Bad Blogger

I am having blogger guilt. It has been over A MONTH since my last blog. So much is going on right now that I don't even know where to start...so I'm not. Life is life, and this too shall pass.

My babies are doing wonderfully!!! Kortlen gets more fiesty with each passing day. I can't even imagine what Jr. High is going to be like. Please start praying for me now!! I have rescheduled her eye surgery for June 26th. I am so ready to get that done. Her eyes are getting worse and worse, so it is time. Tonight she was singing Hannah Montana's "Hoedown Throwdown" and dancing it on my bed. It just made my heart smile. She is precious and a gift from God...I am so thankful.

Kerrigan has her second dance recital this weekend. She is pumped (and, of course, that means I am SUPER busy....gotta love recital week.) She is doing a duet with her cute little friend Brittany, a solo, and 3 group routines. So much fun. There is nothing like seeing your baby on stage. LOVE IT! Kerrigan is so independant. I love her sassy little self and her huge personality. She is a princess!

Quinton is winding down the school year. Quinton was diagnosed with dyslexia last summer and we really worried about first grade....but there was no need! That boy is so smart! He made straight A's and never made less than a 100 on a spelling test (after being told last year he would never even be able to DO a spelling list this year that is quite the accomplishment). That is thanks to a great dyslexia program and the BEST teachers ever (We love Mrs Sample and Mrs Widemon!). He is going to go to summer school this year (Boo to early mornings) to help him stay on task with his reading, but my easy going boy will love it. He has such a sweet funny spirit and a love for life; he is such a joy.

I have lots of changes coming up in my life. I have taken a full time teaching position at the high school next year. I know that this is the best decision for me at this time, but it is so bittersweet. I love teaching, and know that I will love adding algebra to my teaching day, but I am sad that I will not be teaching at the studio next year. I am also sad that my girls will be away from me all day, but hour wise I think it will stay about the same. I am thankful for Erin, First Kids, and Aunt Charliene because I know they will be loved and well taken care of while I am at work. I also have taken on selling Scentsy...which I LOVE!!! So fun! Keep our family in your thoughts as many changes are ahead. I appreciate it.

Keri

DADGUM IT!

As parents, we don't want our precious little angels (yeah, right) to have potty mouths. We try to come up with little sayings that keep our own potty mouths at bay, at least around the kids, right? Well, one of my favorites is DADGUM IT! Pretty acceptable, even out of the mouths of babes, right? Well, that is unless your youngest angel translates that saying to be DA-OM IT! Go ahead, say it out loud. Now picture a 2 year old running around saying it. The committee just called and they are engraving my Mother of the Year plaque as we speak.

My baby is TWO!!

I can not believe that Kortlen Jane is two years old (as of March 28th). What happened? Where have the last two years gone? Two years we were given this little unplanned blessing and I can't imagine life without her. We celebrated this special day with a "Princess Parade Party" at the studio. We had everyone bring their favorite riding toy, decorated everything in pink, and had a great party!

Isn't that a cute princess castle cake? Cynthia Bellar made it! She does a great job!

Here is the birthday princess stealing lick of icing off her cake! Guess she liked it. I think we lost 2 cupcakes due to those little slobbery finger swipes!Here is Miss Kort getting ready to blow out her candles. She was a little unsure of everyone singing to her, however is still singing to herself daily. I love the fact that she gets it this year. After we brought home her gifts she sat in the living room floor saying "this kortwyn's birt-day doll" and "this kortwyn's birt-day dress" etc. She was so excited that it was all for her! I guess being the 3rd child and just over a year behind Kerrigan she is used to getting hand me downs and things that are for "the girls". I guess she really felt like the princess. Love that girl!

