785 to 39

my first year blogging I had 785 post - this year I've had 39

SLACKER

I apologize if anyone has missed my post - Facebook is so much easier and so when I have something to say I normally just post a one liner. Blogging was fun when everyone still did it - and I know that some still do. Its just not as much as we all did back in the day.

I can't think of anything to post here that wouldn't be a repeat of facebook - I realize Denise doesn't FB but she gets emails with the latest Brock happenings ;)

Darcy turned SEVEN! On the same day Jessica took her first trip to the ER. She passed out that morning, whacked her head and had a seizure (in that order). She's better now - she returned to basketball yesterday. She hasn't had any headaches in days.

Matthew has been working crazy hours - 80.5 hours last week actually. EIGHTY HOURS FOLKS!!! THATS CRAZY! Not to knock anyone's job but my hubby does manual labor and I can't imagine doing 8 hours - 80 hours is WILD! He's a trooper though - no complaints from him! I think he deserves everything on his christmas list ;) Which would be a new ipod!

The boys are wonderful - lately they've let me love on them a little longer. They keep me laughing.

Christmas is going to be great this year! Last year was pretty crummy - I don't think I posted it but we almost lost our house to foreclosure at Thanksgiving. We had all 4 kids in private school, I was driving 2 hours roundtrip every day to school and things were rough. Christmas was pitiful. I cried most of Christmas morning. I realize its not about the gifts but when you have little children - as a parent you want to be able to buy them christmas presents. This year we're both working and I've been buying a few things here and there for the past several months (small things). Anything is better than last year.

so forth and so on

I'm at work and I'm actually pretty busy but I'm stuck in between things so I have a minute to blog.

Work is still work - it puts money in the account. I like my job most days - sometimes I hate that I can't run errands when I need to or that I can't sleep in... or that I never get to watch the Today show with Hoda and KLG :( But I like the people I work with/for and I like what I do.

Matthew and I have been meeting with a guy from our church who specializes in counseling. We went to him for some financial counseling but it turns out its been so much more than just money. I've enjoyed our weekly meetings. Sometimes its painful but I appreciate what God is doing through him and my wonderful husband. I've learned (or maybe admitted) a lot about myself - my character and I understand more. I've let go of a lot. I have to make a real effort every day (several times a day) to not let something affect me.... ie someone cutting me off on the road, a random fb post that I swear is directed at me or the look that someone gave me. Its been really freeing. I don't want to sound cheesy. I just appreciate the things that are happening inside of me.

I keep telling myself that I'm not responsible for other people's actions - just mine! so who cares how they behave towards me.

When someone gives you hell you gotta give them Jesus - P.C.
Before I just wanted to give them hell right back

haPPy BiRthDay deNiSE!!!

I wanted to wish Denise a very Happy Birthday!!!!

In the 8 years I've known her I've only seen her 2x but she's a dear sweet friend!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR DENISE,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOOOU!

My Birthday Surprise

I'm a control freak - there I said it! I have to always know whats going on - I don't like to be out of the loop.
This makes it hard to pull one over on me.
My hubby called Jamie in Atlanta and invited ourselves over for my b'day weekend. I had no idea until what was going on but finally the night before things were supposed to happen I made him tell me. I was having a slight panic attack b/c he was telling me that he was going to pack for me and that we were all going out of town. Well, Jeremiah was still recovering from surgery and the kids were suppose to start their new school on Monday - I didn't think we needed to be going anywhere! Once he told me where we were going I was too excited to sleep! Jamie had been living in Atlanta for 2 years and we've planned to visit several times but each time something would come up. So FINALLY we were going!!! We had a blast!!! We stayed up every night past midnight playing games or talking. She waited on my like I was at a bed and breakfast! We spent 3+ hours at IKEA. Our kids played great together (although i'm sure the Boemer Boys were glad to see those Brock Boys leave b/c they were ROWDY!) I can't wait to go back!!!!



