Take time to Enjoy!!

The Little Things in life- After coming home from SC, we just literally did NOTHING all saturday (exept house hunting for 2 hrs, but that doesnt count). Luke was watching his sports, see my suprise face?! and so Lex grabbed the computer and went to one of her many favorite kid friendly sites. Quin heard noises from the computer, so had to see what sissy was doing.. Before i knew it, i then had the Dog on my lap with HER toy.. *THESE* are the moments every mommy loves, lives and breathes for!!! And i am so thankful my wonderful husband scrambled around to capture this special moment..
.. This special moment should be shared with you- take time to enjoy the LITTLE things like this, because you may not ever have this chance again.

And Then There was Thanksgiving - -

THis year, i have SO many things to be Thankful for!
*I'm so thankful that we sold our house in Oregon so quickly!
* I'm thankful that God has brought us to Georgia. Its beautiful here, and i have NO regrets. He's so faithful in his plan!

Unfortunately, it would have cost 2400.00 dollas to fly back to Oregon for the holidays, so we stayed here.. well, sort of. My Childhood Best friends Parents live in South Carolina, so we went there. (SHE WAS IN TN with her fiancee' - poo on her, but i'll see her for Christmas)
There are many pics to be seen, so enjoy- and i'll narrate for ya- But before the narration, it HAD to have been about 70 degrees out and sunny! So, we went super casual and sat at a picnic table while the girls and the dogs played and ran outside in the enormous back yard- .

*sitting at the table and looking up- peaceful & Beauty in one picture*

* She dressed herself and i'm such a proud mommy. She told me she Loves the sleeves on this sweater cause they "go out" - my fashionista*

*Lil Muffin was OBSESSED with the fish in this pond and could not stay away from it- i think i may have heard her say fish at least 80 times here*


*Well, it was a nice photo op THOUGHT- the terrible 2's have already kicked in. Muffin's excitement is so impressive. *

*The easy, yummy dinner ( that jello is fantastic. i'm not a jello salad fan, but this rocked! kraftfoods.com and it has pineapple, apple,cranberry sauce, rasp. jello and walnuts, but i HATE walnuts, so none of those suckers in there*

* Got these at one of my Fav. boutiques in Oregon- they are fun, and a good edition to a laid back day. If you come across them, or online, buy them! ( by the box girls)*

*of course, someone had to get hurt- my drama queen showing her splinter- you would have thought she'd been on her death bed, she was screaming so loud*

*Daddy doing his best to get the splinter out- what a cute lil moment between

them*

*The turkey Chef *

I always love driving out there because it really is in the middle of no where's ville so you can relax to the hilt! EVERY time we go there, lil' Muffin takes the longest, 3 hours plus naps! ( But she's not the only one.. i always sneak one in as well)

Will i Be able to Cut the Diaper Fund Soon?!

(Oh.. before i start this post, lemme set the scene for you) Luke is on his laptop working and i'm criss cross apple sauce on the couch. All is quiet in the house (why, yes, of course, the girls are sleeping, can i get an AMEN?! ) All of a sudden, our upstairs neighbor - or as Luke refers to as "Two Ton Tilly", gets up on the couch and like stomps across the floor.. so excited to hurry up and buy a house already!
Onto the Potty talk- - - As of beginning of last week, Quin was watching her usual morning disney cartoons, and i hear the diaper come off. As i walk to put it back on, i think she's just bored and took it off. The next day rolls around and exact same scenario, exept this time, i hear her making some business in the living room. .. i let her finish and look over in dismay and see that she's left me a little present on my living room floor- - ok.. 2 days in a row, NOT SO MUCH A COINCIDENCE! off to Wal* Mart we went and luke had the job of picking out the seat. Now.. let me just say this- POTTY CHAIRS RANGE IN PRICE AND LAVISHNESS. There is the cheap-o 16 dolla one, which i would have bought.. then there was the step up from that which is all pink, with a cushy seat. I *HATE* cushy seats. They remind me of a grandmas house that when you sit down the air goes : "phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh out of it, ya know?! GROSS!! Then, there was the 40 dolla potty that friggin plays music when you go in it.. uh.. NO.. i dont need a band to play to my child. A marshmallow will do just fine!
And so..after 3 days of just sitting on it for fun, She made her Pink Cushy seat toilet do its job! (i HATE THIS toilet, but daddy picked it out.. my question is.. is he cleanin it too?! )The potty prize of choice? A marshmallow- - Now.. we listen for the key phrase : "po- dee"