Fort Worth Zoo

I love this picture....That is Halli, Kayla, Kortlen, Quinton, Kerrigan and Heidi (aka all of the Benson cousins) enjoying the Fort Worth Zoo. Nana called on the Monday of Spring Break and told us all to get ready and head to Fort Worth. Right then. With no notice. I don't do no notice very well, but I got online and reserved a hotel, grabbed a suitcase, picked up Kristi and Kayla, and drove on up to meet Nana, Charliene, Kelli, Halli, and Heidi for a trip to the zoo on Tuesday. Oh, yeah, I did call Len also to at least let him know that his family was hitting the road! The kids had a blast! That was all of our first trip to that zoo and it was beautiful. Glad I did the "no notice" thing that day.

Leaving you with a picture of the two oldest cousins. This is at IHOP before the zoo. This picture reminds me so much of Shane (my cousin) and Kristi when we were young! (Check out the condiment buildings they worked so diligently on while waiting for pancakes!)

Warmer Weather = Dirty Bath Water

I am loving this weather and so are my kiddos! They spent the entire weekend outside. You should have seen the dirt (and smelt it...ooh wee!). If the toes weren't bad enough when we took the crocs off, the bath water would do you in! Tonight, after the water drained, there was this nice layer of dirt on the bottom of the bathtub to remind me of just how nasty those babies were when they got into that tub. My joy is that the dirtier that bath water is, the more fun my kids have had during that day. I am so thankful for the fact that they are healthy and able to run around outside and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Also, my kids have an awesome place to play outdoors...right next door at NANA's! We live next door to my mom, and my sister and her twins live with her, so they also have built in playmates. Nana has the coolest backyard ever. First of all, the view is phenomenal. (I will post a picture of that soon, so you can all see it.) Also, my mom has a green thumb, so the flowers, trees, bushes, grass, etc. always look great, except when the grandkids or the dogs get to digging. If that is not enough, she has an excellent driveway with an awesome hill that is the best place to ride bikes. Don't forget the swing set, the enormous tree swing, the "short" trampoline, the miniature horse in the back, and the jungle gym! I mean it is a virtual petting zoo/nature trail/park all right next door. No wonder they want to live there instead of here! (Could be because they think Nana hung the moon and I am "the meanest mom alive"!!)

Let me give you an example of how EVERY morning that the kids don't have school goes at my house:

Me - opening one eye as I am being woken by one of my kids to this question
Kid - "Can we go to Nana's?"
Me - (on my way to the potty) "not yet"
Kid #2 - "When can we go to Nana's?"
Me - (on my way out of the bathroom) "later"
Kid #3 - "I wanna go to Nana's! and I want coke peez!" (that is Kort)
Me - "Not right now...and no"
Kid - "But we need to go to Nana's - I want to ride my (insert bike or scooter or whatever here )"
Me - "Nana's still asleep" or "Nana isn't home" or whatever lie I can come up with to buy me 15 minutes.

Okay, now I could go on, but it would get extremely redundant and I think you get the idea. It is not that I don't want to go to Nana's, but I like to at least get a few chores done around the house before we spend the entire day outside! Some days I can hold out for a few hours; others, we are there before I can even change out of my pajamas! Now, when we drive up after school, it is the same scenario. And don't even get me started on those girls asking me if it is a school night. Heidi, Halli, and Kerrigan think if it is not a school night that they should spend the night together! They spent Friday night at my house, and KerrBear spent Saturday night over there this weekend! I think that it is so cool that they are so close. It won't be long before Kortlen is right there with them. Poor Quinton...he is the only boy. He and Len are so outnumbered!

By the way, I am on to that son of mine. Someday he will read this and laugh. He has gotten in the habit of asking me if he can have an apple at night because a)it is healthy and he knows I will let him have it and b)it takes him FOREVER to eat it. Pretty slick, huh? Pushing that bedtime back via fruit. It is a banana for you tomorrow night Mister!!

All in all, it was a great weekend!

Surgery postponed!

