In a funk.

This time of year always gets me in a funk. After Christmas reality hits me hard. The year is almost over. 2012 is rapidly approaching. Where did this year go? Where have they all gone? My babies are growing up so fast. Too fast. It is really getting me down. I don't want them to grow up!! My Grandparents and my Meme are aging every day. I hate it. I can't imagine my world without them in it.

I spend so much time worrying about how fast time is going by and what the future will hold, that I am missing out on the present.

The girls and I have been butting heads lately. I love them so much it hurts, but right now I don't like them very much. They have been down right defiant. I constantly have to repeat myself. They don't follow house rules. They bicker with each other daily. I am constantly griping, nagging, and threatening. It sucks. The other night Kimber said I was mean. It is true. I have been mean. I have been mean every day. I have tried everything I know to correct their behavior and have resorted to yelling. Mother of the year. Now, don't get me wrong...even on their worst day they are a bajillion times better than most kids I am around in public. They are easy going, sweet, compassionate, smart, loving, fun kids, but I am trying to teach them accountability, respect and obedience. My biggest struggle is to get them to pick up after themselves. They used to be good at it, but they have become lazy. Perhaps I do too much for them? If they open food, they leave the trash on the table. If they take off clothes, they leave them on the floor. I have to ask a thousand times for them to pick up their toys. I don't think I am asking too much.

2012 is going to be a big year for us. Luke and I are going to start living a healthier lifestyle. He is cutting back on fast food, portions and sweets. I have started working out on the elliptical. I already gave up my ice cream and Dr. Pepper. We eliminated pop at our house months ago. We are going to be eliminating candy bars, oreos ect. Will we splurge? You bet. But, the kids have picked up on our habits and eat way too much junk! I think the entire Hamilton House needs an attitude adjustment, starting with me and Luke! I have begged Luke to lead the kids by example. He doesn't pick up after himself either and I often have to ask him more than once to do something. There are so many days that I am caught up in what needs to get done, what has to get done that I don't enjoy a single minute of it. Staying at home is hard. My days are monotonous. I am constantly correcting kids and cleaning house. I feel like I sometimes take my kids for granted. They are miracles. I went through a lot to get them here and I need to cherish every moment I have with them! I stress about things that don't matter and don't get to enjoy my children! I am praying I can change that!

2012 New Year's Resolution

Lose 15lbs

Eat Healthier

Exercise More

Quit Cussing

More Patience

Focus On My Family (less time cleaning, on the phone/internet ect)

Merry Christmas!

Saturday night we went to my Mom and Dad's House. We ate, opened presents and decorated sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. Sunday morning we opened presents here. They got lots of goodies. They are definitely spoiled! One of our favorite traditions is waffles on Christmas morning. After breakfast and clean up we went to the farm for Christmas lunch. The weather was beautiful. We even did our gift exchange outside in the front yard! It was a great Christmas and many wonderful memories were made!

Here are some professional pictures we had taken last month.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Love,

One year ago...

Kimber was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia.

It was physically and emotionally exhausting. It was one of the scariest things I have ever went through. I am glad I blogged about it then because most of the details are a blur now, but I will never forget how hard it was to see her in pain, to see her SO sick, to see them poke her and run tests on her, and to know we would miss out on some of our favorite Christmas Traditions! We are so thankful that she is healthy this year. We will pray for all the families that have loved ones, especially children, in the hospital, especially on Christmas.

Kanyon hit the six month mark this week, which doesn't seem possible. He had his six month checkup yesterday. He had to get four shots. He was such a big boy. He barely cried. He is trying to sit up, but falls forward. He has started watching The Backyardigans. Kinnison and Kimber both loved that show. I am he will love it too! He is such a happy boy. He loves to jabber and laugh all the time. He is trying to hold his bottle on his own. He loves to get two handfuls of my hair when I kiss him. If we take a nap together he plays with my hair until he falls asleep. If he is sleeping by himself he plays with a blanket until he falls asleep. His favorite is a frog blankie his Auntie Fran bought him. He loves to rub it on his face. He has brought so much happiness to our lives. We love him so much! I can't wait to see him on Christmas Day. Six months is such a fun age!