Okay so the weekend AFTER my b'day - sorry I have no pics. I had a long day at work. I had to stay a little later than usual. I had a lot of stuff on my mind and I came in the door a little grumpy. I started unloading all my junk on my hubby - during this time Jessica was up to something. She was trying to get me into the bathroom but she failed.
Normally I come straight in the door, go the bathroom and start undressing - NOT on this day. You see, my dear friend Staci and Tiff were hiding in my shower!!! They finally gave up and came out of hiding. They were there to kidnap me!!! I had only a few minutes to pack and we were out the door. We had dinner at Joe's Italian where we met Jamie - but I didn't know she was there. I had no idea what was going on the entire weekend.... I was just told to get dressed and lets go! We spent the night at nearby hotel where Crystal joined up for some games. The next morning we went to the Galleria and eventually made our way to Aveeda Spa and Salon where my other friend Amy was to meet us. We had pedi's. Afterwards we ate lunch at Johnny Rocket's then off to Amy's for mexian train dominos. We ended up seeing a 9:50PM movie and coming back to my house afterwards... That was late Saturday night. Sunday we spent the day sleeping. I can't believe my friends pulled one over on me. I was so touched by all the effort they had put into making my birthday special. I love those girls!!!!

Gotta Get em OUT!

Jeremiah had his tonsils and adnoids out right before school started. We went in to see the ENT on Tuesday and on Thursday we were having surgery. I didn't want him to miss any school so I pushed for them to do it right away - I'd been telling them for 2 years that he needed to have them removed! He did really well afterwards. We were told to expect the worst but he was great! He never threw up. He came home and ate right away - well other than falling asleep while eating :) His worse days were probably day 4, 5 and 6 and only because he was healing and when he woke up in the mornings it would be really dry.



This was after taking the "sleepy" med and waiting for it to work. He came back from surgery and said "You can't take my tonsils!" He had no clue it was already over!

Sweet Sixteen

Jessica turned 16 on July 18th. We celebrated with Friends and Family at Full Moon BBQ.
Its hard to believe she's sixteen - She's a great kid!


Matt & Jessica

And she's taller than me!



Happy Birthday!!!


Jessica and Papa Wayne

4th of July

Yes I realize I'm a little late to be posting our 4th of July pictures....
Matthew was supposed to be working out of town for 3 weeks in Florida but he was able to come home early. We spent the weekend of the 4th at my Aunt & Uncle's house on Dauphin Island... Tara & Blaine joined us. We had a blast!!!

Jacob loved all the attention Aunt Tara gave him. Whatever he wanted to do she was right there doing it with him!

The boys loved this little boat! They were ready to paddle to Cuba! They were a lot of fun to watch.

Darcy and Jessica

Birthday Surprises and More

I promise to update you guys on all thats been going on but its not going to be today. I will say that all is well and the kids are doing well with adjusting to the new school.

Introducing Molly

I'll try and take some more later... but this is what i have for now. She weighted 7 lbs today at the vet. Her and Goose both got their shots. Molly is about 17 weeks old and the vet didn't say what kind of dog she is... we think some sort of wired hair terrier mix. What do you think?

Catching you up

Jeremiah had his tonsils taken out last Thursday and he's been great - last night and this morning were a little rough but nothing like what I was expecting. He hasn't had any problems eating or drinking... in fact just hours after home from the hospital he was eating Ramen Noodles. (I have a cute pic of him with his head down on the table taking a quick nap while eating). Matthew and I were both able to take off for his surgery but since then I've gone back to work and Matthew has been home with the kids. He's really been enjoying his time with them.

About a week or 2 ago some kid down the street gave our kids a puppy - nice right?!?! I was dead set that I was not getting any more animals! We're down to 3 cats, 9 fish and a dog! This little puppy wouldn't go home. Every day she was there. She never once tried to come inside but she greeted me every time I opened the door. She's a small thing - maybe a wired hair terrier mix or some sort of terrier. Now truth be known I'd always wanted a lap dog... one I could tote around and play dress up with. I had Oscar years ago and he was a great dog UNTIL we had Darcy - then he acted out and we eventually gave him to my parents - he's a different dog now :) Saturday night without warning I opened the back door, brought the door inside and gave her a bath. She's been my little buddy every since. The kids had already named her "Molly" so Molly it is. Yesterday I picked her up a collar, leash and some toys. Matthew took her to the vet this morning. She weights 7lbs and estimated to be about 17 weeks old. She's a feisty little thing - I don't think she realizes how little she is! She tried to take on a German Shepard at the vet.

The little kids are registered to start their new school next Monday. Jessica started last week. She drove herself to school in her new car (2006 Nissan Altima). She's a junior this year :( Volleyball has already started and she's ready to play! I love watching VB - its by far my favorite sport to watch. I just wished I could play it! HA! I go to most of their practices and help the coach (shag balls and whatever else I can do) - sometimes her and I play them - its fun to watch :)

Okay we'll I'm at work and I'd better get back - lunch is over! Oh and btw - I'm still loving my job!