We arrived at 6:00 AM this morning only to be sent on our way this morning. Kortlen had a pulse rate of 185, respiration rate of 44, 91% oxygen reading, and 101.6 temp. Her only normal vital was her blood pressure! They did get the oxygen reading up to 98% so that was reassuring. The rest of those not so great readings can be attributed to the fever. So, Dr. Hunter said to get on out of there and reschedule for a later date. He also suggested that we see Dr. Austin, which we did and you guessed it, a virus! Probably the same virus that Kerrigan had during spring break. Oh, well, we will get it done eventually. I am going to call Monday to reschedule. Thanks for the prayers and I will keep you updated!

Crazy side note...turns out that last year on March 20, we were having tubes put in Kortlen's ears, she started running fever and got a rash, and had to head over to Dr. Austin's office after surgery that day as well. Kinda weird, huh? Same day! At least last year we got the surgery done first!

Surgery tomorrow...maybe

It is late and I should be in bed since I have to be at Kortlen's surgery at 6:00 AM, but I thought a blog was called for! Kortlen is scheduled to be in surgery at 7:15, but she started running a low grade temperature earlier this evening. I spoke to Dr. Hunter and he said surgery is on for now, but we will look at the situation in the morning. I really hope we get to do this; I do not want to have to reschedule! Of course, if there is a possibility that she is sick, I will do so in a heartbeat. We could use some prayers, guys!

Promises, Pedicures and Parties!

Promises:
I started my day (well at noon, but it is spring break) with a promise to myself. A diet promise! I promise that by July I will be healthier and a lot less hippy-er. So back to Metabolic Research Center I go. I am putting this in my blog because when the whole world knows (or at least the 3 of you who read my blog) I will feel more obligated to follow through! I also have a friend doing it with me this time so that always helps!

Pedicures:
After the trip to weigh in, Kerrigan and I headed back to Wal-Mart. I had gotten a pedicure yesterday, and had promised Kerrigan we would get her toenails done ASAP. Quinton and Kortlen were hanging out with Reece and Rylen (Thank you Erin!! Everyone needs an Erin in their lives!) and low and behold there was a new nail establishment in Wal-Mart. So off to get those toe nails glamorous! See the picture below to see just how fabulous we look!

Parties:
After retrieving my oldest and youngest kiddos, we headed to our next destination...Burkelyn's Cowgirl birthday party. Happy 3rd birthday Burkelyn Jean! She looked precious in her cute little dress and PINK cowgirl boots. I am sure that will be the top of the wish list for my girls after seeing those little jewels! Chili and cupcakes and rootbeer, oh my! There was tons of fun to be had!

All in all, it was a great day, despite the un-Texas like weather. I am over the cold. I mean OVER it. Spring Break is almost over...a little sad, but ready for the routine to get back in swing. We went to the Fort Worth Zoo (I will have to blog about that - so fun), slept until at least 9:00 every day, stayed up late, played outside (for the first half of the week), and were as lazy as could be! Just a glimpse of what summer will bring!

Bath Time

This is an old picture, but I just love it! We were trying to get a picture for a frame for the bathroom over a year ago, and the kids just kept cracking up! Never got that picture right, but I love the look on Kortlen's face!

I love bath time. Most of the time that is. Of course there are those nights when Kort has pulled the bath mat into the tub AGAIN and dumped 4 cups of water onto the floor AGAIN and I just want it to be over, but most of the time it is very insightful.

We are getting away from doing baths all together (too much tallewhacker (sp?) curiosity!) but that sure was easy to get all 3 done at once! Kids love to share stories and show tricks in the tub and I love that. The other night Heidi and Halli (my sister Kelli's twins) were at the house, so all 4 girls were in the "big tub" together. We were practicing winking. Heidi is a pro, alternating eyes. That is one coordinated child. Halli can wink, but as with most of her actions, it is a little more awkward! Kerrigan is almost there, and Kortlen was giving it her all. After a few attempts, she said, "I can't. I too wittle." So cute!

Next we were on to what we wanted to be when we grow up. Halli, who may be less apt with the gross motor skills than Heidi, is one artistic chick, so I thought it was very insightful that she wanted to be "a lady who paints pictures". Heidi didn't care to answer, Kerrigan said she didn't know. I asked if anyone wanted to be a mommy when they grew up. Kortlen, who didn't look like she was paying any attention, said "I do, I be momma". That girl loves her some babies. I think she will love being a mom some day. Let's just pray that it is at least 25 years or so before she starts that!

