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!

Prayer Request.

Lastnight while taking a bath I noticed a black spot. It was dark black mole that I never noticed before. Luke and I thought it might be a tick, but it wasn't. I called this morning and got an appointment with my dermatologist. I actually had two spots. One of them looked like a normal mole and she said that it didn't concern her, but the black spot did concern her. So, I had it removed today. They sent it off and I should have the results in 10-14 days. Please say a prayer that everything comes back normal.

Thanks!

Love,

Hectic.

Things have been hectic around here. So, this will probably be a short update.

Kinnison is doing great in kindergarten. She loves going. She lost her 2nd tooth on Saturday. The tooth fairy brought her $5. She has two more loose teeth.

Kimber misses Kinnison when she is gone, but is loving the extra attention. The pediatrician only saw one tube this week. Hopefully she was correct! We are so ready for her tubes to be out. She got them last April!

Kanyon got immunizations Monday. He had 3 huge blowouts that day. At the end of the day he was naked because he pooped through 3 outfits. Luke was riding around Fayetteville in his undies because Kanyon pooped all over him. And, I had poop on my shorts. It was a wild day. Kanyon weighed 11lbs and 13oz . He gained weight last week even though he had a cold. He is 9 weeks old this week. I can't believe how fast the time is going by.

Saturday would have been our angel's 4th birthday. I was very busy that day which helped. It hit me hard lastnight though. Fran and I watched The Help and one of the characters had 4 miscarriages. It was heartbreaking and brought back a lot of emotions.

I am so blessed to have Kinnison, Kimber and Kanyon in my life. They are miracles!

Happy Heavenly Birthday, baby!

Big Week.

This post won't get the attention it deserves, but we have been going non-stop since vacation. I am exhausted! Vacationing with 3 kids isn't what I would call "relaxing". I had a terrible toothache the first few days we were gone, but it got better. All of our stuff got washed out with the tide. (umbrella, chairs, boogie boards, ect.) Luke got a cold on the last day at the beach. I got it when we got home. Kanyon has it now. Luke took the girls deep sea fishing and they puked the entire trip. SIX HOURS. There were some positives. We had some great weather and our condo was beautiful. The girls had a blast and Kanyon was terrific. We wanted them to have fun and they did. That is all that matters. I have a slide show with some of my favorite pictures. I couldn't upload them all.

I took Kanyon to the doctor today. He weighed 11lbs 9oz!

The day I was dreading finally arrived. My baby girl started Kindergarten on Monday. She has been wanting to go to kindergarten for years. She was so excited she literally jumped out of the bed at about 6:30 a.m. Luke, Kanyon, Kimber and I all walked her into her classroom. I took my camera, but forgot my SD card! I left it in my computer after uploading my vacation pictures! So, I only have a few pictures from my camera and they aren't great.

Thanks for the outfit Gammy!

She has been such a big girl. I am so glad that she is independent. I wouldn't be able to take her if she got upset when I dropped her off. Beth and Melissa both sent me a picture of her on her first day. I was very grateful. And, I am pretty proud of myself for not crying on her first day! That is huge for me.

Growing up you always hear people say, "They grow up too fast!" and "Where does the time go?:

I think I say one of those daily. I CANNOT believe that I have a kindergartner. I wish I could stop time because it is going by too quickly.

Devastated....

Lolly survived the night. I didn't think it was possible. Mom said she had been in bad shape since Saturday. She couldn't walk and was vomiting and pooping blood. She would take deep breaths and pull her back legs in. She wouldn't eat or drink anything. I don't know if she was in pain or not, but I decided that I couldn't watch her suffer anymore. I prayed that I wouldn't have to make the decision to put her to sleep, but I did. It was a very difficult decision. I realized that I was holding back because it was easier for me. I had to do what was best for her. Luke works tomorrow and the vet's office is closed on Sunday. So, it was either do it today or wait until Monday. I didn't want her to suffer any longer. So, we decided it was time to let her go.

