Soccer

This year we signed James up for soccer- though we have not ever been focused on one sport or another, since James was able to walk he always showed such athleticism- he can catch any size ball, he can dribble a ball both with his hands and as they do in soccer with his feet. He always would try to do crazy stuf too, like catch a ball while jumping, or trying to kep his balance on a box and catch the ball. Anyway, we have been excited to get him into sports to see what he could do- so we even got him earlier than we should- since he was supposed to be 4 before SEPT 1st to play- Brian talked to the guy, James tried out and he was in!

Well, if he is going to be an athlete, and if this year counts for anything- I dont think it is going to be in soccer! He does so well playing soccer by himself, but he just does not get that the other kids are not going to kick the ball TO him- he needs to go after it! Not only did not go after it, but he spent most of the time being in teh way of his own teammates, or just walking around with the coach on the field. Oh, it drove me nuts!

So every Thursday we go to practice at 5:30- I have to load everyone up and try to keep the girls occupied and entertained for that hour, which is not always easy. On Saturdays, we all get up at quickly eat breakfast to get the field, it takes longer to get 3 kids 3 and under out the door with all the supplies than it does for James to play- if you even call it playing! he did do better at practice then at games, however, they broke out into smaller groups or did drills and he is good at that part- it just game days- oh he gets out there, and we are all on the sidelines, he would just walk of the field and say- "I want to watch the game with you", or " I am hungry", I am too tired to play today", or "it is too cold"---- it drove me even crazier because I had to hall all three kids to and from each practice and games, with all this stuff and he was not even playing, not even trying to play soccer!

There are both older kids and a couple his age or younger on the team, and though not every one of them was fabulous, but they did at least try during the games to score- even if it was in the wrong goal! I would have been so thrilled for him to get a goal - even if it was for the other team! So each week, I would just cheer for the other players on his team, and hope that next week he would step it up and play- NOPE!

Oh it gets better- at the last game they all got a little trophy.. every one gets one. On the way home, James says, "this trophy guy looks just like me" and it took I had not to say to my 4 year old- "Not really, he is actually kicking the ball!" I just said to my husband and then took him home to pack up the soccer stuff for a LONG time!

I am so glad soccer is over!

Annual pumpkin patch

Every year when my parents come down we take the kids to the pumpkin patch. Last year Sophia arrived a couple days before we were supposed to go so we went Halloween day! It was still fun and not as busy since it was so late!

This year we decided to try out Burts since everyone has talked about it for so long. The drive was definitely longer, but the pumkin pie we brought home from there was delicious! The kids had a good time on the hay ride and looking at all the pumpkins.

The kids had a great time and I always try to get some decent pictures. Here are a few!

I Survived!

I survived my first full year with 3 kids 3 and under. There were days that I was not so sure I would make it, all three kids kept me very busy along with a few health problems trying to keep me down. Last week we celebrated our first combo birthday party for James and Sophia. This year since Charlotte is little too young to full understand that her birthday is 6 months later, we decided to celebrate her half birthday. We had a Pirate and Princess Party, we invited many friends and relatives to join in on the fun. The kids had such a good time and we were thankful for the awesome weather and that many kids that came, played their part and dressed up also!

It has been a hard year, from the unexpected early birth of Sophia and suddenly having 3 kids who cannot do anything for themselves it was a very physically demanding year and it did not help that I had a few medical problems throughout the year as well. I had heart trouble after Charlotte and thought I did everything I could to avoid it when having Sophia, but that was not the case. I had a low heart rate again and chest pressure so I had to be re-admitted into the hospital. I have always had migraines but I guess they like to reappear after having a baby just to complicate things. As the year went on, my migraines were less and less, thankfully!

I also developed vertigo this year. I had a few really bad episodes where I could barely walk, luckily it was on a few weekends, or close enough to one that I could get by. But it has not completely gone away so I have had to adjust to how I do things and how I can control it. I drive slower and I do not turn around as fast and I watch myself more for balance and things. It has gotten a lot better, but I can still feel it every now and then. Brian and I went to a football game in September and when the crowd shook the seats it made me nausea. I cannot watch TV shows that have fast moving cameras, I probably will not be able to watch my Own home videos, since my camera work is terrible.

In September I had some sort of an allergic reaction and had hives all over my body that was very itchy and uncomfortable, then at the end of September I developed shingles, just as I was getting over shingles, I was in a car accident that hurt my back. I am hoping that my random health issues are over and I can concentrate on feeling good and getting back into working out and getting some of my energy back.