Right about then, Quinton burst in naked as a jaybird. Lots of giggling there from the girls. That boy will be a comedian someday. He loves being the center of attention and making those girls laugh. Let's just hope that if he chooses a career in entertainment that it will not involve any nudity.

These are the memories that I want to remember and hold on to. I don't know if I am just nostalgic because I realize that my BABY will be 2 in a couple of weeks (Don't worry, mom, I am still not wanting another one!) or if it is because I am up at 1 AM with KerrBear who's a little under the weather, or if I am just realizing how short the time that our kids are little really is, but I am appreciating these moments more and more. (I am sure it is not because I am getting OLDER, but maybe it is because I am gaining wisdom!)

I am so thankful for my babies.

Here's another attempt at that picture....

Great weekend!

We had a wonderful weekend at the Pierce household! Mimi aka Tanya aka Len's mom came to visit! My kids LOVE Mimi and were so excited to have her at our house for the weekend. Saturday was the Coronation and Winter Semi-Formal dance which the drill team sponsors, so Mimi came in to help out with my kids. We got to have lunch with Chance and Jenn, lots of fun visiting, and tons of Mimi time. Good times! Also, Kerrigan got her diamond earrings! Mimi got some pictures of that so I will post them when I get a copy.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother-in-law. I know that a lot of people suffer through their in-laws at holidays, make nice, and then gripe and moan to whomever will listen, but I have to say that God has smiled down on me in that department. And I am thankful! My kids are blessed with two WONDERFUL grandmothers. (OK, I know that sounds like sucking up, but I really mean it!)

Now I have to share a story. I am using this blog as a diary for myself to remember all the funny things that go on in my life as much as a post to keep the world informed on my insane life, so you will just have to bear with me as I share. I was reading Jane E's blog and she was telling of her "turtle" like kids. Us moms all have the tell our kids to HURRY UP at least 100 times a day, so I was feeling her pain when I was reminded of this story:

Little Rich, who is Len's youngest brother, is 12 now. When he was about 4, we spent a lot of time together. He was a hoot, and you never knew what he was going to say. Being a typical kid, he was always dragging his feet and I would always tell him he was slow as molasses! (Funny thing is I tell my own kids that all the time now!) One day, I was trying to get him to get in the car quickly and kept telling him to hurry up. He looked at me and said "Keri, am I still slow as your a** is?" He thought all along that I was saying he was as slow as my-a**-is! How funny is that?

Out of the mouths of babes...

My Kerrigan has the sweetest spirit. She is just precious. Tonight, she is up way too late, but no plans for tomorrow so I am just enjoying having some time with her alone while Quint and Kort are sawing logs. I try to spend some time with my kids alone when I can because I know they need that one on one time. Kerrigan and I have had some great conversations this evening. Here are just a few of them:

Kerrigan: When you have your hair pulled up, you look like Keri and when your hair is down you are momma.
Me: What about you?
Kerrigan: When my hair is up I am Kerrigan. When it is down, I am just KerrBear.

Kerrigan (holding a framed picture of me and Len at our wedding): Momma where is this bootiful costume?
Me: It is in the back of my closet.
Kerrigan: Can I see it?
Me: Sure, I will show it to you tommorrow.
Kerrigan: I want to see it now. You can just show me, you don't have wear it. (I had to laugh because my poor baby doesn't even realize that I would have to live on air and water for months to fit back into that thing!)
Me: No, baby, not tonight. We might wake up daddy if we got it out tonight.
Kerrigan: Where is daddy's costume?
Me: Well, he just borrowed his. He had to give it back after the wedding was over.
Kerrigan: Poor daddy.