Kinnison is on Christmas Break! She and her sister are having a hard time following the rules and doing what they are asked, but I am still really excited to have her home with us. I miss her being here. She is a big help and always makes us laugh. We had a lot of fun when we were all home together. I'm ready for summer vacation!

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday Luke and I celebrated nine years together, which doesn't seem possible. Honestly, every year gets better. Luke and I don't always see eye to eye. He loves to give me a hard time and I have gotten really good at giving it right back to him. We fight hard, but we love even harder. We aren't the same people we were nine years ago. I love him differently. I love him more, which I didn't think was possible. We have evolved into something much different. We are a crazy, chaotic, loud, sleep deprived team. Our daily routine resembles a tag team wrestling match. We are outnumbered, but I thank God every day that I have my three beautiful kids. I have the most wonderful life and I can't imagine sharing it with anyone else.

To celebrate Luke and I left Tuesday and went to Mt. Magazine . We stayed at the lodge. It was absolutely beautiful. We hiked the trail to the highest point in Arkansas.

When we stopped to take a picture Luke surprised me with a beautiful three stone diamond ring that I had picked out a few weeks ago. Luke never surprises me. He doesn't do romance. He rarely buys me things. I was SHOCKED. I am cheap and after showing him the ring I told he better not buy it for me because there is no way we can afford it right now. He did buy it and I love it. The whole time we were there it snowed. It was fabulous. We went to dinner at the Skycrest Resteraunt. The food was wonderful. We had an amazing view, a cozy fire and we were the only people there! That night we went to swim and we were the only people there too! It was an amazing trip that I won't ever forget.

Our trip wouldn't have been possible without my mom. She watched our little herd so we could go. THANK YOU!

On a side note, Michelle Duggar miscarried her 20th child today. I know that a lot of people don't agree with their way of life, but I think they are a wonderful family. They have done a better job with nineteen than most people do with one. Some of those people say, "there is no way they can give those children enough attention". But, so many people these days have different priorities. They may spend 40+ hours a week at work while someone else raises their children. The Duggars also support themselves instead of living off the government. I am not condemning either of those things. Do what you have to do. I just wish people wouldn't be so quick to judge others. I have seen some really awful comments on Facebook. Christian or not, please have enough respect not to kick someone while they are down. This miscarriage was not "a sign from God to tell them to stop reproducing". I miscarried my 2nd and 3rd child. If I had taken that as a sign and given up Kimber and Kanyon wouldn't be here. When I had my miscarriages I had people say some really awful things to me and they were trying to help. I cannot imagine going through it and having to deal with all the horrible, mean things people are saying. No matter if it is your 1st child or your 20th, you are 4 weeks or 20 weeks, losing a child is devastating. Please say a prayer for the entire Duggar family.

Christmas Traditions.

Sunday we made cinnamon ornaments to decorate the kids' Christmas Tree with. They are fun to make and smell wonderful! It is one of my favorite Christmas Traditions! Here is the recipe I posted last year.

We are starting a new tradition this year.

The Elf on the Shelf came to the Hamilton House lastnight. I am so excited to do this with the kids. Kinnison is skeptical, but I think after a few nights of "Buddy the Elf" moving around she will find it more believable.

I love this time of year!

Giving Thanks.

I am thankful for God who has given me so much to be thankful for!

I am so very thankful for my kids. Being a stay at home mom is very hard and very stressful, but I am so thankful I have the opportunity to do it. I can't even fathom leaving them with someone else while I work. I am thankful for my husband. He is one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He is the reason I get to stay home! He is a great provider for our family and he is a terrific father to our children! I am thankful for each and every day I get to spend with my family. I am thankful for my friends. And, I am thankful for the men and women who serve our country!

Today is my dad's 53rd birthday! Happy Birthday Pappy Dog!

I am truly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Proud.

We are so proud of all of our children! They are smart, sweet, well behaved kids! (most of the time)

We are especially proud of how fast Kinnison is learning sight words and how well she is reading now. I am posting a video of her reading words this morning. She did 50! I am going to have to make cards with the words from her favorite books because we don't have those. I bet she knows over 100!

