Britt's new ride!

Today is going to be very exciting! We were finally able to find Britt a truck. We were going to surprise him with it when he got out of school today, but Dale absolutely could not stand it! I had to run out last night to get pull-ups and when I returned, the cat was out of the bag. Britt hasn't seen the truck yet so there still is a little element of surprise left. You would have thought that Dale was getting a new truck as excited as he was. I will be sure to take plenty of pictures to post next week. I can't believe that Britt is already 16 years old and will have his own vehicle. The closer we got to his 16th birthday, the more I cried. My oldest baby has turned into a handsome young man, I am very proud of him!

Clete is 3!!

This weekend was definitely a busy one! I cleaned all day Saturday and baked the cake. Sunday was the big day, Clete's 3rd Birthday! The party went great and Clete had a wonderful time. He received all kinds of great gifts and has played with or worn most of it! His biggest gift was his guitar or "tar" as he calls it. All throughout the evening he went from toy to toy, playing the tar, then working on something with his tools, then hit a few golf balls in the house and read all the books. We want to thank all the friends and family who came to his party, it would not have been the same without you. The cake turned out pretty good, Dale helped with the decorating, that seems to be his thing! Clete brings such joy to our lives and we are so glad that you all were able to share in the joy!

The BEST Valentines Day Present!

This week is quickly coming to an end and I still have a million things to do to prepare for Clete's birthday party. The house has to be cleaned and the cake, baked and decorated. I can't believe that he will be 3 years old on Sunday, the time has absolutely flown by. I like to think back to the day that he came into our lives. Dale and I arrived at the hospital at 6:30 that morning for the induction, we were both so excited. The day proved to be quite different from what we had hoped for though, the epidural I received was WONDERFUL but I wouldn't dilate. I spent the entire day just lying there watching TV and starving! The news came about 6:30 PM that we could be looking at a c-section. Dr. Litsey gave me one more chance though and finally at the 9:00 PM exam, I was ready to go. It was SHOWTIME!! That beautiful little angel drifted into our lives as peaceful as the night. He wasn't screaming and thrashing around, he was just here with eyes wide open. Having already had a child, I knew that all babies do not cry when they are born, but I still had to ask if he was okay, Dr. Litsey assured me everything was fine. It was the day after Valentines Day, and it was the best Valentines Day gift that I had ever received. The next thing I know the room was filled with all of our family and friends who had waited all day and most of the night for Clete to arrive. I'm posting a few pictures of that day, I cry each time that I look at them. We love you Clete, Happy Birthday!!!

The Weekend

This weekend was kinda blah. I had a terrible sinus headache all weekend and to add insult to injury, broke my toe Friday night. The rest of the family had a pretty good weekend though. Britt's girlfriend Kristin came up for the weekend so he was HAPPY. Bless her heart, I think that I have been sick every time that she has visited except for one. Since I was sick, Dale took over with the other two, they went to the park Saturday morning, then to Jackson's baseball practice Saturday afternoon. Clete's birthday party at school went well Friday, I have pictures of him in his birthday hat! The baseball cupcakes were great thanks to my wonderful husband Dale, you rock! I will be making a baseball cake for his party this weekend, that should be fun. My husband took good care of me this weekend, aside from a little "kink" Saturday night when my neck massage was rudely interrupted. I really do have a great husband, sometimes he acts like one of the kids, but overall he is a great, responsible Dad! For Clete's birthday, I am putting together a slide show of pictures from the day he was born, hopefully that will be up by the end of the week. When I look back at all those pictures, I tear up, there has never been a baby so wanted as he was!

Blessings

I just wanted to take a little time to express how lucky I am. I was watching my husband last night with our 3 year old and was just overwhelmed with emotion! It is an absolute joy to watch them together. Dale is a wonderful father! He always takes the time to play with Clete, a lot of dads are too absorbed in what they want to be doing rather than spend that extra little moment with their kids. Last night they sat together and played with play dough, puzzles and of course the good ole tickle monster. After bath time I watched as they sat together and said nighttime prayers. That just warmed my heart. Clete's brothers also spend a lot of time with him. When we get home in the afternoons, the first thing that Britt does is ask Clete what he did today and if he had fun. There are not a lot of older brothers out there that care what their little brothers did much less if they had fun doing it. They are both so gentle with him and never treat him as just an "annoying little ankle biter". I guess that they have learned that gentle nurturing way from the best, their Dad, Dale. Dale is doing such a good job at teaching them not only how to be young men, but also how to be good fathers and husbands. I am so Blessed to have them all and am so very proud to call them mine. Dale is the BEST Dad and husband in the world and I love him more than words can express.