Kerrigan: Lasterday (this is how she says yesterday) my dreams made me so sad. I had a sad dream about wishes.
Me: Wishes? Why does that make you sad?
Kerrigan: You know, cuz I am sleeping and sad wishes scare me.
Me: Well, you just need to think about happy wishes. What can you think of that makes you happy?
Kerrigan: My family. (How precious is this girl?)

And my favorite....
Kerrigan (palms out in front of her, fully clothed in princess attire): Mom did you know God is in your hands?
Me: He is? (I am thinking that she has been singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" by the way she is holding her palms out to me)
Kerrigan: Yes, cuz we talk to Him like this. (she folds her hands like she is praying) And He folds His hands too so He can hear and He is in heaven and He says thank you.
Me: What does God say thank you for?
Kerrigan: No, silly, WE say thank you to him for everything (pronounced eb-uh-we-thang)

I love that girl!

Mornings...

I am not much on mornings. Once I am up, I am fine and in a good mood, but I really wish school started around 10:00 AM. I just think asking someone to get up before 7:00 in the morning is CRAZY. So, at my house, we don't get up until 7:00 most days. Len leaves at 7:30 and I am out the door to get to the primary school by 7:50. That doesn't give us a lot of time, but we have it down to a fine art...usually. This morning I grabbed Quinton's pants out of his drawer and decided to pick up his clothes that were still on the floor from last night. I threw Quinton his pants and stuck the dirty clothes in the basket, got him ready and off to school. Today was not a work day for me so I spent some of the day cleaning and doing laundry. Wasn't I suprised when I grabbed the laundry basket and Quinton's clean pants were lying on top. So, yes, I had thrown Quinton his pants from yesterday. I sent my son to school in the same pants two days in a row. Lovely. And, no, they were not jeans. Maybe I will set the alarm for 6:55 tomorrow. Oh, well, just another day in the life!

Friday the 13th update

Several of you have asked, so I need to let you all know that yes, I changed Kortlen's surgery! It will now be on Friday, March 20, a much more suitable day if you ask me. We don't have a time yet, but would love it if you would say a few prayers between now and then for Kortlen, the surgeon (Dr. Hunter) and ME! I know it is routine surgery, but he is cutting and reattaching the muscles on my baby's eyes, so needless to say I will be stressed. We are having to do both eyes but the healing time and pain is supposed to be minimal. I will keep you all updated on this.

Kerrigan gets her ears pierced. Mom eats a little crow.

Those of you who know me know that I am a rule follower. I think rules are set out for a reason, and even if one thinks a rule is less than wise, we should all just follow the rules. Also, I spent a lot of years before I had children saying what my kids would and would not do. I always said that my daughter would NOT have their ears pierced until they were at least 10 years old. I even gave my sister Kristi a hard time about getting Kayla's ears pierced at 3. At 3? What kind of mother would get her daughter's ears pierced at 3? The answer is.....this one.

So, in explanation of my great change of heart on this subject, let me get back to that rule following thing. Quinton was my first and therefore I followed the rules to a tee! Now, sometimes I searched for rules to fit my agenda and that is pretty easy to do in the 4000 sets of rules for child rearing! But I followed the basics: No baby food until 4 months, off the bottle at a year, no more pacifier at 18 months. I was a "Model Mom". Along came Kerrigan, and we were rocking along following the rules until....suprise! When Kerrigan was 13 months old, I found out I was pregnant with Kortlen. Shocker of all shockers! Still, that did not deter my perfection. And then, the blessed event of Kortlen's birth when Kerrigan was 20 months old ROCKED our world!! Now, do you really think that for one second that I was going to take that pacifier away from my 20 month old, deal with a kindergartner, and an infant. It wasn't happening. All rules were thrown out the window and survival mode took over. Did the pacifier make her happy? Yes. Then give it to her! I think it was somewhere around Kerrigan's third birthday party that I realized that my precious 3 year old still took a paci at night! Oh, my? What would Dr. Spock say?