Luke bought Lolly when he and I were just friends. She was a very mischievous puppy. She got lots of spankings. She liked to poop on the floor, eat sweets off the counter, dig through the trash. She once ate Luke's wallet and some of the bathroom wall. She chewed a bottle of wood glue on the carpet and even got the lid off a can of paint in the garage. She was the smartest dog ever. She new every trick in the book. I even taught her some in Spanish. She even climbed a ladder and got on the roof with Luke. She didn't like to lay on hard surfaces so she would drag out towels and blankets to lay on. She pooped in the weirdest spots. She pooped on Luke's truck seat while he was driving, the back of the truck going down the interstate, in the water at the creek, background of my maternity photos, ect. She loved to hunt. She would hunt anything...mice, lizards, snakes, and squirrels. She was a great hunter. If I was having a bad day or sad she would come over and put her face right in my face. She would lay her ears back and nudge me with her nose. She would snuggle with me and lick me. She always new how to cheer me up. When Luke would travel or work nights he would tell her to protect me. She did. She would get in bed with me. If she heard a noise she would literally sit on top of my chest and bark and growl. She was just as kind and protective of Kinnison and Kimber. Even when she felt bad she would let them hit her and climb on her. She never once growled at them. She was smart, compassionate, protective, funny and loyal. She was my best friend. We never considered her a dog. She was part of the family. She was one of the kids.

In May of 2010 Lolly started losing her eye sight. I took her to one vet and wasn't happy with "she's old". So, I took her to another vet. I knew something was going on because she had developed cataracts over night. They did bloodwork and diagnosed her with diabetes. I was devastated. I knew that it would be a commitment and that her days were numbered. It was hard and it was expensive, but we got to love Lolly for another 15 months. Some of those days were good. Some of them were bad. But, even on her bad days she would wag her tail when we talked to her. She lived in the garage. She had her very own spot next to the woodstove during the winter and had a fan just for her during the summer. I wish we could have spent more time with her, but I know that she lived a good life.

I want to say THANK YOU to my mom, dad and sister for taking terrific care of her while we were gone. She went downhill as soon as we left and I know that she was well taken care of while we were gone.

We love you Lolly! We are going to miss you so much. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of our lives!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of Lolly.

So Hard To Say Goodbye...

We made it home from vacation. Mom and dad warned me that Lolly wasn't doing well. I had no idea how bad it was. It is likely she won't make it through the night. We all said our goodbyes. It was so hard. She has been a wonderful part of our family. She was more than a pet. More than a dog. She was one of my best friends. Things haven't been great since she was diagnosed with diabetes last year. But, we did everything we could for her and that is comforting. I'll post an update tomorrow. Please pray that she is comfortable and pain free. I have prayed that we wouldn't have to euthanize her. I want her to go on her own, but I don't want her to suffer. She means so much to us. We love her very much. Thanks

Another Year.

I can't believe it is time for school to start back already. I didn't even try to get a job this year. And, that is probably a good thing. Many of my NTL Classmates still don't have a job. When I got pregnant we decided it would be best if I stayed home. I might try to teach again when Kanyon goes to school, but right now I am focusing on the family. I took Kinnison to Cheer Camp today and then dropped her school supplies off at the primary. I saw some old friends. There are things I don't miss about working there, but I loved my job. I miss the kids more than anything. I do get a little sad at the beginning of the school year. It was my favorite time of year. I love fall. And, I am sad that I won't be there to watch over Kinnison. But, I have some good friends there that will watch over her for me. I CAN NOT believe that Kinnison starts Kindergarten in less than 2 weeks. Where has the time gone? I know that she will do great. She is a good girl. She is smart and independent. I know she will love it. And, they will be lucky to have her.

Even if I got a teaching job the new would wear off. Every teacher I know dreads the end of summer. Once school starts they count down t he days until they get a break...Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break and Summer Break are the big ones. Some even count down until professional development days when they won't have students!

I loved working at the school, but I love staying home even more. I am so lucky I will get to be home to watch my kiddos grow.