Save a life ~ Make A difference ~ Get a Tax Deduction

I am partnering with the American Heart Association this year and need your help! $5 goes a long way and our lives depend on it! Click the link below to read my story and help reach my goal for this wonderful organization. Thank You.

New Year, New 'Do

So I have decided to go to the dark side, with my hair that is!! I love my blond hair (after I get rid of the root rot) but it is so expensive and time consuming to keep up with. I got a wild hair up my butt a few weeks ago and drove to the salon (ok I am too cheap for the salon and opted for the beauty school) and told the girl, just do whatever!! I am still getting used to it and sometimes scare myself when I walk by a mirror, but my husband loves it and thats all that matters!!

Lets play catch up!!

I missed an entire year of blogging and that bums me out! 2012 was such a roller coaster year and my momma always said, "if you don't have anything nice to say, then come sit with me", Oh wait, thats not right, thats what I say! She says to not say anything at all, and for once I took her advice. I could never just sit down and think of a lovey, dovey, all is wonderful post because frankly things weren't. But, now I am back a
nd I am ready to be all mushy, gushy, and lovey dovey! So what all did ya'll miss last year?? I think pictures is the best way to tell a story (and less jumbled sentences you have to read!)




We spent new years eve at a friends house for a bon fire. Every year I tell my husband that I want to dress up and go to a fancy restaurant like normal people. But deep down I know there is nothing better than good friends, a bon fire, and just kissing him at midnight. I just love him to pieces and although there have been tough times we have grown up together and not apart!








My momma turned 50 in January and I threw her a surprise party!
It was so awesome to surprise her for a change. She is truly the best mom any girl could ask for and she does so much for me and my family! I try to tell her all the time how specia
l she is to me but words are never enough. We also took a girls cruise to Mexico and had the best time. She is the one in the middle and doesn't look a a day over 35! I pray I got those good genes:)



Miss Priss had a great 2012! She turned the big 4! We had a princess party at our local gymnasium, complete with a bounce castle! She loved every minute of it and had a lot of friends to celebrate with. She also lost her front tooth. Well not really, the denist had to pull it bc it was a dead tooth from when she hit it when she was 2. But, the tooth fairy still came and forked over the big bucks! She also started gymnastics and loves it! I hope she continues to enjoy it, because I love watching her! We also got a big girl hair cut! She is growing up way too fast!



Little Man turned 8 in 2012 (Man I am getting old) we celebrated by having a sleep over with a few of his friends and then taking them to the lake for the day! They had the best time and we were exhausted! He also made the All Star team in baseball and got to meet Troy Landry from Swamp People! But by far the highlight of his year was killing his first dee
r. He was so proud and so was his daddy! He started asking us to just call him deer slayer (bless his heart!) He is such a cool kid and I love seeing the world through his eyes (even though his daddy says I already do bc we act just alike) haha


This handsome fella started the 3rd grade!!
It is so hard to believe that he was only 4 when I
started this blog and now he is such a little man! So far
3rd grade has been so much easier than 2nd! Thank
goodness!

This little princess started 4K! She now has to
go to school all day just like hr big brother!
She loves it!
And how cute is her outfit my momma made?!?

Spring and summer are by far our favorite seasons! We spend the majority of our weekends at the lake or the beach. Even the Easter bunny found the kids while we were camping at the lake!












My husband turned 30 in August and boy did I get him good! I threw him a surprise party at the lake and he never expected a thing! It sure took a village to pull this thing off but overall we had a great time and he was so appreciative! We had some good ol SC BBQ, a dj, and a delicious red velvet cake! YUMMM! Now I turn 30 this year so I wonder what he will have up his sleave! lol hmmm

 

 Halloween has never been my favorite holiday and October has never been a good month for me. I am not sure why but bad stuff always happens in October and this year was no exception. But we do go trick or treating and we do partake in lots of candy eating! Just look how cute my little princess Aurora and my little Chipper Jones are!! No matter how bad things get or how uncertain life can be sometimes, these two sweet faces get me through!

Our newest family member, Gauge!
 

Thanksgiving and Christmas were wonderful! We had Thanksgiving at our house this year and it was the first year I cooked everything (except for the turkey, which my hubby deep fried...YUMMM!!). We ususally have everyone bring a side but I wanted to do it myself this year. I was in the kitchen literally all day and I only lost my religion twice! Shocker! But everything turned out great and I am so thankful for such a loving family who never fails us! Christmas was back to our usual go here, there and everywhere routine, but we loved it! We welcomed a new member to our family and he is just the sweetest little thing! My resolution for 2013 is to keep up this blog!! I have alot of exciting things happening this year and I have to remember to document them!!