Back to the earrings. My little prissy miss has wanted her ears pierced for as long as I can remember. She has begged and pleaded on several occasions. So, a plan formed. I promised Kerrigan she could get her ears pierced as soon as she was ready to give up that beloved "pappy". That was 6 months ago, and finally the day arrived. We were walking through the mall with Kelli, Heidi, Halli and Charliene and there was Claire's! She announced that she was ready to say goodbye to "pappy", hopped up in the chair, and got those ear's pierced! She was so brave! And we have not had a paci since! So, not only am I giving in, changing the rules, I have now resorted to blackmail! Like I said, survival mode!

Another funny story....We called MiMi to tell her about our earrings. I was dreading that call a little because MiMi thought she should wait until she was 10 as well, but MiMi was very nice and promised Kerrigan that she would buy her some diamond earrings. You should have seen the grin on her face. Well, the day after we got her ears pierced Len and KerrBear were wrestling on the bed and one of her earrings came out! We searched and searched and couldn't find that cute little pink daisy earring anywhere. Kerrigan didn't miss a beat. She just looked at me and said, "Momma, just call MiMi and tell her to bring my diamonds." How stinking cute is that? But we found the daisy and got it back in a few minutes later.

Diamond update: MiMi has purchased the diamond earrings and is bringing them next weekend when she comes. I will have to get picutres of that excited face!

Friday the 13th....strikes again?

Kortlen had a visit with Dr. Hunter, her eye doctor, this morning and we decided that it is time to schedule her eye surgery. For those of you who don't know, Kortlen's eyes drift out giving her a lovely "wall-eyed" look. It does not affect her vision, but we have know for awhile that surgery was probably inevitable. So after we saw Dr. Hunter, we headed to the surgery scheduler's office. Guess when it is? You got it, MARCH 13!! Friday the 13th? Are you kidding me?

So here is my dilemma, do I call and reschedule (of course I will have to lie and say I can't do it that day because I would never admit to a perfect stranger that I would not do a surgery on Friday the 13) or just suck it up and leave it where it is? I so don't want to be worried about it, but then after I blogged all that about next month's Friday the 13th I don't know what to think! Thoughts on this, anyone???

Friday the 13th...

I come from a long line of folks who can be quite superstitious. For example, to this day both of my parents have to exit a house from the same door that they entered. Ever heard of that one? I don't consider myself superstitious, but I still feel that little feeling of dread when a black cat runs across my path. And I will admit that if I spill some salt I do throw some over my shoulder, even though I can't remember which shoulder it is supposed to be. That being said, I am not sure that February, Friday the 13th is going to take away my superstitious tendencies.

Kortlen wasn't feeling well when I went to work on Friday (I teach for 4 hours every other day at the high school) so my Aunt Charliene kept the girls at the house instead of me taking them to Mrs. Erin's house. I went to Quinton's Valentine's Party at school so I didn't get home until about 2:30. I had been home for about 5 minutes when Kortlen ran into the living room obviously choking on something. Ok, she is the third so I wasn't panicked, I just grabbed her up, head down at 45 degrees and pats on the back...basic first aid for kid's under 2, right? Whatever is making her spit and sputter will be on the floor in a moment, right? WRONG!! No results. Just that crazy drool that lets you know that nothing is going down. So I flip her up and Charliene yells "HER LIPS ARE BLUE"!!! Now here comes the panic. Okay, so I start to try to do the Heimlich, even though I think that you are not supposed to do this on kids under 2 but I am thinking since she is almost 2 I should try and yell to Charliene to call 9-1-1. Let me just interject here that Charliene just retired from being a nurse at the hospital for 44 years and I, the woman who has NO medical training at all, am the one trying to dislodge the stuck item from the throat. Does that make any sense? Also, Charliene can't seem to dial 9-1-1 to save her life! Total panic! So then there are a few seconds of no sounds coming from Kortlen. This is when I begin to panic, plop Kort back over and a small part of pink heart jelly bean comes out with a small amount of vomit. Things begin to return to normal and the fire truck is now pulling into our front pasture. Hallelujah!!