I did complete something I never thought I would ever even start, a triathlon. That was way more a challenge then I ever thought it would be. I did complete it and feel good that I did that, but training was hard- Brian was so supportive the whole time and often trained with me. I enjoyed the actual training when I did it, but getting to the Y when I needed to go was a huge problem with 3 kids and my random healthy issues. I did fine on the stationary bike, but every now and then I would get vertigo while riding my bike and riding near cars or other bikers passing me made it especially more difficult. I also was not prepared for the hills of North Carolina, boy did they kick my butt! I did jog more of the event than I had in training and was really proud of myself for that. I also was not the last person- there were not many behind, me, but I was not last!

It is still amazing to me how much babies change in that first year of life. And knowing that it was my last time going through each stage for my last time made me appreciate them more and more though at the same time I was anxious for her to get to the stage that James and Charlotte are at now. The whole year was really like being with two 3 year olds and a baby.. it was helpful that the older two were pretty much at the same stage because I could do the same things with them both.

All three of my kids amaze me every day with how quickly they learn and are excited to know more. I am so impressed with how quickly Charlotte caught up to James and I feel certain that Sophia will be caught up to Charlotte by the middle to end of next year or sooner. She is already pretty close in height and weight! James, now 4, is still way ahead of his age with his vocabulary and his understanding of things. If you teach him something one time, he has it in his head and is willing to teach it to the next person. He has been so exciting to watch grow and learn. Charlotte, though she can be so sweet and sometimes shy also has a sassy-ness to her that is going to be challenge as she gets older, but when she is sweet, she is really sweet!
Sophia has her temper tantrums, but she is not as sassy as Charlotte. She is really a mix between the first two which is a great combination to be! She loves to give hugs and really wants to be able to keep up with the other two so she will be joining the action in no time.

Though Brian works a lot of hours and is not home as much as we want him home, he is a great dad and we are incredibly blessed to have such a loving supportive father and husband. I know on the days or weeks that I was especially tired I took out all my frustrations on him. He works very hard so that I am able to stay home with our children and raise them the way we want to raise them so I am very appreciative of all he does!

This last year has been tough, but I would not trade it for a thing. I love taking care of my babies and doing fun things with them. The most physically draining year is behind us now and soon enough they will all be able to get in and out of the car themselves, buckle and unbuckle themselves, get dressed themselves and pack a suit case for themselves and so on, so I am glad to do these things now. I could do without the medical issues, but since I can't, we have learned to just roll with them. I am looking forward to the many changes my kids will go through this year. Sophia is going to learn to talk and run to keep up with these 2. James is going to be getting ready for pre-k going to school 5 days a week and Charlotte is going to be learning a bigger vocabulary and making friends at school.

TRIATHLON COMPLETE!

I would first like to say I am proud to have done this, proud of the other girls I did it with and excited about the new friendships I made!

I was REALLY tired before I even left. I was up several nights with different kids, I also did not sleep well before the race because I was nervous about the hills and being away from the kids and just everything so that made the race harder, they started later than they orgiinally said and I was really frustrated with that because it is AUGUST and we needed to get in there and get it done before being in the heat of the day!

The pool section I felt pretty good about, I passed a couple people and I got passed once. I did have a little incident that while passing someone who appeared to not be moving decided to move just as I was passing her and she splashed water right in my mouth as I was in haling and that was not fun, but it was right at the end so I just saved the choking until I got out of the pool while I was moving to the transition area.

Also the hills were just rough! Really tough! In fact, when you come out of the pool and get dressed for the bike, you make a right out of the Y, you dont even have time to get going before you are going up the biggest hill in the entire race. I did not even make it up a quarter of the way and then I had to walk my bike up the hill. There were 2 other big hills, but not as big as that one, those I made it up about half way and then had to get off and walk my bike up them. The breeze sure was nice on the way down though!

The bike trail was a 4 mile loop that you had to do 2ce. So, the good news is you knew what you were in for, the bad news is... you knew what you were in for! I wish I would have taken a little longer at the transistion to catch my breath so that I was not already out of breath trying to get up that first hill, but I still was not in shape for hills that big!!

I also had swallowed some water and so I threw up a little on my way up, so that was fun! Also while in the pool, someone had knocked my water bottle over and since I had not put the lid on right it leaked and so I only had half a bottle of water for the entire bike ride- luckily on the second loop I asked a volunteer for her water, and literally took it right out of her hand and drank it!

I walked most of the trail but wanted to run in so I ran about the last quarter mile and with about 2 tenths of a mile left, my friend cara met me and was cheering me on and even ran beside me for a minute until we crossed the bridge and then I crossed the finish line!

