Twas the night

I read this somewhere and thought I would share.

Although I think I would have kept the clone for just a couple days. :)




Twas The Night Before Christmas ... For Moms
by Ruth Carter-Bourdon

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode
Only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode.
The children were finally sleeping all snug in their beds,
While visions of Nintendo and Barbie flipped through their heads.

The dad was snoring in front of the TV,
With a half-constructed bicycle propped on his knee.
So only Mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,
Which made her sigh, "Now what is the matter?"

With the toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,
She descended the stairs and saw the old man.
He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug,
"Oh, great," muttered Mom, "now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho Ho Ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake,
Your gift was especially difficult to make."
"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is time alone."
"Exactly!" he chuckled, "So, I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she muttered, "What good is that?"
"Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit chat."
Then out walked the clone — the Mother's twin;
Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.
You'll relax, take it easy, watch TV, and work less."
"Fantastic!" the Mom cheered. "My dream has come true!"
"I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep a night through!"

From the room above, the youngest did fret.
"Mommy? Come quickly, I'm scared and I'm wet."
The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."
"Hey," the Mom smiled, "she sure knows her part."

The clone changed the small one and hummed her a tune,
As she bundled the child in a blanket cocoon.
"You're the best mommy ever. I really love you."
The clone smiled and sighed, "And I love you,too."

The Mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.
That's my child's love she is trying to steal."
Smiling wisely, Santa said, "To me it is clear,
Only one loving Mother is needed here."

The mom kissed her child and tucked her in bed.
"Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head.
I sometimes forget, it won't be very long,
When they'll be too old for my cradle and song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.
Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."
With the clone by his side, Santa said, "Good night.
Merry Christmas, dear Mom, you will be all right."

Gobble Gobble

I saw these at Bakerella and just had to make them.

Could they be any cuter? Okay, so hers are cuter. I had one brief trip to Walmart to gather supplies and the options were limited.

So I had to work with what I had.

And I'm not for sure about the placement of the red dangly thing. I think it's called the wattle. I think. I skipped the class on Turkey anatomy in college.

Since Walmart is not currently carrying the heart candy confetti, I tried to make do. But it's close enough. And it was late last night when I finished these and it seemed right at the time.

And my kids don't care.

They have been counting and recounting and dividing up the turkeys all day.
And I don't have the black edible pen (yet) so I had to make do with the blue.

But that's okay, because they fit right in with all the other blue-eyed turkeys around here!

Gobble, Gobble!

Upwards

Well, we have finished another season of Upwards Basketball.

It's been busy, but fun.

The worst part had to do with the fact that we had a brand new baby and that 5 of the games started at 8:00am Saturday morning. Which meant that we had to be there by 7:45 am on a Saturday morning. Which meant that between the baby being up at night and then having to get up early enough to get all the kids ready, that I didn't get much sleep.

This is his 3rd year of playing basketball and he is really starting to do well.

His dribbling has gotten a lot better and he made most of his shots. He really enjoyed himself.

This one really doesn't have a love for the game. But he played to humor me.

His favorite part of the game is playing defense. And he is really good at defense. So I was tickled to actually get a picture of him dribbling the ball.

Okay, so maybe he's just holding it. But he's touching the ball.

And this girl had all the benefits of having 2 older brothers. Even though this was her first year to play, she knew exactly what she was doing.

We put her on the same team as her brother and they had a great time together. Plus, that meant they had the same practice time and game time every week. Which is priceless!

If the ball was loose, it was going to be hers.

She has some sort of innate drive to possess the ball.

And she seemed to have inherited the abitility to dribble a basketball from someone other than me. They wouldn't let me dribble. I just stood in the designated spot and shot baskets. But she, on the other had, wanted to take the ball down every time. And she's a pretty good shot too.

The funniest part was that even if someone else was dribbling the ball down to the basket, she would run behind them yelling,"I'm open, I'm open!". She wanted that ball. She would also be frequently seen telling other players on her team to guard their person.

We had a great time, but I'm a little thankful the season is over. It's amazing how fast one can get booked up every evening doing great things and end up not having any time at home for family time.