We head out the front door to tell the very, very helpful firemen and tell that we think she is ok. They look her over and the ambulance pulls up. Now, the ambulance people don't even get out of the vehicle, they all drive away, and life is good, right? WRONG! They no sooner get to the end of the driveway, and here she goes again. This time she is really drooling, gagging, chocking and starting to vomit. There is a little bit of blood in the vomit. We call 9-1-1 again, and right after we get off the phone with them, she vomits a lot which includes a larger piece of a jelly bean, and then seems fine. So, here comes the fire truck and ambulance again so that, once again, I can tell them that we think she is fine. Now, the firemen are again VERY nice and helpful and listen to her breath sounds and check her out. The ambulance people at least get out of the vehicle this time, but never even touch my child. The lady stood there with her hands on her hips and the guy just said I might or might not want to call the doctor. Thanks a lot! I was not impressed by these ambulance people at all. I called our pediatrician and he said just to keep an eye on her. Luckily she was and is fine! Crisis averted! But still, quite the Friday the 13th!

Okay, now here is where I tell you that within the hour after all this happened, I knew that I would have to blog this. I also even had the thought and said aloud to Charliene how I can't believe that all this happened to my baby and I am thinking now how I wish I had at least one picture to post! Oh, my goodness, I am HOOKED on blogging already! This is when Quinton piped in that he had taken some pictures of the events with my cell phone because he knew that I would want to remember this! I love that little man! He actually did pretty good....

Here is the fire truck! Thank you Lindale Fire Department!

And here you can see the hands on the hips! Thanks a lot!

And the great news is that since February has 28 days this year, we will have another Friday the 13th next month!!! Let's hope next month's is better than this one. We might just hide out that day just in case!

Side note: Friday was mine and Len's 10th wedding anniversary. I should have know when he took me on our first date to see the movie "Dumb and Dumber" that maybe the 13th wasn't the best day for us to get married. It never dawned on me that every so often we would have to celebrate that day on the 13th! Oh, well...it is working out pretty good so far! Happy Anniversary, Len! I love you!

Quinton's New Glasses

We went to Tyler last Friday to get Quinton new glasses. Let me preface this story by saying this will be the 4th pair in a year. We got 2 pair about this time last year, both of which have been broken beyond repair, and one pair last summer, which I bought the insurance on but have been lost so that we can't get them replaced! So, off again to the eye glasses store we go with the girls in tow mind you! This, however, is the first time that Quinton seemed to have an opinion as to what he would like his glasses to look like. The first pair he picked looked like this:

His favorite part of these where the cool tiger stripes on the frames. Oh, my! And here is what he looked like shortly after I told him that a very warm place would get really cold before I let him wear those glasses to school:

Those eyebrows crack me up!! Of course I can't let him know that they crack me up because I can't let him think it is okay to look at his mother with this face. Now, I didn't get a picture of the splotchy face he had after I reamed him in the store, because that is the moment that Kort picked to ram her stroller that she had wriggled out of into the rack of frames. Fun times, fun times. So after a huge discussion which resulted with me putting him in time-out in the store with one lady looking at me like "why don't you spank that child" and another looking at me like "touch that child and I will call CPS" (don't you love that?) I had finally conviced Quinton that the Grandpa frames had to go. At this point I was about the break out in that sweat that us moms know so well. It is that sweat that happens when you are in church and your kids are screaming during this huge emotional prayer. Or when your child decides to state in public that the lady in front of you has a fat bottom. You know what I am talking about! So, Quinton then decided that the only other pair of glasses he could live with in the entire store were these:

Oh, my gosh. Now, I feel that these are lovely for Sarah Palin, but a 7 year old boy, not so much! At this point my patience was wearing thin, and the sales girl's bun was beginning to break loose from stress (bless her heart), and the girls were getting tired. So, I quickly picked a pair of frames that looked almost identical to the 3 other pairs we have had this past year, wrote a check and got the heck out of Dodge.