I also did not plan on the emotions, part of it was because I was so tired, I am always more emotional when I am tired, but I did not know I was going to cry so much. I cried during the national anthom. I was like, wow, they play the national anthem for REAL athletes and this time it is for me.. so I cried. I cried when this volunteer guy was cheering on while I was way down the hill and then when I got my bike he cheered even louder for me and was so awesome. I cried when I was walking because there was a person in a wheelchair cheering others including me on, and I cried when I saw Cara cheering for me because I was so happy she finished, I was even more happier that I was about to be finished and then I cried after my shower for whatever reason! I was just an emotional wreck. Once I got some sleep, I was done crying.

I did not finish in the time that I set for myself, but I only missed it by 5 minutes and I always say, being late 5 minutes is not anything to sweat about, so I am not going to worry about it. I did complete it and was the last one in my group, but I also have more kids and younger kids then the rest.

I will say I feel like I am in a triathlon every day with these crazy kids, but at least now I have a real one to compare it to! Sometimes we are going up one of those hills and I am struggling to make it and sometimes we just relax and feel the breeze as we go down hill!

ONE week left!!!

Well, this is my last week until my Triatholon. Am I ready, well that is a trick question!! I am kind of ready for it. I am excited and nervous about so many things! I think I can accomplish all three things, unless the bike route is on some crazy hills or someone takes me out when they crash!


I have been working pretty hard all summer though, I did not train as much as I would have liked to in NY. The Y had this tiny pool that was not condusive to swimming laps and the bike my uncle was going to let me borrow never surfaced and my walking kind of died out because of the stupid, pesky bugs up there that attack you! I did do a little bit up there but also because my kids caused me to get so little sleep each night, it was a bit hard to just get thru each day!


I thought I would work out harder when I got back, which i did the first week, but the second weekmy kids all passed around a stomach bug that kept us from going to the y all week and my bike had a flat tire. So now it is 6 days away and I have to step it up a few notches to get me back in this race and feeling good about it. I already worked out this morning and plan on going every day this week in order to get myself as ready as I can for this event next weekend.


I knew this was going to be hard to do with 3 small children, things always come up and keep me from doing what I would like or need to do and sometimes I regret signing up because of the conplete lack of control over my time. I barely had time to go to the bathroom BEFORE I signed up for this and I had let a lot of things go like cleaning my house and such except for the necessities (which change on a weekly basis) so since I have been training, it has gotten even worse. But on the other hand, one of the other things that I constantly let go of with each kid that I have is ME.


I don't take care of myself the way I used and though I have not ever been a high maintenance type of girl, I did take care of myself, now showering is about all I can get done- most of the time someone pulls me out of the shower before I am done, so I often have had shampoo or conditioner still in my hair, sometime I would forget one of those things all together, putting on deoderant or lotion afterwards is a luxury I sometimes just dont get anymore! As each one gets older I get a little pieces of me back, and though I think I may have jumped the gun and started a little too early for this, I needed to know that I could still do something on my own. This race is about a healthy ME, getting my body back and getting my strength back- both of which I need to handle THEM!


If I can keep everyone in my family healthy for a few more days and at least get in some more workouts, I should be able to tackle this thing with the confidence I had before I went to NY. Right now, my confidence is down due to my lack of training and nerves, but I can get it back in a few days of hard training and maybe a few moments of prayer!!


The next time I write in this blog, I will have completed a triathlon or I will be in the hospital!

NY Trip

This summer I went to way upstate NY where my family has some cabins, one of which is a log cabin. I have loved this area my whole life and have always dreamed of bringing my kids here one day!

We had a great time, but boy was it a lot of work!! The cabin is small for 7 people, it does not have air conditioning and only one queen (for my parents) and 2 twin beds! It was hot, the air mattress kept giving me vertigo and the kids went to bed late and were up early every day!

Other than though, the kids were great and really loved clear lake, the cabins and all the fun stuff we did. We went out on the boat with Uncle Glen, we went to parks and playgrounds, we went over the Thousand Island bridge and spent some days just hanging out at the cabin. I got to see my favorite Aunt and Uncle quite a bit, as well as my cousin Marty and his wife, some friends that I have had for years and years and also had some time to reflect on some memories.
It was a completely different trip up there though with 3 kids than my trips past! I used to go up here for complete fun and have zero responsibility other than my one project that helped the cabins. I also used to go out every night with some locals and met lots of people with boats and boated up adn down the river all the time wint out a care of what time it was.

This year, I had 3 kids to take care of, keep from drowning and away from the many other hazzards up there, it was a little crazy, but we still managed to have some fun and see family. If I only had a nanny to bring with me on vacation so I could have fun with the kids all day and then go out at night while the nanny got the kids ready for bed!

Oh well, next year every one will be a little bit older so hopefully it will be a little bit easier!