I think I'm ready for some family time.

Or maybe I'm just ready to sleep later than 6:00am on Saturday.

♪ ♫ Sisters ♫ Sisters ♪ There were never such devoted sisters♫ ♪

Our girl has been praying for several years for a baby sister. When we told the kids we were expecting, she was just sure it was going to be a baby girl. When we found out we were having a baby girl, no one was more excited than she.

Before the baby was born, she would sit beside me and sing to her sister, walk beside me and talk to her sister, and even lie down beside me whilst I tried to nap and read books to her baby sister.

She said the other day,"Mom, when she turns 2, can I have her?" She has helped change wet diapers and holds her baby sister any time she gets a chance. She loves to pick out outfits for her to wear and help me dress her.

A couple days ago she realized that her baby sister had a tiny white pettiskirt just like the one she frequently wears around the house with her black leotard. She was estatic. And then she discovered a black onsie and decided that baby girl needed to dress up just like her and they must have pictures taken together.


So we set up a photoshoot on location.



Our livingroom.



I think they turned out pretty cute. My girl would have posed all day long. She was so proud and excited to be dressed just the same as her baby sister.


I think this one is my favorite. You can see in her face how much she loves her sister.

Hairbow placement get tricky when one's hair is the consistency and texture of a baby chick's.

Well, that's 2 posts in 2 days from me! Sleep really does help! I'm off to get our homeschool done for the day.

Have a great Wednesday!

Six Hours

So baby girl is now 6 weeks old and for the last 4 or 5 nights, she has slept for six consecutive hours.

It is a-mazing what a difference that makes.

I actually feel like I might just make it.

I was sharing this fact with someone the other day and they more or less expressed that with that much sleep, I should probably be almost back to normal operating speed.

I had to point out that even though baby girl is sleeping 6 consecutive hours, I'm still just getting about 5 hours myself. And that I am still up every morning from 3am -4am feeding her. And that after that she was back to her 3 hour schedule.

And that person said, "But can you imagine what it would be like if she was up every 3 hours at night?"




Hmm.





Yes.





I think I could very well imagine that.




SEEING AS HOW THAT WAS HER SCHEDULE RIGHT UP UNTIL FIVE DAYS AGO!!!



I guess the perplexing part was that person actually sleeps in the same room that baby girl and I sleep in.




Curious.




Anyways, I am very grateful she has started sleeping well and I really do feel like I am able to accomplish so much more when I'm not walking around in a sleepy fog.


Maybe I'll even post more often than every 6 weeks!


Maybe.

Sweet Baby Girl

Our sweet baby girl arrived Monday at 2:34pm.

She weighed 10lbs 12oz and was 20 3/4 inches long.

She is very healthy and we are all very excited!

We came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and are

currently trying to acclimate to life with four.

Grandma and Grandpa are still here and we have been

so grateful they could help out this week.

Thanks so much for your prayers!

(All our kids were born with black hair. It's the funiest thing. She looks identical to her sister's baby pictures! Too cute. She is so sweet!)

Thankful Thursday

1. Thankful for fall!!! I love fall! I love jackets! And I love not being pregnant in the heat!

2. Thankful that baby girl seems to be healthy. They did an ultrasound last Friday to check how big she is (others were 9.9, 9.6, and 9.2) and she was 9lbs and 99.6% on height. No surprises there.

3. Thankful that she should be here by Monday!!!! I'm going to be induced on Moday the 28th. She may arrive before then, but either way, I know we'll have a baby girl here by Monday. I'm so ready.

4. Thankful my parents are heading down this weekend to help out! What a blessing. I think they are even planning on taking the kids on some field trips that coincide with what we are studying in home school.

5. Thankful my husband has 2 weeks of paternity leave!! How sweet is that?!? He'll take a week off when the baby arrives and then have another week after that at some point. He's promised he'll help out with the home school as needed.

6. Thankful that we have 34 days of school already done. We started early this year so we could take off a couple weeks if needed. The kids have already settled into a really good routine and enjoy the structure in the day. They may not want to take off. :)

7. Thankful that our credit card company is not making us pay for the charges from Spain on our card. Apparently someone has been having a great time in Spain. Wish it had been me.