Life

I've spent the last week with some friends who lost their 4 year old daughter in a drowning accident. It was a rough week. One that no parent should ever have to endure... but for whatever reason they had to walk through this.

Saturday was the funeral and most of their family and friends returned home yesterday. Our lives will all return to normal. I can't imagine what they're going through - I don't want to imagine. I laid next to Darcy the other night and watched her sleep. I've listened to these parents talk about their daughter - The pain is unbearable. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't forget them... that I'd stay in touch and be there as much as possible. To be honest, I hadn't seen them in several years. At one time we were really good friends. I was in their wedding. She practically lived at my parents house. But life takes over and you go in different directions. But they're gonna need people to call them and check on them. They're gonna need people to continue to pray. They're never going to "get over" this.

Reunited

Matthew was supposed to be working out of town for 3 weeks but they finished up early and came home after 1 week! It was out first time to be a part for more than a night or two. I missed him - the kids missed him. The weekend was pretty lonely but we made it.

We're leaving in a few hours for the beach. Tara and her son, Blaine are joining us. We used to take vacations with them all the time when Jessica was little. We don't get to see them as much as we would like. They came down for Jessica's b'day party last July. Tara and I did sips n strokes during the holidays but other than that we haven't seen them. We talk all the time and my kids call her Aunt Tara :) I'm really looking forward to our trip.

My desires

I've thought about how I'm gonna say this... I want to get it off my chest and I'm sure this will strike a nerve with people and maybe even offend someone. This post isn't directed at any one certain person - it covers a lot of people in my life.

I wish people cared more about others than themselves. I wish people weren't so lazy and actually tried to put forth more of an effort to stay connected with folks. I hate always being the one to reach out... I do it though, and again again I get my feelings hurt.

My kids are my everything. I love being around them and I know that they're a little rowdy at times but they're young. The get excited about things that you might have gotten excited about at their age. They love unconditionally. That part worries me - I wanna protect them. I know one day they're gonna see things differently and its gonna break their little hearts.

I title this post "My desires" but so far it doesn't really fit. Here's the desires part...

I hope that I always have a close relationship with my kids, their spouses and their children. I want my kids to always to stay close. I want their kids to grow up together. I want to be a part of everything that they allow me to be a part of. I want to have family traditions, sunday dinners with the whole fam, vacation memories, funny stories, lots of hugs (and not just from the kids) and so much more.

I want friends that last a lifetime. REAL friends - not fake facebook friends. Friends that call me and I call them. Friends that you can talk to after a rough day and they don't think you're having a pity party or try to one up you with their stories of what they had to go through once upon a time. Friends that can make time for a quick visit - not leaving you hanging. Friends that you can say anything to or in front of - no ones likes walking on eggshells. Friends that don't repeat my business or pass judgment on me.

Do you get what I'm saying? Relationships are important to me - I'm tired of being disappointed.

My wonderful Daughter, Jessica

I have a great kid! Some might say I'm a little hard on her and I may be. Back around Thanksgiving we were talking and I she said something I wasn't expecting to hear so soon in her life. She told me that she was going to be just like me when she was a mom. WHOA! Blow me away! She said she understood why I did what I did and that she appreciated it. Thats probably the biggest compliment I've ever received!

A while back I asked Jessica why her and one of her friends wasn't close anymore. She really didn't want to talk about it but she knows I don't let up :) So she eventually told me that the other girl was heading in a different direction. She said she wasn't living right and that she had tried to talk to her but the other girl mocked Jessica. I'm so proud of my child for taking a stand and for not falling to peer pressure. She said she'd still be nice to her and try to talk to her but they couldn't hang out anymore. Whoa... how mature is that!

Jessica has to do a lot around here. Maybe not anymore than you or I did as a teenager but kids these days don't have to do anything! She's such a great big sister! Her siblings LOVE her. Recently we've been talking about college and Darcy is the only one that sorta understands and she's not happy. She's trying to convince Jessica to live with us forever :) I can't believe in 2 years Jessica will be leaving for college. These are times that you really have to trust that you've done all you can do as a parent and you totally give you're child over to the Lord.