I would post a picture here of the new glasses, however, 2 days after we picked them up I walked into the kitchen to find that Kortlen had popped out both lenses and twisted the frames into something resembling modern art, so they are in a zip-loc bag ready to be taken back to the store. Thank goodness I bought the insurance. Just another day in my crazy life!!

Kortlen Jane...

I know that everyone has that child. You know, the one who keeps you hopping. The one with whom you never know what to expect. For us, that is Kortlen. By far. Before Kortlen, I had 2 of the easiest babies this world has seen. I mean, they cried and fussed occasionally, but pretty much went with the flow. I never even slowed down with the birth of either of my first 2 kiddos. Just throw them in the carrier and go! When Kort came along, life as we knew it changed forever. She was not an easy baby. She only wanted me and a few select others to hold her. She had opinions about life and the way things should be from birth! When she turned a year old, the fog that had encompassed my brain began to clear and I truly began to enjoy her quirky, unpredictable behavior. That little girl gives us so much JOY!! She is so funny and you never know what she is going to say or do....

Speaking of which, this is what I saw when I walked into the living room the other day:

Not only had she stripped her pants off (not a shock to those who know her), she had gotten out markers and given herself several tattoos as well as some nice lipstick! That girl! She just said, "Mama, I got me-cup (make-up)" and then grinned and started posing for the camera. What a blessing she is. Can't imagine life without her. Here she is with the camera...Just try to get that away from her and watch that little temper of her's flare!!

And I had to add this picture just because I am loving those beautiful eyes. Of course, notice the underlying dirt that was on that face before the "me-cup" was added!! And, yes, I do believe that is a little blood coming out of her nose...who knows?

Dance with the Stars

Kerrigan loves to dance! (Have I mentioned this makes me uber happy?) Last Saturday she spent the morning with the LHS Star Steppers learning a routine to High School Musical. Then she got to perform at the High School Basket ball game. She was the youngest one so she by no means knew the dance perfectly, but it was so much fun to see her having the time of her life!! She loves those drill team girls and was right in her element. One of her favoirte parts is the make up! I am so in trouble!




Brittany and Kerrigan. Dance buddies!

Getting ready to go!

My First Post!!

It is official! I have started my blog. I am both excited at the prospect of this wonderful journal of my kids' lives and apprehensive at the idea of adding one more thing to do into my busy life! To begin let me start with a description of where we are in life today...

As it is with most moms, life is all about my kids, so let's talk about them! Quinton Benson Pierce is 7 1/2 which just blows my mind! He is in first grade and loves school. He always wants to go to school and even does homework without too much complaining. He has the most vivid imagination of any kid I know and just generally loves life. He is also a very quirky kid with his own ideas about everything. I can't wait for you to read some of the crazy stuff he comes up with!

Miss Kerrigan Annette Pierce (aka The Princess as she has been appropriately named by her daddy) is 3 1/2. Kerrigan is the "easiest" of my 3 kiddos. She pretty much goes with the flow. She LOVES dance and gymnastics class and I appreciate this very much. I guess God heard all those prayers while I was pregnant! She loves to go places and be around all those older dancers at the studio. She is also very into 3 year old fashion and likes to help me match her bows to her outfits! A girly girl! Love it!

And our third little blessing is Kortlen Jane Pierce. She is 21 months old and keeps us all hopping! She has her own ideas about everything and is pretty sure that the whole world should share her views. She can be my most loving child...and my meanest, so watch out! She makes me laugh out loud every day! She is starting to love to dance and I can't wait to see what her teachers think about her next year in dance class (she will have to be in someone else's class because I don't think it would work having mom for a teacher for her!) She is currently running through the house naked as she has decided that clothes are not needed today! That is Kort!

I thank God every day for my kids, yes, even on those days when I think I could pull my hair out strand by strand. I am sure that 95% of my blogging will be about those little toots. Maybe Len and I will end up at least in the background of a few of the pictures!

So here goes....my attempt at blogging! Wish me luck!