Training with the family!

Triathlon training is moving along pretty well! I have been swimming just about every other day and walking 2-3 days a week. I even threw in a few minutes of jogging here and there. Biking is going well too.

Today for the first time I took out the new bike trailer we bought last weekend. I am so excited because I was worried that I would not be able to pull it with 2 kids in i.t I pulled it no problem. We rode about 2 miles. Brian and James rode right a long with me well James is a little slow so we may need to get a 3rd kid seat of some type so we can have all 3 kids riding with us.

Even though James is not a very speedy bike rider (he is only 3) he is so supportive of me and my training. He is so encouraging and he likes to talk to me about it which is fun. Charlotte thinks it is cool too but she does not really completely understand that I am training for something. It is an AWESOME feeling to have my whole family supporting me in this exciting challenge. Brian is the one who talked me into it and not only is supportive, but he is training right along with me as my partner. He is my number one supporter and I love that!

I am heading to NY for a couple weeks but I am not going to stop training- I will be training in different ways and then when I come back I will take training up a few notches so that I am ready for my big day. In some ways I feel like I could accomplish it today, in some ways I feel like I have a long way to go and I need more training time. 2 months is a short amount of time, but I am taking advantage of the whole 2 months, I can only improve from here.

Triathlon

Before I registered I made sure that I was able to each activity for the distance it requires (plus some) separately (kind of), I just need to work on doing all 3 in one day. I don't care if it takes me all day to complete. I do not even run- I can walk or I can walk/jog. The bike ride is the longest thing and though I do not know the conditions or the race track, it is early in the morning and in NC, so I am hoping not as humid as it is here. I also only have a bike that was given to me so it is crappy. We have done a little work to it, but I have not even ridden it yet. I am also not used to riding on the road, I only ride staionary bikes- but I will be working on that for the next 2 months!!!

DO I think it is tough, of course I think it is tough, do you know how hard it is to load and unload 3 kids all the time who cannot get in and out of the car themselves and buckle or unbuckle themselves, I have to pack meals and snacks, as well as drinks, diapers and wipes and or a change of clothes every time I go. They are also both potty training, so I have to pull over and let them pee halfway there many times- which is very frustrating. Sometimes it seems like it takes forever just to get there, when I get to the Y I feel like I have already worked out and would rather sit down and drink about 4 beers! My training is 2ce as hard as most peoples, but having 3 kids in 3 years has done a number on my body and I need to whip it into shape to be able to keep up with them and have the endurance and stamina to last all day with 3 high energy kids!

Luckily, my kids LOVE going to the Y, so if I can work to get us all there, I know they are happy while they are there and that makes it easier, a little bit easier! In some ways, my energy level has increased, in others, I am still exhausted all the time. But I think that will get better as I continue on my training! I am sleeping better now that I am working out and I can only dream my exhaustion will just wither away!

I wish my husband and the kids could see me finish, but it would so add to my stress level to know they are roaming around, I would be worried if Brian was able to keep up with them and where they were. Since I hardly ever do anything any more without my kids, the time I am away from them is harder because I am always looking for them and wonder what 2 toddlers and now a crawling infant are up to is enough to drive me crazy!

I am doing this for me, I am doing this to have an accomplishment, I am doing this to get into shape, I am doing this for the health of our family. I may never do one again, but I want to at least try. If you would have asked me ONE week ago if I would ever do this, I would probably have laughed at you, but now that I have started this, I am in it all the way and am excited and a little nervous, but I am NOT here to win a medal- only trying to get to the finish line (or finish lion, as James calls it!)

I have so many factors that can happen that may not allow me to even go, one of the kids could be sick, Brian could have work issues, I could get sick or hurt training... something could come up with a loved one- who knows, but I am moving ahead with training until something stops me.. I have paid for it and unless one of the above issues or another issue I dont know about, I am moving forward with my goal!

Special Potty Seat!

I did not even get into what happened today. So this morning, I had a bunch of errands to do and I had to take all three kids with me because I have 3 kids and no one to watch them! One was the dry cleaners, which is easy because they have a drive thru, then I had to go to Brians work and get a copy of my drivers license, but he came out and got it, made the copy and then came back. So that is two errands without getting out of the car.

I then had a UPS package and certified letter to get, and while I was driving away from Brians work a UPS truck was driving to this 4 way stop so I jumped out of my car and told him to stop and handed off my package- Thank God I did not have to go to deal with that anymore so now my next stop was the post office where I was going to have to go in. Other than James asking for a postage stamp for his body it was pretty uneventful other than having to go potty at EVERY stop! Not Charlotte, but every time I asked Charlotte if she needed to go, James wanted to go in the "special" potty seat! Oh it was so annoying.