8. Thankful we have a break from the rain. Don't get me wrong, I was thankful for the rain. But after a week of having the kids in the house we were all starting to lose our sanity. It wasn't pretty. It's so nice to be able to send them outside for their "fun breaks" again.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Hope you have a Thankful Thursday!!! Next Thursday I'll not be pregnant anymore!!!!! And my sweet baby girl will be here!!!!!! I am so ready!

3 Birthdays and a Baby

So, my sister and Mrs. Troop have both requested pics of birthday cakes. I'm just a little behind in posting them seeing as how one was in December, one in June and the last one a couple weeks ago.

But here they are.

And can I just preface in saying that I am not a professional so NONE of these had better show up on cakewrecks.com! :)

I'm just saying.

Okay, my daughter wanted a Pocahontas birthday. Actually she wanted to BE Pocahontas for her birthday. We studied about Pocahontas last year in U.S. history and I found a complete Pocahontas outfit at a garage sale (in excellent condition I might add) for $3 and she has been in love with the Indian Princess ever since. I think it has something to do with the fact that my girl is a nature lover and is most impressed that Pocahontas knows all the names of every animal in the forests.

Grandma and Grandpa made it down for the party and Grandma made Indian headbands for all of us! It was lots of fun!

I had much grander plans for the cake but this was all I had in me. Fortunately the birthday girl was thrilled!

My oldest turned 8 in June. Unfortunately for me, we had spent our "rest time" during the hottest time of our beach vacation watching cake decorating competitions. When asked what he wanted he specifically said "a fondant 3-tier topsy turvy cake in a bass theme".

Okay there, Bobby Flay.

I honestly wasn't going to do it. I mean, some people don't even have 3-tier wedding cakes.

But there was part of me that had really been wanting to try a topsy turvy cake. And I had just found a recipe online to make my own fondant.

So I gave in. I rationalized that if something happened to me in childbirth, that at least he would always be able to look back on his 8th birthday and know that his mama loved him enough to make a 3-tier fondant topsy turvy bass cake.

(it's truly amazing what one can rationalize when one is pregnant)

It didn't turn out absolutely perfect (topsy turvy is a little more ambitious than I was planning on) but he loved it.

The final cake was a Thomas cake. I have seen a kit online to make a 3-D Thomas cake and thought it couldn't be that hard. I have to admit, it was a little more tedious than I had planned. And the proportions were not exactly correct, but once again, the child was thrilled and for that moment, the world stopped and I was the best mom ever. :)

I still have the kit, by the way, which contains the plastic face and other parts, if anyone wants to borrow it.

As far as the baby goes, I'm about ready for her to be here. I think I've got like 3 more weeks but I'm not for sure I'm going to make it. Pretty sure my OB won't let me go ahead and be induced this Friday, but I'm thinking about asking!

I'm also thinking about investing in a Stadium Gal. If I could just get a good night's sleep, I think I'd feel better. But I keep having to getting up and then the baby wakes up and starts kicking and moving for the next hour and can I just tell you that it's awfully hard to go back to sleep when someone is kicking you.

Anyways, I also wanted to thank everyone who said a prayer for me last week. I think the shingles are clearing up and I'm starting to feel better.

And that's all I've got!

Have a Thankful Thursday!

Emergency Telegram

emergency telegram from Lone Star State STOP around 4 more weeks until baby is due STOP diagnosed this week with patch of shingles on my back STOP the adult re-occurance of chicken pox STOP which is only supposed to occur in adults over 60 and hardly never in pregnant women STOP great fun STOP actually, not so much STOP send help STOP send laundress STOP and a couple maids STOP send cherry slush from Sonic STOP and prayers for quick recovery and that this won't affect the baby STOP thanks much! STOP

Feelin Good

So it's been a rough couple weeks.

I've had a pretty constant low to mid grade migrane and I've seemed to have so many aches and pains that tylenol just hasn't been cutting it.