Thanksgiving 2008

Mommy, Jessica, Jeremiah, Darcy, Jacob and Daddy

Cades Cove in The Great Smokey Mountains

time to check in

I am officially taking a forced break from school. I wasn't able to pass one of my classes and cannot move forward until I retake (and pass) the course. I will retake the course in Jan. This puts me graduating May 2013 same at Jessica :) lol

I have the next 7 months off. I'm not sure what to do with myself. I have been going non stop since Jan 09. Its an adjustment. I'm looking forward to spending time with my family. I might even get a parttime job - who knows.

I might even blog more ;) lol

My Crafty Side :)

We cut down a bush/tree thingy from the back yard and I made this from it. Its my very first wreath - ta da! I just tired together some limbs! I could have kept adding and adding but I thought it might get too heavy. I'm pretty proud of myself :)

my panic attack

Yesterday on my way home from school (a very stressful and emotional day) I was riding with my windows down and my hair was blowing... It felt good after such a rough day. I glanced down for a brief second and there was a big brownish redish spider on my thigh crawling towards my body. Without thinking twice I had quickly pulled off the road and was jumping out of my car. I had knocked the spider off my leg in the process of pulling off. Once out of the car I couldn't find it. I wasn't getting back into my vehicle! I called Matthew and just as I'm in the middle of explaining what happened I see the stupid spider and SMASH IT! AHAHAHHAHA I was freaking out all the way home. I felt like spiders were crawling all over me! I hate spiders!!!

Jessica goes to Prom :)

It was a rough afternoon... I was stuck in Selma with a unresponsive, lethargic pt while Jessica was in Homewood with my mom getting her hair done. Due to the traffic Jessica arrived home almost 2 hours later than expected. She was supposed to leave our house with another couple at 5:20 but she didn't even make it home till after 6pm. She was extremely stressed out. There was a house full of people waiting for her here. She got herself together and looked amazing :)

Under the Big Top

We took our kids the circus this year. They had no idea where we were going and in the pic below we just told them... but they still didn't really know what was going on.


We got there earlier (2nd in line at the door kinda early) and our kids got to enjoy
the preshow.... and so did Matthew :)

Waiting....

Jacob and Jessica

Waiting was their least favorite part :(
And to be honest it didn't keep their attention much during the actual show.
We're not sure if it was b/c we did the 5 o'clock show with no naps.
They actually asked us several times if it was over yet! lol

A glimpse

My little folks are growing up... They're going to attend a public school next year. Darcy will be in 1st grade and the boy will be in K5. The boys turn 5 on April 3rd.

Darcy, Jacob and Jeremiah


We had a family reunion at my cousin's house... complete with a bom fire and my kids love it!



Me and Pawpaw Bill
(this was taken earlier in the day at the reunion)

Matthew and I celebrated V'day and his b'day by going to our favorite little place... Bernie's On Main in Columbiana.
We've been going to this place for all of our special occassions for years.

Mysterious Bruise

I'm not sure where this came from but it popped up yesterday afternoon... granted I did practice softball with the girls but all I do is hit the ball to them... no catching or anything! My arms are sore from hitting but I'm not sure what caused this bruise. Its very tender!

What is God teaching me?

I was doing a sorta playful interview yesterday for our church's newsletter and I was asked questions. One of them was "What has God been teaching you lately?"

Let me be honest here... I am a fixer by nature. I can also be a manipulator. I want to be in control. I want to know the plans not just know there's a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Too bad is doesn't say "and I'll share them with you immediately!" I'm learning to trust in Him. Trying not to fix it on my own or try and help Him. I know that sounds silly like He needs my help. But I've been guilty of telling folks that God gave us common sense and we should use it. He did, but I don't think when we're in need (trouble) that we're supposed to start immediately trying to fix it. I'm learning that my first response should be to go to God immediately and say "this is my problem and I'm not sure how its going to work out but I know that YOU will take care of it and guide me every step of the way." whoa thats hard. Really hard! Someone said in sunday school group once about we let God handle the big stuff but we think the small stuff is too petty to ask for his help. Well I'm the opposite. I'll let him deal with the small stuff but the big stuff is too hard to let him have control over. God wants me to trust him wholeheartedly AND I want to trust Him.

My husband seems to be so relaxed about things happening with our current trails. At times a little too relaxed if you ask me. But He's trusting God. He's serving God, spending time in his word, seeking him in prayer and really trusting Him. Reread that last sentence. Did you get it? His every day walk reflects a christian life... he's not just doing his own thing and then expecting God to solve his problems when he finds himself in a bind. I think thats where most people miss it. Those are the ones that get angry/disappointed and never really understand the Gospel. I don't want to be that person.