Kimber is counting to 10 without skipping numbers now. She can say her letters and write most of them, but needs to work on recognition still. When I hold up a flashcard she rambles off about 5-10 different letter names. Kanyon is excelling in the jumperoo. He also likes to get two handfuls of Kinnison's hair and shove it in his mouth. :) He has really developed a lot of personality this week. He loves to smile and laugh. He is such a happy boy.10

Happy Birthday Kinnison!

Kinnison turned six years old today...which doesn't seem possible. We had a swim party at the Boys and Girls club yesterday. It was a Luau themed party. I worked my tail off. Lastnight Kinnison told me it was the best birthday she has ever had, which made it worth all the hard work. Everyone had a lot of fun. Thank you to everyone who came to share her special day. We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and such a wonderful family.

Kinnison is reading anything and everything. She is very smart and very witty. She has a great sense of humor. She remembers EVERYTHING. She loves to sing and dance. She loves to help her brother and sister. She is a huge help to me. Kinnison's favorite color is pink. She loves Taylor Swift. She loves anything that has chocolate in it or on it. She has lost three teeth and has another one loose. She loves peace signs. She loves her dog, Tator. She is sweet, happy and compassionate. She has an amazing personality and a contagious laugh. She is just wonderful. She has brought so much joy, laughter and love into our lives. We are so blessed to be her parents! Happy Birthday sweet girl. We love you to the moon and back!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Here is a link to last years montage.

http://cryshamilton.blogspot.com/2010/11/denial.html

Here is a slideshow with pictures from her party.

Six Years Ago...

Kinnison should have been entering the world six years ago today, but she had different plans. She was due November 9th, but decided to come on November 14th. She wanted to make an entrance! She lost another tooth today! This was number three for her! This was her snaggle tooth. A couple years ago she was running around upstairs and fell and hit our footboard. It pushed the tooth up into the gums. It has been loose since then and turned a gray color, so we were very happy to see it go.

Update.

I've run out of new blog titles.

Kinnison is doing great in school. She knew 13 sight words on her report card and knows even more now. This week she started bringing a book home in her study bag. She has already mastered it. She can read most of the old school Dick & Jane stories too. We are so proud of her. I know that God has special plans for her. She is so smart and has an exceptional memory. She is also very compassionate. I think she needs to be a doctor or a nurse. But, she decided this week she wants to be an artist. That was on my list when I was growing up, so I can't blame her. I am sure she will excel at whatever she chooses! I finished her birthday montage. I'll be posting it soon.

Kimber is....Kimber. LOL She is such a joy and so much work at the same time. She is very tender hearted and very passionate about everything. Tell her "no" and it will break her heart. She can be very high maintenance, but she is such a wonderfully sweet girl it is hard to get onto her. There is no doubt in my mind that God has something very special planned for her as well. She has so much love to give and laughter to share. I am so thankful I am getting to spend more time with her. Kinnison got me all to herself for 2 years before Kimber came along. Even though I worked and went to school, all of her time was individual time. When Kimber was born I had Kinnison, work and even more hours of school. So, Kimber got the short end of the stick. She still has to share her time with Kinnison and Kanyon, but there is a lot more time now that I am staying at home. I need to enjoy every minute I have with her because she will be starting school in 2 years! Hard to believe.

Kanyon is changing every day. Yesterday when we were shopping he would puff out his cheeks real big, blow spit bubbles and then giggle. It was adorable. His favorite activity is his Jumperoo. He is on formula now. I exclusively breastfed for 3 months. At 3 months I did formula during the day, pumped before bed and then breastfed him at night. The next morning he got the pumped bottle. We did that for about 2 weeks. Then he decided he didn't want to nurse anymore. Before he didn't care what he ate or where it came from! The next two weeks he went to primarily formula and 1-2 breastmilk bottles a day. At 4 months we switched to formula only. I'm very proud of both of us. My goal was 6 months or until he got teeth and he got his first two teeth last week! I am a little sad we are done, but it was very hard to do with two other children...especially when one is in school! He is rolling all over the place. He flips from tummy to back and somehow gets his feet where is head was?

Happy Fall Ya'll!