At the Y, after we went into the bathroom inside the Y before we left James said he did not have to go. He waited until I had all three loaded and buckled in the car to say he had to go, so I get out the baggie that he peed in earlier and ask him to aim in that. All was going well until he turned to tell Charlotte he was peeing in baggie and of course as he turned, so did his p*nis and sprayed my car, me and him! Luckily our next stop was home, but it just proves that there is never a dull moment with us!

Hopefully the fun of the car potty seat will die down soon or I may just lose my mind!

adding to my already challenging days......

James has been potty trained for a year, but in the last couple months there have been times that I thought we were going backwards. We had a few hectic weeks of travel and activities and he had more accidents in the month of may then he had while were potty training him.

Well, now things have hit a whole new level. I am now potty training Charlotte!!! She has been going in the potty at home most of the time, and we did still use diapers on and off sometimes at home, but always when we went out, but now I am working on going places and getting her to go potty which is just crazy!

The issue is the same here as it is when James needs to go- I have 3 kids that I have to physically get in and out of car seats and drag with me to random public bathrooms whenever anyone has to go potty! When it was just James I would just pull over and let him pee on my tire of my car, being a boy, that was not that bad. Now that I am potty training a girl- things are not that easy. I have finally gotten one of those potty seats for the car- which I swore I would never do and Charlotte does use it and is easier to go in the car then in dirty public restrooms- the problem is James now thinks it is FUN to go in the potty seat in the car so every time Charlotte has to go, he has to go too. It is such a pain, because he cannot unbuckle himself or buckle the bottom buckle so just like everything else I still have to climb in the way back to let him in and out of his car seat and of course it makes the amount of time we are pulled over so much longer and I feel like it takes us 2 hours to get anywhere!!!

If you are wondering how the photos fit in with this story- they dont, they are just random pics of these crazy kids sometime in the last month!

You can't always get what you want!!!

I have started listening to my own radio stations every once in a while in the car instead of ALWAYS listening to kids music which is nice most of the time.I listen to 80s, classic rockor christian music on the FISH. It is interesting when James asks me what songs mean or things are what is an "up town girl'" and other random questions about just about every song. It is challenging to answer sometimes and if I hear a song that has something in there that I do not want him to ask questions about I just change it as fast as I can.

James is one who listens to the words and really tries to figure out the meaning of it so you have to be some what careful about what songs we listen too because he takes everything so literally. He likes to find out the meanings of everything and he remembers it so I try to tell him the meaning of things and then I find that later on he tries to fit his new word into something he is doing. He also asks how to spell the words that he is hearing all the time too- which is fun too.

TODAY, was a good day on the radio, fun songs were on including " you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need! By the rolling stones. First of all James thought the band had a cool name and secondly, this song was perfect for them to listen to. They have been getting very demading lately so I thought it was fun to sing this song everytime they asked me for something! It is the little things in my world!!

Things are still crazy with 3, but we are getting by!

HEAVY baby on board!

It always cracks me up when people offer to help me carry the baby and they take one little lift of her car carrier and say, "how about I carry the diaper bag or hold one of the other kids hands!!" Sophia is one heavy baby!! She is 7 months old and about 22 pounds. I have not weighed her actually in the last month and she was just shy of 22 pounds then. She is wearing 18 month old clothes and looking more like a toddler every day. It sometimes seems as Sophia chuckles a little when someone does that too- like "ha, you thought you could carry me!"

Dont get me wrong, I appreciate the help. Every where I go, people look at me with pity or say "you have your hands full" and dont even bother holding open a door for me or something, but when I do get the help I appreciate it, we all get a good laugh though when they ask to carry her and then change their minds! I was surprised when my Uncle Glen carried her about half way into a restaurant and then said he could not carry her anymore! I kow 22 pounds does not seem like that much, but then you add in the 4 pounds of the carrier and then the bulkiness of the carrier and it is a lot! I am so looking forward to this baby walking! She has not started crawling yet and I am fine with her skipping that step! We need to go straight to walking!

Looking forward to watching her grow like the other 2, sometimes it seems we are running in place and other times like we are moving in superspeed. My older 2 are so good with the baby and they are always watching out for her and helping in any way they can. If they could only teach her to walk!!

My life with 3 getting thru day by day!

Some days I am amazed at how much easier things are with these 3 kids then they were 6 or even 3 months ago and then I have days like today where I have so much trouble with one kid I dont even know what the other 2 are doing.