Its Time for Baseball!!!

Well, hunting season just ended last weekend. This weekend we begin another journey, baseball season! Jackson will begin practice Friday night for his rec league baseball team. This also means that pretty soon my wonderful husband will begin his season, he coaches 13 and 14 year olds for Opelika. Our household will be turned upside down for about 4 months. First you have all the practices, then come all the games and THEN comes the wonderful event known as ALL STARS!! It can get pretty hectic around here, Dale wants us to come to his games then we all have to go to Jackson's games. During this time of the year it will be rare for all of us to share a dinner together. That's okay though, we wouldn't have it any other way. I LOVE it!! I took a few pictures last night, probably one of the last nights for a while that we will all be in the same room after 5pm.

10 Honest Things About Me

I guess I have been tagged to reveal a list of 10 honest things about myself. That is a subject that is rarely explored so I will do my best!

1. I love peanut butter. I can go get a spoonful of the wonderful, fatty goodness and eat it as a snack.

2. My family is my LIFE. I am very protective of my husband and 3 boys. If you cross one of them in any way, you are taking the bull by the horns!!

3. I cannot go to bed at night if there are dirty dishes in the sink. Sounds a little crazy, but its the truth. I just can't do it.

4. I LOVE jewelry! Thankfully I have been blessed with a husband who does like to spoil me a bit. There is not a year that goes by that I do not get a new piece of BLING!! I love you baby! You ARE the MAN!

5. I am addicted to chap stick. At night it seems like every 15 minutes or so I am going to the bathroom to re apply my chap stick.

6. I love to play on the computer. In many ways its my only communication with the outside world. Try to have a conversation with a 3 year old pulling on your leg, its not very easy.

7. I am a germifobe! I can't ever just sit down and rest when I am at home. I am constantly wiping down counter tops, vacuuming floors, sweeping and straightening up toys. I can't relax unless everything is clean and in its place. A place for everything and everything in its place!

8. I AM a CAT person. Cats are born into this world with their own little personality, each is different. Dogs are what the owners make them, I love dogs too though. Much love to Abby and Sox; Willie, Shiloh and Jake.

9. I don't like to have my picture taken. I just don't make good pictures, there is always something funky going on with my skin or hair.

10. I love to watch my husband and our boys together. Whether they are playing football or baseball outside, playing the guitar or just hanging out watching TV, its great to see the love and trust they have for each other. They are the best gifts in life that I will ever receive and I am grateful to have them.

Play Dough Woes

I have recently discovered that the makers of play dough are fibbers! On the packaging that the stuff comes in , it clearly states that if it gets on carpet to let it dry then simply vacuum it up. This does NOT work! Thus far we have had 2 occasions where the play dough has wound up in the carpet and neither time has it just come loose with the vacuum. So all you mothers out there that have not experienced the wonder of play dough, keep this in mind! Don't get me wrong, its a wonderful thing, it will keep your kids occupied for hours. Just be sure not to leave the room to go get that dirty load of laundry from the bedroom or run outside to get the mail, it will be at that time that the play dough is laid on the floor and the Mexican jumping bean dance done upon it!

Clete's New Haircut

This weekend started with a bang! Dale and I took Clete to get a new haircut Friday, in case you didn't know Clete does NOT do DOCTORS and he does NOT do HAIRCUTS. It took both of us just to get e little buzz cut. He looks cute though! The rest of the weekend was rather uneventful. This was the last weekend for deer season so Dale hunted Friday and Saturday afternoon, other than that we just hung out. I will be baking cupcakes for Cletes school on Thursday night, they will be celebrating his birthday on Friday. His birthday isn't until the next week but, the teacher didn't think it would be fair for him to have to share his birthday with the Valentines Day party. We are making baseball cupcakes!