Looking back at 2011

I realize i have not posted anything in forever. We have had alot of changes and a lot of stress but we are finally coming out of the fog and just relying on God because he makes no mistakes. I am not quite ready for a full on update but I will post this in honor of a new year!

Looking back at 2011

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before? This is a hard one because I don't think I did anything out of the ordinary.  Oh i did work for the post office for a few months! Lets just say that there was not a mailbox that my side view mirror did not come in contact with! haha

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I am pretty sure my New Years resolution was to lose weight and so the answer to that would be a big FAT NO!! UGH!! I have ZERO will power!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Why yes they did my sister gave birth to my 3rd nephew Paxton!! He is such a doll baby!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
YES, last year was the worst year by far in our families for death. The two deaths that have impacted our family the greastest was the death of my grandmother in August unexpectedly and then the loss of my grandfather in law 2 weeks later. These 2 deaths have turned our world upside down and we miss them greatly. We do take comfort in know they are safe in the arms of Jesus and look down on us everyday. i just pray they are proud of the decisions we are making.

5. What countries did you visit? none

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011? patience

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Sending my youngest to school for the first time and just my children in general! I love watching them learn and grow, they amaze me everyday!

9. What was your biggest failure? No failures to report but there were some situations I could have handled better.
 
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?No, thank God.

11. What was the best thing you bought? My Iphone!! lol

12. Where did most of your money go? BILLS!!

13. What did you get really excited about? My kids birthdays, Christmas, weekends at the lake, and beach trips, oh and Twilight!!

14. What song will always remind you of 2010? It Will Rain by Bruno Mars

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
– happier or sadder? thinner or fatter? richer or poorer? Sadder, fatter,a little bit richer! haha

16. What do you wish you’d done more of?
exercise

17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
crying:(

18. How did you spend Christmas? Christmas was totally different for us this year as we just wanted to get away. We spent it in The mountains in a cabin! It was perfect.

19. What was your favorite TV program? Last man Standing, Up All Night,

20. What were your favorite books of the year? Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking dawn, The Help
21. What was your favorite music from this year?
 bruno mars, Adele, Christina Perri,
22. What were your favorite films of the year? Breaking Dawn, The help, Authur Christmas
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Ummm i think we had a dinner at my house but i can't remember! I turned 28
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? not to have lost loved ones
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? The same as the year before! I need new clothes terribly! or a stylist!
26. What kept you sane? my husband, my momma, my daddy, and my children
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011? I learned that you really don't know someone till there's a death. I learned that family is the most important thing in life, I learned that friendship is not measured by who does what for who and when but by being able to sit in silence and know you are loved. I learned that my husband is truly the greatest and that I should give him more credit, i learned that those who feel the need to post how perfect there life is on Facebook every hour of the day really are trying to convince themselves instead of the world, I learned that you can completely uproot your life and turn it upside down and still be OK. I learned that no matter how bad things feel like they get, there is someone in the world with bigger problems and that by just giving them to God it will all work out in the end!

Back to School!

Well the time has come again! BACK TO SCHOOL!!  chase started 2nd grade at a new school this year and I thought we were both going to have a nervous breakdown! He looked so scared when I left him and a cried all the way to work! Luckily, by the end of the day he was happy and had a great day! Little Miss Priss Bailey started 3k and you would have thought she had been going to school all her life. She walked right in and didn't even tell me bye! We only had a little drama with her outfit of choice and because I didn't have time to paint her finger nails! ugh! I wanted her to wear a little denim dress with strawberries on it but she was determined to wear a dress with pink flowers that was a size too small! Well guess who won??? Yep, you're right, she did!! Oh well she was still just as cute as a button!! I pray that they both have a wonderful year and make lots of new friends!

Yearly Bookbag shot

Little princess starting 3k!!

The look that sent me over the edge!

Do I REALLY...

HAVE A 7 YEAR OLD?!?

Happy 7th Birthday!!! We love you!

Where oh where does the time go?? It seems like yesterday you were in diapers and learning to walk! Now you are this smart, charming, good looking little boy who loves to hunt, fish, play baseball, and aggravate your sister! You have the best heart of anyone I know and always see the good in everything and everyone. You love to say your prayers every night and I know you have a direct line to God because you talk to him like a friend! I am so proud of your accomplishments and how well you are doing in school. There are many changes coming and I know you will adjust well. I thank God every day that he has lent you to me and has trusted me with your care and upbringing. I love you so much and wish you many more happy birthdays!!

Prespectives!