With all of her success, she's also had another rough week. Lil' Muffin seems to be my baby that's in and out of the Dr. Office, oh.. every week- i think i should have a frequent member club card and rack up points or something so i can get a mommy prize~! She's come down with yet ANOTHER ear infection- - I have been referred to an allergist and we will have her tested for milk allergies that may be causing her CONSTANT sickness for the last few months. Due to this ear infection, she's had a lack of sleep, and the other day i caught this moment on the couch, granola bar in hand- - -PRICELESS!!

A Race to Be Won!

Every Year, Lexi's school has a race right before Thanksgiving. They train for this race for over a month- and rumor has it, it totals over a mile. Well, she BEGGED me to run, so i agreed. ( NOT knowing it was this long) Seriously, i thought my lungs were on fire, my side hurt for 3 days and i thought i literally might just be dying. But as we ran together, i kept pushing her as she wanted to give up.. She was racing against ALL 1st graders which had to be well over 40 PLUS- As of the week before the race she was coming in at 8th place.. which is still i think pretty cool- She started giving up, but my lil precious kept on truckin and came in at SIXTH place for girls- woot woot, sista you rocked it at the run!
Here's the best part- they had an awards ceremony directly after the race- The PE teacher would call each childs name and then they would come up. Now keep in mind, each child knew what place they got right as they finished the race. So.. the PE teacher says, and i quote : " AND in 6th place we have"... Not any sooner has he said that, Lex has already stood up, walked to the front and grabbed her certificate.. i was DYIN- - - NO * LACK * OF * CONFIDENCE, and i just LOVE that about her!

Lex's teacher getting her school camera fired up.. bet cha didnt know i got THIS pic, did ya? Now.. pay me back and send me the pic you took of me lookin like an IDIOT running BEHIND my child -




Cheers to my sweet girl that overcame her thoughts of wanting to quit at the end..!!

And What a Day it has been!

Rumor has it, all you little school peeps out in Oregon dont have school ALL week?! FOR REAL?! i remember when i was in school we had maybe 2 days off.. ok, ok MAJOR exaggeration, but come on.. with less and less days of school, the kids are only gettin DUMBER ya'll!
What to do today? Well, Lex's class made things today pertaining to Thanksgiving, and i was going to help, but my girl didnt holla at me of what time to come in ( sooo wrote that to make you feel bad, really it was ok, i just showered, put on my cutest outfit ever, and even put on my face with 110% effort- it was like standing by the phone waiting for your boyfriend to call and he doesnt) That post was all a huge guilt trip- really, it felt so nice to not have a set schedule today. So, i was in my finest of clothes, super cute hair and perfect make up. And you know what i did with all of this super cute stuff? I sat my booty on the couch while my little muffin was napping, and ate a nice bowl of rocky road ice cream while watching some old episodes of Real Housewives of Orange County-- KAT, how could you watch that garbage?! Well.. CAUSE I LOVE IT!! ITs real- - the ladies are all a bunch of hotties with crazy lives. Yes, they have insane amounts of money, but you tell me that they all have it together more than you or i do?! NOT ONE! they all suffer from emotional pain just as much as you or i do. Do i wish i lived like they do? No- Why, you ask? Because i feel as though when you live a lifestyle like that, you forget the SIMPLE things in life. Now, i may be wrong but this is my speculation. Having said that, The real housewives of Atlanta season finale is on tonight, and i cant WAIT to watch that.. girlfriends out here in the south will get in your face girl and they wont hide ANYTHING.. i love it.. i love it.. and then after that ,the ALL NEW season of the OC housewives starts again. Woot woot to that!
As my mini me comes home, i start into mommy mode again and get the afternoon snack, then another snack, oh wait, can that count as your dinner- you wanna make cookies? oh sure.. eat 4 or 6.. i'm not really counting, i'm just thinking now begins the Thanksgiving holiday.
I start on some christmas stuff.. get some more snacks for the kids, take the dog potty, give the dog medicine, sit on the couch.. ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.. now the lil muffin has a fever, get the muffin some medicine, answer the phone, give a bottle, put her to sleep and PRAY that lil fever goes away- -
And now i sit "watching " some movie.. what movie? i dunno.. oh, but my kid does.. mom, its called :"Zoom." oh.. sure.. ya.. did you ever know this movie existed? Me either,,, cause i was too busy watching Housewives of Orange county and atlanta to know some horribly made kids movie was ever out...
.. pictures and posts to come..