James up today at 4 am, pooping on the floor because he says he "missed" the potty! then jumping on the bed, spraying shaving cream on the wall, opening a gift I received from someone and then pooring sugar on the counter- a lot of sugar! All of this was before 7, finally I sent he and his sister out on the porch so I could have a moment to feed the baby and she and Charlotte took off their pants and were throwing them up into the fan blades and watching the fan throw thier clothes across the room! I have no idea how they came up with that game!

We have had a busy month so maybe they are just all crazed from our Uncle Glen visiting, or our visit to Chattanooga. But this week we only have gymnastics today and then no other weekly activities until school starts- I am starting to wonder now if that was the right decsion! Is there still time to sign them up for something, is there anyone who wants to watch these kids for free for a few days a week? I guess this summer will be very interesting.

At least we have the Y- I have been trying to workout regularly since I joined a couple months ago, but between the kids activities, school and their naps, I just have not been consistent. Sometimes I dont go just because loading up 3 kids is a lot of work- the 2 big kids can climb into their seats and can do the top part of the buckle, but I still have to climb in the back to do the bottom buckle and then I have lift my VERY heavy baby into her car seat. You have to have drinks and snacks for everyone a bottle for the baby, diapers, change of clothes, blah blah blah. It is not as easy as it seems, espeically if youhave already done it once or twice a day. Once I get to the Y, I am happy so I just have to keep the mentality that it is all worth it! They will be able to provide me 2 hours of sanity a day and I plan on taking advantage.

This summer is proving to be a hot one so far, so I have our little play pool out back and plan on keeping the kids in that much of the summer. Taking 3 kids to the pool is not really that much fun so we may not visitreal pools very often this summer. I am hoping to get a little mothers helper for the summer and that should help me keep my sanity!

Just Disney pics

Disney World

The whole story and adventures are below, but just to recap, I will say the kids did GREAT! They really held up well for 3 days straight without naps and trying lots of new things. Though I knew I would be tired after this trip, but I never knew how sore my WHOLE body would be!!

I guess walking on pavement all day every day 3 days in a row and carrying children more than I planned to do, lifting, bending, walking in the heat really took a toll on my out of shape body. I was sore for 3 days straight after returning to Atlanta.

OK, so about 5 months ago, before Sophia was even born, I decided I wanted to take the older kids to Disney World this year- the older kids for me is a 3 year old and a 23 month old! My parents offered to watch the baby so we did not have to drag her around disney- which I was so grateful for. I saw a lot of babies in the hot sun there and was so glad that my baby was in the shade and getting alot of attention. It also allowed us to each ride and spend lots of time with the older kids and they needed that!

I did a lot of research beforehand, I talked to friends that had been with their kids and got lots of useful , I read a disney book about traveling with kids and of course did some research online I felt prepared before I left, and then left ALL my notes and research at home in Atlanta-I left it

to the side because the kids kept digging in my suitcase and I did not want them to lose or ruin my notes...and most of all I did not want them to take them out of my suitcase and make me forget them, HA HA, i forgot all of the notes and the book. No one to blame on that but myself.

I planned to go to Animal Kingdom on Sunday and then Magic kingdom on Monday because I read that Monday was their slowest day- if they have a slow day, Monday is it! When we checked in we bought our tickets to the 2 main parks and it included tickets to a smaller park of our choice. We chose to go to Typhoon Lagoon- a water park. It was fun, but it was busy walking around and swimming, but some of the things were too advanced for our kids and some of it they did not like. I think when they get older they will like water parks more.

The kids slept pretty well that night due to how busy we were that day and no nap! The next morning we had to be up and out early to go to our timeshare presentation, which is how we got such a good deal on our hotel reservations, so we had to go! I knew we were not going to buy a timeshare, Brian was not thrilled about going but he went. The kids were even pretty good at that place. They had a kids room where they hung out for about 45 mintes and then we brought the kids to the presentation with us, mostly to get out of there quicker and get to Animal Kingdom!

The kids were so excited to pull up to Disney and go on the Safari ride and a little train ride to Rafikis planet watch. There we saw our first character- Pocahontas! I bought little autograph books for the kids after over hearing some people talking about how the characters sign autographs and kids like it. I was SOOO glad to have that book because James walked right up to Pocahontas and had his book. but if Charlotte had not seen James hand her his book, she would not have gotten close to her. Charlotte was saying "I dont Like it!!" until she noticed James hand over his book and then she was saying "My book, my book!!" and then she took her book right up to Pocahontas and then to Rafiki, who I know if she did not have that book she would have not gotten anywhere close to Rafiki!! As the day went on, we met more characters and as long as Charlotte had her book she would approach them, but if she did not have it in her hand, she was not getting close! James was excited to see every one of them!