And just the fact that I'm 8 months pregnant in Dallas in summer.

But today, the headache seems to be gone and it's amazing how much better one feels when there is not an underlying constant pain!

The kids are all in a great mood and are excited about homeschool (we started a week and a half ago).

And I got my Bible reading in for the day.

And I'm feelin good!

It's a great feeling!

Just thought I would share.



Hope you are feelin good today too!

Here I Am

Well, I guess I've not been on here awhile. Like a month and a half while.

But, since a several of you have e-mailed me or face booked me or called to make sure I have not run off to Petite St. Vincent Island, I decided to confirm that I am indeed still here.

Although I wouldn't mind a little trip to Petite St. Vincent Island.

Not at all.

But that is neither here nor there.

Well I guess it's there.

Anyways..... I have to say that this 4th pregnancy thing is wearing me out. I honestly don't know how my dear friend Mrs. Troop did it with 8! Because at about this point (which is 7 1/2 months pregnant) I'm getting about 1/2 done in twice the amount of time.

Which would be why I have not been blogging.

Plus the fact that we have gone on a couple trips in the month of July and it takes me like 2 days to pack and a week to recover completely.

So here is a brief summary of July.

We found more baby rabbits.

I'm sure you're shocked. I know I was.

At the first of July we went on a road trip to Oklahoma and Missouri. Don't worry, we didn't forget the fishing poles.

Camping at an annual 4th of July family reunion on the banks of a river on my Grandpa's farm in Missouri.

And can I just say that camping whilst 6 months pregnant with the 4th child is not the easiest thing to do? My sweet Father bought us one of those double high queen size blow up air mattresses just for this occasion. Not for sure I would have made it without it.

We barely got it in the tent but my husband said it was going in even if we had to cut a special hole in the tent.

The problem was that the "queen" size was a little over exaggerated and the only way I am comfortable is sleeping on my side.

The other problem is that I had to flip sides about every hour because my hips were hurting. And they were more like 2-point flips.

So about every hour I had to flip-flip and of course the blow up air mattress moved every time I moved and then I had to make sure that I didn't fall off the air mattress while flipping.

My poor husband.

Between that and a 2:00am run to the outdoor out house through the damp grass and hay with the flashlight as my only source of light, I didn't sleep so well that night.

But we had a great time the rest of the weekend visiting with family.

Playing in the river with cousins.

At the end of the month, my sister and her family were in the area (they live in Idaho) so we all met up in a central location at a Ranch in SE Oklahoma.

This was the ranch house we stayed in.

Pic of the whole family.

Fishing in the rain.

Paddle boating with Uncle Ben and cousin Eli.

More fishing.

Horseback riding. In the rain.

This girl kept swinging her hat through the air saying, "Yee Haw! Yippe ki yay!". She brought her cowgirl vest, handkerchief and cowgirl hat just for the occasion.

Coming back from the ride. Rain soaked.

So that is what we have been up to.

I've also been doing a Beth Moore Bible Study at church. The one on Esther. And I am completely loving it! Has anyone else done that one?

Anyways, hope you all had a great July!

Birthday Ideas

Star Wars Jedi Training Birthday Party

Star Wars Diet Coke Can R2D2 Cake

Expert Lego Builder Birthday Party

Princess Pampering Party

Castle Cake

Pocahontas Cake

Thomas the Train Cake

3 Tiered Topsy Turvy Fondant Covered Bass Themed Cake (as requested)

Themed Family Night

This year in our homeschool we studied U. S. History and U. S. Geography. For the theme of our family night, I let the kids pick a state and we would dress up and decorate like we were in that state.

They picked Alaska.

They made paper snowflakes and hung them from the lights and made paper "snow" chains and decorated the room. We drug out every white sheet we had to make snowdrifts and then the kids raided their rooms and brought down every stuffed animal they had that they thought would live in Alaska. We had many bears, a moose, a seal, a killer whale and some puppies who were actually supposed to be wolves.

They put their hats and scarves on and we read some books on Alaska.