Its the time of year to -

Give Thanks for the special things we have in life and the little things that we take for granted!! Here are some pictures of things i'm extrememly greatful for! The cutest dog on the planet- even though she has issues, she's my precious little Jewel! She has taught this family so much about patience and love. ( you know you have to love this little thing enough to shell out thousands of dollars in only 4 years. )

I could not have asked for a better first born. Reminds me SO much of me- God has blessed her with many talents. She's so smart and is proud to tell people about Jesus- her kindness, and her manners. Just yesterday 3 times i had people walk up to me and commend Lex on her manners and behavior. FINALLY , all my insane mommy moments have paid off ;) The BEST big sister every mother could ever hope for! She's a little mom and is so careful about her little sissy-

My handsome husband who becomes a better husband every day- ( not that he was ever a bad one ;) Who works hard, ruthless, endless hours to make sure we have everything we need and supports me with all i do.

Oh, my little Muffin- I thought my world was complete until she came into it!! she makes this family whole. She is a mini Luke - and is too smart for her own wits! See the picture?! it says it all- Her hair and her sweet cheeks brighten everyones day! But dont let it all fool you- she will use this little face to her advantage as she's unloading your cupboards, or emptying your wallet!

* I thank Jesus not only during this Season but every day for my parents and the guidance they have given me over the years!

*I'm thankful that i have a home to live in with heat, when others are struggling to stay warm at night and to find food.

* I'm thankful that my husband has a job- in this economy that's a HUGE praise!!

* I'm thankful for the wonderful friends ive made since moving to Ga and that we've settled in so well.

THe list could go on and on.. but one thing i'm really really thankful about, ESPECIALLY since just a few months ago luke was waking up at 2 am to fill up gas at almost 5 bucks a tank.. PEEPS ITS ONLY 1.79 a gallon here!

What are you Thankful for and do you take the "little things" for granted that aren't actually little?! Take a moment to thank your creator for the things he has blessed you with -

Out with the Old, in with the New..

Well, Sort of...
Yesterday i turned my lease in. My Pilot has been my FAVORITE car yet. It has the same amount of room as my land cruiser did, but is WAY more gas efficient, and can seat 8!! Luke and i decided we wanted to buy a used car ( per the financial advisor) and pay it off so we would have NO car payments. So, i sucked up my pride and just figured i would end up driving an accord. I love accords but when you're used to having room to put your groceries, and have a seat easily go down in the back , the thought of a campact car isnt that great. We found this car 2 hours away, so this morning right after lex went to school, we BOOKED there, picked it up and booked back. ( Did i mention we found it for 7 GRAND less than the dealership wanted me to pay to buyout mine?!!!!)
I pray this was the right decision and that it will remain Ol' Faithful like our old one. I had NO complaints about our other one! The one thing that will be missed about our old one is that Lexi inscribed Lexi with a heart dotting the "I" on the passenger door using a rusty nail and then blamed QUINCEY! ! ! one of those things that you want to scream at but then look back at and just DIE laughing!! So.. goodbye to my Silver Bullet and Hello to my Beaut of a White car- help me think of a new name for her.. Little side note.. i wonder if she'll make me look Fat- after all she is WHITE and white makes you look BIGGER!!!

