him a pair of tennis shoes 3 weeks ago and I cant even get them on his feet now....I am just glad I only spent $10 on them.

Both of my babies are teething at the same time! Never thought I would get to say that! Jackson is getting his last top two-year molars and Avie is getting her first toothie! Its been crazy, sleepless nights, double the diarrhea, and twice the snotty noses.....oh and lots of droll! I get so paranoid at the slightest of fever or signs of sickness lately with all the flu stuff going around. I am so glad that I cant remember getting teeth because I cant imagine how that must feel. Your gums swollen and stretched, then having a tooth bust through it...not fun!

I am getting in the mood for FALL! I so love the fall weather...decorating...pumpkins...mums...hallowen costumes...which I have already started looking for. Last year Jackson was a Jack-in-the-box..... This year I decided I would ask him what he wanted to be...even though he doesn't completely understand the concept or at least I thought he didn't. He tells me that he wants to be....Buzz lightyear....so he can say "Buzz lightyear to the rescue!" So my hunt is on for a Buzz lightyear costume! For Avie I am still undecided, but I saw the cutest little pink bunny costume, and since pink is very much her color I think I might have to get it.

Cake I made for my future to be sister-in-law's bridal shower

I am truely blessed!

My husband and I were just talking the other night about what we use to pray for when we were younger.

I remember praying that God would bless me with lots of children and a husband that would take care of us so I would be able to stay home with them...I may need to repray about the lots of children part, two is plenty right now...my husband use to pray that God would give him a beautiful, sweet, awesome wife *yes I did just exaggerate a little. God gave us both exactly what we wanted...and I am so thankful He did!

We were trying to think about what we did with our time when we didn't have kids...neither of us could recall...and that maybe a good thing. However I did think of things that I never imagined I would be experiencing.

Although this list doesn't even scratch the surface...Here goes...

I never thought that I would... come in contact with poo and pee as much as I do...loose my temper as quick as I have...not get a straight 2 hours of sleep...watch a baby sleeping...have milk squirting out my boob...get so impatient...hold on to my size 2 clothes, thinking that I will eventually get back into them...laugh and have tears in my eyes at the same time...put a baby's foot in my mouth...be so exhausted that I would give anything for a 30 minute nap...let a 2-year old eat Cheetos at 9:00 at night...wear jeans in July because I didn't have time to shave...never get to enjoy a bath by myself...hide in my closet...wake up in the middle of the night to check on my babies...watch Disney movies almost everyday...not care what I look like...dig in the dirt and play tractors...not mind spit up all over me...never get to go to the bathroom alone...make silly faces and sounds to hear a baby laugh...and do it over and over...stay up most of the night worrying...read the John Deere equipment manual to a 2-year old...over and over again...think that my child is the sweetest and the worst child all in the same day...get use to things breaking...be so in love...not mind smelling bad breath in the morning...lay on my living room floor under a sheet spread over some chairs...look forward to every holiday...remember the first and last time my son fell asleep in my arms...

and last but not the last...thank God everyday for what he's given me!

My week consisted of visiting my grandma on Monday. Jackson loves playing with all the trinkets and whatnots...keeps me on my toes the whole time we are there. We stopped by Hobby Lobby on the way home to get cake decorating supplies...I could spend all day in that store...if I didn't have kids with me. Tuesday I took Jack to play with the little girl down the street, then we went to Tuckers and picked out some shrimp. I wanted to boil them but then decided to fry them...we had hush puppies and potato salad too! Jackson couldn't help himself and ate them as they came out the fryer. Wednesday we took a trip to Jambalaya Park (Splash Park) in Gonzales and played with the cousins. The water was a bit cool but didn't keep them from playing! Today will be spent packing, as for tomorrow we are Florida bound. We are visiting more cousins and going to the beach!

As for now... I wish everyone a great Labor Day weekend!!!

Jambalaya Park