Yesterday after me and the hubby got off work we decided to take the kids to the lake for the evening! We are absolute lake bums when it even gets slightly warm so this is a normal occasion! I just love riding in the boat and watching the sunset while the rest of the family fishes. Now that Miss Bailey is old enough to fish she couldn't wait for her hook to be in the water, so daddy baited her hook and threw it in and told her that she was going to catch a big 'ol fish and to be ready. Her response was "but daddy I want a baby goat" hahaha ..... If only life were that simple and we could be that naive again! Unfortunately the fish were not biting at all yesterday and the only fish caught was by Chase and that was because he hooked it in the neck while he was reeling his line in!! Oh well, it was a beautiful evening and another memory made:)

Fashion Emergency

1st grade award day...Chase got an accelerated reader award! He looks good in anything!

Ok, this is just a little story I need to jot down for my own memory! My son is probably the most vein person I know! At only 7 years old he is very aware of how he needs to dress for any occasion! I guess you could say this is my fault but his dad is the same way!! This morning in car line we noticed that a lot of the kids were dressed very nicely and so I asked the car line attendent what was going on, she informed me that today was awards day for the upper and lower school so I said "OMG, do I need to run Chase home and change him?" she informed me that there was no need. Chase was wearing plaid shorts and a blue tshirt with his tennis shoes since it was gym day. She said that the lower school kids were dressed for PE so it was ok. Well Chase did not see the approval because he was in tears!!! I am talking alligator, hyperventilating style crying. He refused to get out of the car. I had to pull up and explain to him that he looked great and that he could wear a paper sack and still look good!! He finally calmed down and went inside. Whew!! That child is a mess, but you know he will always be dressed well!

How Great Thou Art

                                                                                                                                  

What a true testament of God's gifts to us!

Easter 2011

Easter cuties

What a beautiful day the Lord made! We had a fantastic Easter weekend! We spent the night with great friends at the lake on Friday night, spent all day Saturday parked on a sandy beach at lake Murray and grilled out with friends and all of their kids, woke up Sunday morning with surprises from the Easter Bunny,  worshiped our Lord at church by thanking Him for sending His son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, ate lunch with my mom, Easter egg hunt and dinner at Matt's mom's and finally home to recover. Matt had to work and we missed him very much, but the Easter bunny left him a sunrise before he left:)

Watch out ladies

Enjoying the lake

Lunch with Mamaw

Easter surprises

Swimming at Mimi's

Little Mud Boggers

This is what happens when momma is not around and daddy is in charge!!!!  Oh well they loved it and I am still finding mud stuck in places I didn't know mud could go!! lol

Batter Up

It's officially spring and you know what that means? Baseball time!! YAY!!

Chase has moved up from T-ball to machine pitch and all I can say is WOW what a difference a year makes! He is doing better than I could have ever imagined. The team consist of 6,7, & 8 year olds and he is hanging right there with them. They had their first game last week and played a team out of the neighboring town. It was a very intense game and we ended up winning 7-6 in extra innings, I definitely need to invest in some valium for this sort of thing! Chase went 4 for 4 and stopped 2 balls in the outfield!1 GO CHASE!! I am super proud of my little slugger....

I just love that little butt:)

and just this one instance I will say GOOO TIGERS!!! (and by this I mean the Etown Tigers) LOL!

Her Majesty is 3!

Can you believe how fast the years just fly by?? I feel like I just posted that Bailey turned 2 and now she is the big 3!!

Dear Bailey,
On March 20, 2008 you came into our life with grace, beauty, and like a bull in a china shop, and that pretty much sums up your personality!  You have such a sweet spirit and a love for everyone! You are still a momma's girl but daddy is closing in fast with him taking you fishing,riding the 4-wheeler and tractor. You love to entertain and do "my nastics" (gymnastics) and you love to dress up and do pageants. You will never know how much joy you bring to our family. I love that you have to kiss everyone goodbye before you will leave and I love that you want to say your prayers with your brother every night. As you and Chase were saying your prayers the other night, Chase prayed "dear God, thank you for the world" and you chimed in "dear God thank you for MY world" and well little lady that says it all right there, it is your world and we live in it:)  I thank God every day for you and could not have asked for a more beautiful and talented little girl as He has blessed me with. You are growing up so fast and I pray that you will always keep that spunky little attitude and always go after what you want! We love you little princess and wish you many more happy birthdays!

Love, Momma!

My Little Beauty Queen

 My little princess was in the SC Fresh Faces Mardi Gras pageant this weekend. She was quite the little pistol!! She loves dressing up like a princess and absolutely adores a stage. I wish I had pictures of her fussing at my mom to get off the stage because she wanted to be up there by herself! She danced around, blew kisses, and just acted like herself (which is what I love). It was such a long day, we got there at 10am and they didn't finish crowning until after 5:00 and then we had to drive 2 hours! Needless to say we were exhausted! We did have fun and Bailey loved playing with the other kids there, although she mainly played with all boys (I can't say I don't blame her! haha)

I am so proud to say that she walked away with outfit of choice winner and queen in her age division. This just goes to show that some judges like for a kid to be a kid and that doing twirls on the stage and wanting to do it alone without being coaxed by a parent can get the job done too! The first thing this little princess did with her trophies when she got off stage was use them as guns to shoot all of her new little "boy" friends and her brother!! haha No one will ever say she is not well rounded!!