When the weather's Achin, Do some Bakin!

Today started out with crazier weather than yesterday - thunder and lightning today, causing 4 structure fires. I quick dressed for workout so i wouldnt have an excuse to Slack!! Got to the gym and did my hour treadmill walk, and then darted to the weights class.. OK, i have a HUGE confession. I started getting hungry half way thru class and felt like i deserved to LEAVE- yes, i freakin packed up my weights and left class half way thru!!! Rude, you say- well.. maybe so, love the unstructor, but man i needed some eats!!

With the yucky weather, i figured i needed to light some more candles and bake to my hearts content- You see, the last month or so i've taken a huge likeness to baking. I guess you could say i'm becoming more domestic. So, my two favorite websites to go to are :Kraftfoods.com and then i google the Duggar family recipes ( yes, they are that sweet family of 17, soon to be 18 kids. ) They have the BEST recipes on their webpage and SUPER DUPER easy! No, i didnt say lo - cal.. but this is comfort food weather. So, do what i do, make something, then give half away to your neighbors so you dont eat it all. Are you wondering what i made? Why, SWEETS of course. That is my main food group- From the Duggar Family:

CHOC. MOCHA HEATH CLOUD BROWNIES

"Prepare one box of Brownies made using ‘cake’ brownie recipe on box usually with extra egg.

4 t. instant coffee (dissolve in T. hot water)

1 1/3 c. milk

1 sm. pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 sm. pkg. instant chocolate pudding

2 c. cool whip™mix together & then crumble up:2 heath bars on top.Makes one 9”x13" Pan!(One of Mommy’s favorite desserts!) "

The recipe turned out super yummy with a coffee taste and zip to it- Quin and Luke loved them, and i even shared some with my neighbor Matt who is here from England in training for the military. His wife is back there, so i help him out once in awhile and give him some home cooked treats. (Yes, she knows i bring him food.. and she Loves it)

*HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBERT!*

Happy *21st* Birthday to Robert- someone that's been apart of our family for years now-

There are many happy memories we have of our time shared with you! Lex misses you terribly and i'm sure deep down inside you miss her always interrupting you and Amy, sitting in between you two on the couch and even coming out to the hammock to hang out with you!!

Cheers to another great year- DANGIT.. i just only *WISH* i could have bought you a drink.

Happy Birthday to a GREAT guy, and true Gentleman!

Love, US! ( the OBNOXIOUS part of Amy's Family )

It Rained, It stormed!!

Today was the typical workout day, but the day was gloomy- after my hour long treadmill walk ( yes, i do it every time! Low cardio = fat burning, baby!) i went over to do some free weights. the Gym has awesome music playing and since i'm ghetto and only have head phones to plug into the treadmill, i listen to gym music. All of a sudden, i heard a loud BOOM- - another one, then - NO LIGHTS! Uh ya.. a huge dark gym with lots of equipment and sweaty men.. i would LOVE to work out in the dark- then no one can see you grimmace as you lift or look like a fool. After about 10 minutes they came on.. But lemme tell you when it rains here, its like BUCKETS! you get soaked! just from the car to my house my shoes and socks were saturated- flippin nasty i tell you!