It is absolutely beautiful here in Northwest Arkansas. This might be one of the prettiest falls we have had and I was worried we wouldn't have fall at all. We had extreme snow, extreme flooding, extreme heat and drought. We had a lot of trees die over the summer, but somehow our trees have changed to the most beautiful shades of reds, oranges and yellows. Saturday we took the train ride from Springdale to Van Buren. It was absolutely beautiful. And, we made some great memories. We took fall family pics this weekend. It was crazy and stressful, but we got some good shots. I am thankful for every photo I have with my family. I will cherish them always.

Monday was Halloween. I helped organize Kinnison's class party. It was a lot of fun. Kinnison and Kimber were witches this year. I made their costumes and I must say they were the cutest witches ever! Kanyon was a cow and he was adorable! We went to Charity's house to celebrate Meme's birthday. We had a wonderful dinner! (thanks Gammy!) After dinner the girls got to go trick-or-treating. When they were done trick-or-treating they handed out candy. I think they enjoy handing it out just as much as they like getting it.

Luke and I have both had a stomach bug. I couldn't sleep lastnight so I decided to work on Kinnison's DVD and write in their journals. I stumbled across some old videos. There are no words to describe the emotions I have about my kids growing up. It takes my breath away. I watched videos of Kinnison and Kimber when they were babies. It doesn't seem possible that they are going to be 6 and 4. They have brought so much joy into our lives. There is not a night I go to bed that I do thank God for my kids, my family. They mean everything to me. They are growing up right before my eyes. It is bittersweet. I am sad that they aren't little babies anymore, but I am so proud of the young ladies they have become. They are wonderful big sisters to Kanyon. I am trying to soak up every minute I have with him because I know in the blink of an eye he will be celebrating his 6th birthday. It makes me sad.

Love,

Kanyon Has Teeth!

Kanyon was laughing on Wednesday and I noticed he had two teeth! He is eating rice cereal better. We tried sweet potatoes yesterday and he wasn't a fan! He loves to roll over. He laughs all the time. He thinks he can sit up and stand up on his own. Grandpa tells him he is cocky. I can't believe how fast he is growing up.

Sunday we took the kids on our annual trip to the Ranalli Farms Pumpkin Patch. We went later this year, so they didn't have as many pumpkins to pick from. The girls still had fun picking out pumpkins though and they had even more fun decorating them.

More Projects.

Every time I accomplish a project I find something else I want to do. And, my projects usually end up trashing the house. I don't think I will ever get caught up!

This is my new fall wreath and my new red door! I love it!

And, this is the photo canvas I made. It was super easy. I spent less than $20 on the picture and canvas. The same size canvas is $60 at Walmart! I haven't decided if I am going to put scrapbook paper on the sides or not.

Update on the kiddos:

Kinnison is OBSESSED with school. All she does when she gets home is read, write and spell. It is her favorite thing. And, she is really good at it. She has gotten really good at cutting things out as well. She told me last week she wanted to be a teacher, but after watching the pep rally she decided she wanted to be a cheerleader. She is going to be 6 in ONE month. I am not sure how that is possible. :(

Kimber is talking more and more. She is still a little comedian. She loves to moon her daddy. HA! I am not sure where she learned to do that! She told me last week she wants to be a dancer when she grows up. I hope she doesn't combine those two things! She sings the alphabet song and can write most of the letters, but says, "what's this?" after she writes it. She is drawing people now. They look like the "monsters" Kinnison used to draw.

Kanyon started sleeping in his crib in the girls' room two nights ago. He is doing great. He was sleeping in his playpen in our room. I think the crib is more comfortable and their room stays warmer than ours. He has been working on a tooth for a couple months now, but it hasn't broke thru yet. He smiles and laughs all the time...especially when he poops his pants. He thinks it is hilarious. He gets that from his dad. He is such an easy going baby.

Dress Up Storage.

So, we have been looking for a way to organize the girls' dress up clothes. We have had them in storage boxes under the bed and in the closet. Neither worked very well. We have been looking for an armoire for a while now. Luke asked around work and some lady he works with gave us this for free!

Before

After

We are thrilled with how it turned out. It is absolutely perfect!

So Far Behind.