Congrats baby girl, you were beautiful!

Taking Time

It has been forever since I have been able to sit down and actually update my blog! Well, today is the day, I am just going to take a little time to do this!

We get so busy during this time of year and forget to actually take time to relish in what the true meaning of the holidays are. We are always rushing around trying to find that perfect Halloween costume, get that perfect turkey for Thanksgiving and making sure everyone on our list has a gift under the tree for Christmas, But, in the true reality of things , does it really matter?  What I mean by this is, if your child didn't have the coolest costume on the block would he/she get less candy? If you had hamburgers instead of turkey for Thanksgiving are you any less thankful? If there were no presents under the tree would it not be Christmas? The answer to all of these should be no, we get so caught up in the superficial rituals in holidays that we forget the true meanings and in turn become stressed and broke! How do we break the cycle? Do we bother breaking the cycle? When is enough, enough?? I have no room to give advice to any of the questions but the thought crosses my mind every year! My children are so blessed to have what they have and I always get emotional thinking of other kids who do not have the things that they do. I try to teach them to be grateful for everything they are given and to thank God for those things as well because without Him none of it would be possible. So, I guess what we all should do is to just take time to thank God for our many blessings and thank him for sending His Son, Jesus to save us from our sins, because that is the true meaning of the holidays!

Dora and a soccer player for Halloween

Ready for Santa

Before

After!! (notice Bailey climbing on the dollhouse, AHHH)

Merry Christmas!

Bailey's 1st day of gymnastics 9/2010

Bailey Has started gymnastics and loves it so far! But, her attention span last for about 15 minutes! lol This is her doing her favorite activity "the rocking chair"

Chase's Hunting how-to video- His dream is to be on the hunting channel!

Done & Over With

Well folks the car shopping has come to an end (hallelujah!)  I have finally got the car of my dreams (maybe not the best interest rate of my dreams but still) and I don't have to talk to any more salesman. I have settled upon a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, a white one, just what I wanted!!  

YAY!! Let the astronomical payments and gas guzzling begin!!

But seriously I am excited:)

Car Shopping!

I am so over car shopping!! Sometimes I wish I lived in a town where I could walk or ride a bike to where I needed to go (yes I realize this would be a challenge with 2 kids and all of their crap they have to take everywhere) but I'm just sayin'! My dear ole' husband found the truck of his dreams, and we just couldn't pass up a good deal, so in essence this left us with 3 cars, 3 car payments, and insurance on 3 cars...can you say $$$$!! My car is on it's last leg, the speedometer doesn't work (I am always going 120 mph according to the crazy thing) and my blinker quit working (I do believe I got a lemon seeing how I have only had it 2 years) so needless to say I needed a new one too. So I am left to the challenge of trading in 2 cars all while getting enough on trade in to cover the negative equity (somebody shoot me please). I have gone from getting a brand new car (due to rebates) to a semi-new tank (aka Tahoe) and now on to a semi-new Honda! I am praying the Honda works out, it is fully loaded with low miles and a gas tank that will last me all week. ( I am the girl who puts $25 in gas at a time just bc I hate filling up). So please everyone pray this car works out because "momma needs some wheels" lol:)

State of Utter Chaos!

"Seriously", "You have got to be kidding me", "what did I do now", "Ya'll are so being put it in a home", and "UGH!" are statements I say daily to my mother! She is always calling me telling me I need to apologize for this, calm down about that, and quit being so impatient. Now granted, my momma is my best friend and I love her like a fat kid loves cake but she is on my last nerve this week!! (just ask her she knows).

My life has suddenly turned chaotic now that Bailey is no longer in daycare everyday, Chase is playing football with practice 3 times a wk, working 40 hrs a week the hubby working swing shifts, trying to get to the gym so I don't completely turn to mush, and trying to keep my house from turning into a pigsty while keeping food on the table. So, nonetheless I am a little on edge these days. I have never liked for plans that I have in my head to change,no matter how small. I thrive on structure and organization but am the most disorganized and unstructured person alive. How can this be? How am I wired to be such a conflict of interest with myself? I promise to always apologize when I snap and I promise that it will happen again!

Today was a bit of a rambling day, as I have so much in my head to report but just can't put it in words at the moment. But, on a lighter note: THE GAMECOCKS WON!!! Go Cocks...SEC championship~here we come:)