So, as i sit here and type, what am i listening to right now you ask? Well, Quin is screaming at the top of her lungs in bed ( have no clue why, she just was bathed, teeth brushed and had a bottle) and Lexi is also being as dramatic crying obnoxiously in bed- why is SHe crying?! Well, its now 8 and after an hour cheer practice of course she's hungry. While i was just on a FIVE mn phone call, TOPS, she came up and interrupted me on the phone. THIS is something that we've been working on the last few weeks. WHY IS IT that when you are on the phone, a child needs your utmost attention, but hasnt needed it AT ALL before then?! And so, She will go to bed now, without a snack to make a point that we do not interrupt or throw fits-

And it is moments like these, i will look back on in a few years and just WISH i heard their little voices whine and cry and ask for mommy- until then, I think i'll pour myself a glass of wine.

................. Until Next time, America..........................

Quiet time

It started out as one of those mornings- a shreaking scream poured out from Quin's room. I jump out of bed, look at the clock as i walk by the kitchen and think, my gosh 4:45, what in the heck is she thinking? i pick her up and try to calm her- to no avail.. until 30 min later when she calms down. She falls back asleep and suddenly i am awakened by my internal alarm. The craziness of the day starts, i get lex off to school, and just sit on the couch. As i look around me i think, WHEN DID THIS BOMB GO OFF?! clothes and toys surround me, 3 unmade beds, dirty dishes in the kitchen, papers all over the table, 5 loads of dirty laundry and clutter everywhere- all from THIS WEEKEND! i bite the bullet, turn on some tunes and do what every girl does when she needs to relax- light candles!! What is it about them that makes them so relaxing? And so now, with all my cleaning done and i a vacuuming job to boot, i'm sitting here reflecting on something that touched me so much TWO weeks ago, i have to share it with you.

Two Sundays ago, our pastor spoke for our series called : "Bling"- he spoke of giving and blessing people. You see, in our series, we're learing about being smart with your money, tithing to God, the man that's given us EVERYTHING we own. Everything is his, so what better thing to do than obey him and give him back a small portion of what he's given us!!! Last week, the church handed out a sealed envelope to every person in the service. At the end of the service, every person opened their envelope and was given instructions. They had taken $6600 and put sums of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100 AND 500 dollars in each envelope. Our job was to use our money, Small or big to go out and Bless someone with that money- WOW.. have you ever heard of a church saying, instead of taking an offering today, we're giving YOU a gift to bless others! Our church also set up a webpage for this special assigment to read and see how people in this community were blessed by this money- Take the time to check out this webpage and read the blessings that people received and be encouraged from them! http://www.blessback.cc/

With the Holiday Season coming up, i encourage you to go out of your way, Think outside the box as our church did and bless someone or quite frankly KNOCK THEIR SOCKS OFF in a creative way- it doesnt have to cost 100.. it could be buying their Coffee. In doing this, i think you will find how encouraged you become by the shock and gratitude of these people!!!

Make it a great week!!-- Lots of hugs and kisses!

The Day We Almost Lost Jewel-

First off, this pic was taken special for my mom AND dad ;)who drove all the way to Hood River to pick up this apple and packed it up perfectly for Lex's teacher- How 'bout them apples?! She was touched to think that you would think of her all the way across the country.. and then apple even ended up being a class project ( one kid thought it weighed 50 lbs! ;)

Speaking of apples, Monday morning, Miss Quin thought she would share her cut up apple she had for breakfast with our dog. For ya'll that dont know our special little lady of the family is 4 years old, and weighs in at only 4 lbs! She is our little yorkie, Jewel and is the light of our lives- well, she likes to do what we call "sharkin" and circles around the baby when she eats. monday , she ate apple that lodged in her throat- she could barely breathe! I gathered her vet info from Oregon and rushed her to the animal hospital. They took x-rays and said it was bad enough, they wanted to send us to University of Georgia to their animal hospital- We quickly left, picked lex up from school and rushed there ( it took HOURS!) We get her there and they tell us she is BARELY breathing, she has bad color and they are preparing for the WORSE- i was beside myself! They finally got her breathing under control and due to having a liver shunt and a heart murmer they decided to keep her overnight- So.. we had a spur of the moment sleepover in Athens ;) No shower yet that day and no makeup, but we made the most of it!