I haven't updated in a while. Things have been so hectic! And, I never got around to posting square dance pictures, so I am going to post them now! Kinnison looked adorable and her group did a great job. We had a campout at the farm on Labor Day Weekend. Grandma and Grandpa stayed in the house and Kinnison, Kimber, Kanyon, Luke, Charity, Ty, Emmy, Gammy, Pappy, and I all camped out in tents. Kanyon was terrific. He went to sleep early, slept through our armadillo hunt and only woke up twice to eat. It was cold, so I was worried he wouldn't sleep well, but he did great! The girls had a blast. They got to eat Funyuns and s'mores...doesn't get better than that!

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We took the kids to the zoo. We got to watch an elephant demonstration. It was really neat. Kanyon thought it was so funny he pooped through his clothes. HA

I have a new addiction called Pinterest. I am on it way more than I should be, but I have gotten some great ideas. I love creating things. I have been doing lots of projects lately and haven't taken any photos! I am going to try to keep up with the blog better and post before and after photos and tutorials on some of my projects.

I found some neat ideas for the first day of school and each school year. I kinda combined the two. This is what I came up with:

It is a picture on the first day of school with her holding a chalkboard sign with her name. Each year I will take the same type of photo and ask her about her favorite things. When she graduates I will put them all in a photo book for her. So neat!

I also found a little poem on Pinterest about the first day of kindergarten. A women wrote on her blog about her children going to school. Her youngest was starting kindergarten. At her school the First Grade Moms invited the Kindergarten Moms to a Boo Hoo Breakfast. They gave them tissues with this poem attached:

First Day of School

(Wendy Silva)

I wonder what you're doing right now
and if everyone is treating you kind.
I hope there is a special person,
a nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher knows just
how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about
me and if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
and how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand
how hard it is for me to let you grow.
On this day know that my heart breaks,
for this is the first step in letting my baby go.

I thought it was such a neat idea and the poem describes my thoughts on Kinnison's first day perfectly. She is so sweet and so special. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. And, it seems to be going even faster now that she is in school. :(

Can't Believe It.

Kanyon is 12 weeks old today, which doesn't seem possible. He is such a good baby. He is happy all the time. He has brought so much joy to our lives!

I hit a personal milestone today! I have been breastfeeding for 12 weeks! I breastfed Kinnison for less than a week because she had reflux. I pumped for 6 weeks and then she ended up on Enfamil AR. I only breastfed Kimber for a couple days. She had colic and after switching formula five times she ended up on Prosobee formula. We switched her back to milk based formula at six months. Neither of the girls were good latchers. Kanyon was a pro from the start. We haven't had any issues. I have supplemented with formula when I needed a break or my milk production was low. He is eating more and more each day which makes it hard to keep up. I don't know how much longer we will continue, but am very proud of us for making it this long!

Things I Love...

God. Luke. Kinnison. Kimber. Kanyon. Family. Friends. Pets. Fall. Nature. Arkansas. Browning. French Vanilla Capppuccino.Vacation. Michael Buble. Holidays. Staying Home. Crafting. Canning. Baking. Cleaning. Laughing. Camping. Mason Jars. Chocolate. Reading. Bath & Body Lotion. James Patterson. Country Music. Tulips. Photography. Crawley Farm. Ice Cream. Spa. Suburban. Dr. Pepper. Beach. Coupons. Bargains.

A Little Makeover.

I have been working on the downstairs bathroom/laundry room for a few months now. I decided I wanted it to be beachy and painted it blue. We had a recycled cabinet above the toilet that I hated. The furniture was mismatched. So, I decided to try my hand at refinishing furniture. I redid the cabinet above the toilet and an old bookshelf that belonged to my mom. I moved all of my craft stuff into my bedroom. This was a huge help. We had too many things going on in there. It was a bathroom, laundry room, sewing room, craft room, ect.

I didn't take before pictures, but here are some of the finished room. I love it!

Here is a picture of the bathroom when you walk in.

Please ignore the diapers and fabric softener! We have a stockpile closet, but have run out of room!

This is the bookshelf I refinished.

I made a burlap curtain to hide the hot water heater!

I painted the shelf above the sink.

I painted the shlef above the toilet. I also made the seashell monogram!

Luke helped me with the furniture. He complained the whole time and swore he wouldn't ever help me strip, sand or paint furniture again. But, he helped me redo the computer desk in the kids' room. I am going to redo the dresser in their room as well. And, he is going to help me with it too! I'll post pictures of them soon!