The next day was definately the day I had been looking forward to- Magic Kingdom!!! I knew the kids would love seeing the castle and ride the rides. It was fun to have it as the finale day, but it was also the MOST exhausting. It was 80+ degrees and full sun, busiest park we had been to so far and it was our 3rd day of very busy days and I think I did not take that into account. It was so fun and I got a little teary 2 times - once when we were on "its a small World" because I remember being on that when I was a kid. Charlotte was not as thrilled about it, but Ithink she was just so tired she could not appreciate it. She did just sat in her daddy's lap and took it all in. James was so excited about it.

The second time I got teary was when we were in front of the castle at about 4 pm to watch the show. Charlotte was up on my shoulders and when Minnie and the princesses came out, she was jumping up and down and clapping and I thought, this is why I went thru all this work to get us there, so she could enjoy that! Loved seeing her so happy and excited. I hate that we never really got to see the princesses and get autographs, but I think the next we go, I will have to do a better job of locating them, especially since I will have 2 girls there wanting to see them!

Overall, the trip was a success, but I think the next time I go, I will arrange for someone to watch my kids the last day so I can sleep and recover!

Some days I got it, some days I dont

This was from a while I ago, I just noticed that I forgot to publish it.

I am going to toot my own horn, well, because today I deserve it!

Today, (day 2 of my husband being away) when the kids got up, I brought them all into my bed to watch toy story 2- that is of course so I can lay down for longer than they want to lay down, but dont tell them that. They like to snuggle with mommy and they both fight over who is closest to me, which is sweet, however it does not really get me much relaxation because I am getting elbowed in the face and knee'd in the side alot! If I am holding Sophia at the same time then it really gets crowded. We have a king sized bed, but as close as they all are, we could all fit perfectly fine into a twin! I love it, minus the elbows and knees! Actually, I really do love to just lay and snuggle with my kids, it is one of my favorite things especially if they are laying still and being quiet.

So after our movie, which was only about half the movie because James cannot sit still long enough for a whole movie, I fixed them breakfast and then got us all dressed for another fun day in the snow. I played with the kids out in the yard for a while, we tried to sled but they did not like that, we tried to throw snowballs, but it was too icy so we just walked around in the yard I had each of their hands (the baby was inside sleeping at this time) and we just made footprints in the yard- so mcuh fun for both kids! Then I decided to start trying to shovel the driveway in hopes that my husband would come home. If he did, I did not want him to pull in and then slide down the driveway into our house.

Whew, was that a lot of work. I have not shoveled a driveway in quite some time and I really never used to shovel, my brothers did. I just ran around and told them they missed a section here and there. It was a lot of work- even more work with a spade shovel- finally my nieghbor gave me a square shovel and that made a world of difference. I wish I would have started with that, it would have saved me a lot of time.

Then my neighbor invited us all over to sled in his yard, he has a better yard. By then the baby was up, so I sent the big kids with him and went back in to bundle the baby in the warmest outfit I have for her, which used to be James'. It is like an outfit made of thick blanket material, super warm. It barely fits her but it is the warmest thing I have for her. We only last a little bit because James was getting antsy to get inside and did not like to sled anymore and I was getting tired of holding the baby, my arms hurt from shoveling. Charlotte loved it!

We came in, I fixed the kids lunch, gave them a bath and put them down for a nap. Normally I sit in the chair with the baby and feed her and play with her because she is usually up when I put them down, but today she fell back asleep too so I started working on the house. I threw in a load of laundry, did the dishes, mopped the whole downstairs (kitchen, dining room, living room, master bath and hallway), and put away some toys.

About that time, Brian called and said he was coming home- after he got home, I started dinner and some brownies and then invited over some neighbors for some social time. Two friends and their kids came over- gotta invite people over when the house is clean, because these days- it is rare! After they left, Brian and I played some wii after getting our kids down. Now off to help put away laundry, get the baby down and go to BED!

It has been a busy day- but some days I do nothing but the bare minimum so dont think this is how I am all the time, just on some days!

New Years Motto

Well, I know there are New Years resolutions that usually are toast by the 7th day- but today is the 7th day and I am still sticking with my New Years motto of 2011 that I stole partly from a song- but since I am a cleptomaniac at heart, I think it is fitting that I stole my motto, but added my own twist. When I say twist, I switched one word!

God is great, beer is good and my LIFE is crazy!!

My kids are crazy, hyper and keep me very busy. I have always loved beer and now that I am not pregnant or nursing I am very happy to be able to have a beer now and then when I want it. And I am doing a new bible study where I am on a mission to learn more about Christ and trying to grow spiritually.