ISNT THIS FACE HILARIOUS ?! This face is Quin's new Thang- we dunno where she learned it, but she does it ALL day long and its just too funny!



TAking in the Beautiful Fall scenery-
Arent' the buildings beautiful here?!


Across from the Animal hospital-
Gorgeous Trees

NOW in seeing this, do you understand WHY we love it here
so much?! its beautiful, AND SUNNY!
We also passed a cotton field- WOW.. what a trip that is!
its like thigh high stick plants with literally cotton balls
all over them- due to the dog choking and then time crunch the next
day, no photos.. i will get cha one some day!





After Discharge- tuckered out!

Poor little arm was shaved, and you cant see but on each of

her sides was shaved super fast due to the emergency and she has

razor burn which turned into scabs on both sides.. painful!

Thank you, Jesus and the staff of Univ. OF Georgia

for saving my dogs life!

After running tests, they were not able to find the apple once we got there!

They said this could be due to it being so thin- also, because of her heart murmer

and liver shunt, its terribly dangerous to put her under .. she risks dying. so, they decided

that since her breathing was under control, they would not scope her. However, the

cardiologist did find that she suffers from a RARE heart condition, usually only found in cats

(hence her 9 freakin lives!!!) and it causes an enlarged heart, therefore making

it harder for her blood to pump and increasing her blood pressure. She will now be on

medication for that every 12 HOURS FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE!

**YAHOO**

MY BLOG JUST APPEARED FIXED, JUST LIKE APPEARED JACKED

UP!! YEAH.. ITS FIXED!!!

Lex First Cheer Game!

So, the day after Halloween, we had a car wash in the morning with our community group at church and then lex had a game-- we received directions and as we were driving there, it occurred to us: IT WAS IN THE GHETTO! Now, let me refresh your memory. Remember the blog weeks back that had pics of the ghetto, bars on the dairy queen, etc etc?! UM.. YA .. THAT NEIGHBORHOOD!! I forgot to pack our bullet proof vests, but it ended up being ok. Lex cheered and i got some cute pictures out of it!

Her cute coaches on either side of her, who told me last night at practice they wanted to

be "cute" like me after they have 2 kids! I KNEW i liked them! Wonder how

much luke paid them to tell me that ;)

This arm crossin thing has GOT to go! Arms should be in back!


The Cheer : "firecracker, firecracker, boom, boom boom,
REPEAT, the boys got the muscles, the teachers got the brains,
the girls got the pretty legs so we win the game!"




Before leaving the house -she wanted to know : "Mom,
WHY dont we get skirts?! Cheerleaders are suppose to wear SKIRTS!"
Honey, i agree, but this is the "Y" we're talkin about!



**As soon as luke shows me how to upload video- i'll post on for ya'll**

Halloween NIGHT

Post trick-or-treating, we had a culdesac bonfire and ate more food and made smores-
Quincey trick or treating.. they had a son that was bob the builder of to the left
of Quin

The LIFESAVER of the night- Mr. Radio Flyer

OH.. and another jonothan pic- yes, he is crazy- on the way to trick or treat

he stopped at Star-YUCKS to get a coffee and thought he would be funny

and make faces and talk funny on the intercom- UNTIL the lady

says to him : "I Can see you, there is a camera- " DORK!

Sad, but luke only was able to eat with us on his lunch break- he had to work

Halloween night!!! LAME (mom and dad, i'm sportin my skull

sweatshirt JUST FOR YA'll!)

The Groupies!

Yes, she is TERRIFIED! This is the sweetest man under the mask

and little Quin just LOVES him, but when that mask went on, she literally screamed!

He kept taking mask off and on and let her touch it so by the end of the night, she

knew it was really him-