My emotional roller coaster

I must be PMS'ing although lately it doesn't really matter if its that time or not because I can still be all emotional and girlie. I seem to get my feelings hurt over the smallest things but of course to me they feel huge. I feel left out of a lot of things. Which stinks b/c of my personality I thrive around others so when I feel isolated it makes everything worse.

I've learned some lessons lately... big valueable lessons... about trusting God and putting him FIRST. We're doing this bible study in our small group about idols and no I don't have a statue of budda but I did put all of focus on other things rather than God. Over the last month I've been going through a rough patch but once I figured out what He was trying to teach me it all made sense!

My kids are home this week for Spring Break... my spring break is next week. I'm only home today but I have a lot of school work to get done today. Right now the boys are on each side of me and we're watching cartoons. The girls are both still asleep. Guess I better go make the most of my time with my boys =)

Icky Sicky Me

I'm sick! I hate being sick esp when I have things to do. I had to reschedule my clinicals for the 2nd time! I missed going to south Alabama to visit family. I am missing my hubby stand behind the pulpit for the first time today (he's not preaching he's opening with prayer) and I feel like CRAP! I have some school work to do but I can't focus on it.

On Tuesday I had an upper and lower Gi done and a hyda scan too. I prepped for it Monday night - whoa! Matthew took off work Tuesday to take me. I don't remember much of the day but apparently I was awake at some points b/c I posted on my fb status - haha. I got the results back yesterday and they need me to come back in to for blood work to rule out Celiac Disease. I'll do that on Tueday of this week.

Wednesday I had a big test which I didn't feel ready for seeing how the day before I was drugged! Wednesday afternoon I had clinicals and thats when my sore throat started. I thought it was just b/c of the upper gi.

Thursday was clinicals and by the time I got home I was running a fever. Friday I went to the dr and I've been stuck at home ever since :(

Everyone keeps asking me when we can get together... May 2012! lol

Checking In

I've been a little busy lately with school and family. Things are still going well with school. I've had some really cool clinical experiences lately... seen a lot of cool stuff and actually got to be in on some cool stuff. I just finished my 2 days of full evening clinicals. My shift was 2pm till 10pm and I took full care of ONE patient. Now in the real world I'll have 5 or 6 (more if we're shorthanded) but I think I can handle it by then. The worst part is all the paperwork we have to do... none of which is actually done in "real life" but we're stuck doing it in school.

The kids are all doing well. Jeremiah and Darcy tell me every afternoon when I pick them up that they've gotten part of or all of their name on the board. The other day after they told me Jacob looked up at me and said "Momma, I never get my name on the board" Thats my Jacob! He NEVER gets in trouble at school. Sweet boy. Darcy's a talker and Jeremiah likes to be goofy... I guess Jacob takes after me and the other two take after Matthew :)

Jessica is playing softball for the first time this year. She went on her first double date on Valentines Day and she's attending the Jr/Sr Banquet in April. She'll turn 16 this summer. We get stuff for college every week :(

Matthew is looking forward to his role in ministry - whenever that might be. He met with the head of our presbytery last weekend and they talked about what he needed to do in order to be ordained. He's going to start teaching a sunday school class and then he'll do an internship. The presbyterian church (PCA) doesn't just let anyone become ordained... He'll go through a bunch of stuff before they'll ordain him. Which is good... i'm not complaining... that keeps from just anyone getting up behind the pulpit and saying whatever they "feel" is right.

We have a family reunion to attend in a few hours.... I've got to finish my cake :)

Def out of the question!

I don't think homeschooling is something I could pull off. The kids are home today b/c there's a funeral at the church. They brought home work to do and I also have plenty of school work. It was a rough morning and to be honest I felt like crying at times. I have a big test tomorrow and we had a optional review class today and I had to miss it b/c I needed to be here to make sure they all did their work. I'm having trouble focusing with them home. As soon as I get my nose in a book they're needing me for something. I have class this evening :( Its gonna be a long night!

My Little Homecoming Sweetie

Jessica was voted onto the Homecoming Court. She wanted me to do her makeup since I'm the makeup Diva (its what I make her call me when we play makeup). She didn't tell me she had made homecoming court until bedtime on Sunday night. We didn't have time to find a dress to wear but some of my classmates brought dresses for me to let Jessica try on. We had about 10 dresses to choose from... I love my nursing classmates!