I have to say I am very excited about my new year and my new motto. I am also trying to get in shape. by in shape, I just want to be able to fit back into the clothes that I have kept in my closet because I hoped to fit back into! Also, I need to be in shape to keep up with 3 kids. All the lifting and running and spanking is a lot of work so I would like to be able to do all of the above without getting out of breath! Of course my motto does not cover my diet/fitness plan just in case it does not work out- but I know it is in there somewhere between beer and crazy!

Speaking of crazy, I finally ate the last of my oreos yesterday and am not going to buy them again for months because I am addicted to them and need a break. They certainly are not going to help me in my fitness weight loss goals so I had to give them up. I am keeoping up with my fitness goals a little on wii fit- though so far it has only told me that I have gained weight,I like it because it kind of keeps me accountable. I think that is how the biggest loser works, seeing your weight on a BIG screen in front of whoever is around- makes you think- WOW, I should do something about that. Of course the biggest loser peopel have all day to work out and the right foods in their frige all the time.

Working out is tricky because I used to work out in the morning and that to me is truely the best time for me to work out. It helps me to eat better during the day and it is over with right away, so there is no putting it off. Well,now with 3 kids, I cannot always get up before them, because my kids get up VERY early and of course sometimes they keep me up at different times of the night. So I do not hold myself to getting up before them, but if I have any time to myself during the day, whether they are napping or if I have to lock them in their rooms for a little bit, I need to do some sort of activity. My goal is 30 minutes, but if I do not have 30 minutes, I no longer skip it, I just do what I can when I can. I have said enough with the excuses- you can do 30 minutes in 3 10 minute increments- is that ideal, not really but my schedule with 3 kids 3 and under is too crazy to alot for 30 minutes all the time.

So we will see if I can actually keep up with this plan!! I will try to post something on here too so you cna help keep me accountable- because I need it!!

Happy New Year to anyone who reads this!

ps, next time I post I will try to post a new photo as I do take many of them all the time. please check out my shutterfly account for pics, because I upload once a month on there.

New Years

Well, I finally had a night out like the old days and LOVED IT! I have been planning this night for months. in early September I reserved my sister inlaw on new years eve so that she would watch my children. I am a girl who cannot have fun unless my children are well taken care of. After I talked to my sister inlaw, I purchased tickets- before we even knew who was playing- and booked my hotel room.

The day was much better than I had even hoped, other than I did not get any sleep! We dropped the kids off at 9 am and went to breakfast, bought lottery tickets and then headed to the marriott marquis to watch the parade and head up to visit some friends of mine that volunteer at the Chickfil a bowl hotel- which is the marquis where we arugued on whether to take a nap or go to lunch first. Brian wanted to go to lunch and then nap- so we went to lunch. Unfortunately we were both unable to fall asleep for a nap- so we watched tv and then got ready for the game. I had wanted to take a nap and then have linner!

Earlier in the day, when Brian decided to go to lunch first, I decided to wear my cute outfit- my sweater dress and high heeled boots. I did not want to go to a nice resturant in my jeans and sneakers, but since I had been planning to wear my nice outfit to linner and then to th game, I was not happy about having to change so early. But, since I rarely wear heels anymore, walking around the city and then to and from lunch my feet were killing me, so I was happy to not have worn them to the game- that would have killed me! Especially since both teams' fans stood most of the game!

We met up with some friends at the game, and we also helped support a friends kids softball team with my beer purchase! We left at the end of 3rd quarter because south carolina barely showed up! As we were leaving the stadium we saw two women begging for money- one had a 3-4 month old and the other had a 2 year old and that just about broke my heart and got me all worked up and I was not ready to go to bed- so we went to mehans so we could have a snack and I could have a drink. After leaving there, we headed to the hotel for theh midnight toast in the lobby and then headed up to my friends suite.

I was tired and was just getting ready to leave when more people came in, so Brian went down to our room and I told him I would see him in 30 minutes.... that was not the case, as that was 1:30 am and I did not get to our room until 4:47am. I was VERY tired, but since one of my major issues since I have had since having children is lack of socialization, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to hang out and talk it up with people I have not seen much of in years. I just do not have opportunity to go out much. I have been pregnant or with new born for 3 plus years now. And with Brian working and me having the kids. by the time I could go out, I am way to tired to do so. But since I was already out and the kids were taken care of, I just could not leave until finally at 4:45 I felt like I was not going to be able to keep my eyelids open much longer, I headed to my room.

It was 23 hours that i had been awake, because my kids got up at 5:45 the morning before. By the time we got them home on Saturday, it was late in the afternoon and they were tired and grumpy as was I. luckily they went to bed early, except the baby was up most of the night and of course made for a long day the next day. I will say, I do not regret staying up even though I am so exhausted... but do not plan on doing anything like that for a long time!