After we finished the book on how to make your own igloo, we got some tiny marshmallows and royal icing and made our own.
They're beauties, eh?

Then for dessert, I made a Baked Alaska. I have always wanted to try one but never had the occasion. My personal opinion is that whoever invented this was bored. :) But I have to say, my kids and husband absolutely loved it!

We then took our snow drifts to the living room and watched a movie about Alaska that I checked out from the library. It was a fun evening! I didn't spend very much money and I let the kids plan and use their imagination. They had the very best time!

Themed family night.

It's a good thing.

Cinnamon Cupcakes

So let me just preface by saying that my dessert of choice has to have something chocolate in it. I just don't think there is much else that is worth the calories.

When we were in Georgia, the person in charge of welcoming us to the neighborhood brought by some cinnamon cupcakes. They were pretty and they looked yummy but I didn't think too much of it until I tried one.

They were incredibly, wonderfully delicious.

Recently I have come to a place in my life (6 months pregnant) where I decided that I would like to make them (needed to possess and eat them to satisfy this craving that I started having for these cupcakes that I had only eaten one time in my life but suddenly could not continue with life as I know it until I had eaten another). I diligently searched the Internet with different search engines and different word combinations until I came to this website called..... How to Eat A Cupcake. And there it was, except she called it a Cinnamon Toast Cupcake. So I thought I would make them and see if they were close.

And they were wonderful.

Everything I had hoped for.

I modified her icing recipe because I wanted it a little stiffer to make the cute swirls on top. And the basic cupcake recipe is so simple that they really could not be any easier!




Cinnamon Cupcakes
1 pkg yellow cake mix
1 pkg vanilla pudding
1 ¼ cup milk
¾ cup oil
3 large eggs
1 TBSP cinnamon

mix all ingredients together and bake for 15 – 18 minutes (or until knife comes out clean) at 350°
let muffins cool completely before icing

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
1 pkg cream cheese (cold – I use 1/3 less fat Philadelphia Brand)(yes, I'm a cream cheese snob)
5 TBSP butter (or smart balance)(cold)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla

Beat cold cream cheese and cold butter together until creamy. Yes, I know it's a little bit of a pain but it is the only way to keep the icing to the consistency that you can pipe it out in a cute swirl pattern. Add rest of ingredients and beat just until mixed well. Ice cupcakes with large star tip and large tube. I had to make one and a half batches of the icing recipe to do the swirls on top, but if you are just icing them plain, there should be enough.

Keep refrigerated.

You can come back and thank me once you've made them.

And I know you will. Make them that is.

And you will probably name your next daughter after me out of eternal gratitude.

They are that good.

Enjoy!!!

Thankful Thursday

(on Friday)

Much to be Thankful for!

1. Thankful for VBS this week! The kids had a blast and learned so much. I LOVE the "Boomerang Express" Vacation Bible School Curriculum!

2. Thankful that VBS was only 4 days! It was great but I was a teacher for the 2nd grade and it was exhausting. There were 3 classes of 2nd grade and around 72 kids! They kept us busy. I think 4 days was enough. :)

3. Thankful for the beautiful flowers God created for our enjoyment! I planted this clematis early this spring and it has grown 3 ft and puts on a constant show of flowers. It makes me so happy!

4. Thankful that the snake that was living in the hose reel has not been seen for over a week. (have I mentioned that I really dislike snakes?)

5. Thankful for piano and violin recitals that went well. The kids had a good time and a good experience and that was what we were hoping for.

6. Thankful for a 7 year old who wants to be a helper to his daddy and mow the yard.
7. Thankful that my daylilies are blooming!!! I always worry just a little when we move that not all of them will come up the next year. But so far, so good!

8. Thankful my daughter's fine motor skills are good and that she is able to use scissors well.

9. Thankful that when she decided to give herself a haircut using her scissor skills, she only cut this much. (longest piece there is about 4 inches) (isn't that special?)(that turkey)

10. Thankful that the big storm with the funnel cloud passed over our house without any damage and that we were all safe in the closet under the stairway with 47 stuffed animals. Good times.

Hope you had a Thankful Thursday!!!