Jessica and her nana... yeah they look alike :)

Jessica her her boyfriend Matt.



My hubby escorted Jessica. They read her introduction and it was soooo sweet. She thanked my hubby for being the father figure in her life. She also thanked me for everything I've done. For her favorite things to do she put spending time with her family and hanging out with Darcy and "the brothers"

My baby is growing up!

I can feel it...

Its gonna be one of those day... you know that kind I'm talking about. The kind where you get easily annoyed by everyone and everything. Its not even 8:30am yet and I'm already annoyed! ahahah My kids were perfect this morning so I can't blame it on them. I can blame it on telemarketers, complainers and ignorant people. Maybe I should go back to bed before I hurt someone's feelings.

Home Alone

Today my kids were supposed to be out of school but due to them missing a day b/c of the weather they had to make it up today :(

I'll spend the day studying and finishing up my paperwork from clinicals.

I have my first test on Wednesday... I'm trying to start this semester off right. Last semester took me by surprise and I'm not going to let that happen again!

Clinicals

I don't know how much I'm allowed to say here but I had my first real hospital clinicals yesterday... I was in the nursery! I liked it but I don't know if its for me... It was kinda slow. Maybe the NICU might be more my speed.

I was dying!

I can't remember if I've posted about my *issues* here or not... but I have some gastric issues. I've been dealing with it for several years now but recently I've been experiencing a change in my symptoms. Now instead of what the doctor calls "dumping syndrome" I've been experiencing horrible pressure in my upper abdomen. I've been doing alka seltzer for the pain (cause it makes me burp) but it doesn't really help. I've had to drink it as many as 3x a day. These symptoms have been going on for about 3 weeks now. The *episode's* last for about 20 minutes. The pain is really severe (like get naked kinda pain). Last night I had an episode that wouldn't let up. It kept getting worse and worse so finally after about 40 minutes of experiencing the WORST.PAIN.IN.MY.LIFE. I decided it was time to call a professional... Jessica's grandmother (she's a nurse). She said GO TO THE ER! During this episode I was in so much pain that I couldn't even talk (imagine that)! I cried, threw up and basically locked myself in the bathroom to suffer. I gave in and decided it was time to go to the ER (jessica had to get me dressed) and off we went. Well we got about 10 minutes down the road and the pain was gone. We came back home and I've made myself an appointment for next monday. I think its safe to say that I scared my hubby and Jessica.... but I'm okay!

No Snow...

Just Ice and I'm not happy!

Blizzard of 2011

We're bracing ourselves for a "Winter Storm" here in central Alabama.... LOL I'm really looking forward to the snow but I don't get my hopes up anymore. We're prepared: 2 1/2 loaves of bread, 2 gallons of milk, 1 gallon of chocolate milk, 1 gallon of OJ, lots of juice, sandwich meat, cereal and some charcoal to grill our hamburgers with if it gets really bad :) LOL

We spent most of the day yesterday cleaning the house - like really cleaning! I have this funny little thing I do when there's any hint of unusual weather... I clean!! I want the house to be perfect so we can function if things get bad. I've been doing laundry for 2 straight days - non stop! hahaha

We've put plastic over some of the windows upstairs and taped off some down stairs. We've got the portable propane heater ready. Cell phones charged, laptops charged and camera's charged. The lanterns are ready. The cars are backed into the driveway so we can get out easier. We even let the cats come inside (not one of my ideas - trust me).

So how do you prepare?

Overdue Thanksgiving Pics

We were walking through one of the fields in Cades Cove... My boys were tired of walking and we were in the middle of a breakdown when these deer came out of the words and walked right by us! There are 3 in this picture and one of them is a big buck. They actually got pretty close to us! The kids loved it!

My granny jean with her great grandkids...
Gah Gah and Papa with their grandkids

We took our kids to the Ripley's Aquarium and it was worth every pennny. They loved it!!!

But they didn't like having to stop and take pictures :)

Looking back...

I was looking back to see what my past resolutions were and I stumbled on my first day of college :) Jan 8 2009. I also read where my plan was to finish my basics by Fall of 2010 and start the nursing part shortly after... I finished in Spring 2010 and started the nursing program in Fall of 2010! I'll graduate in May 2012!

My New Years Resolution

So I've watched enough talk shows over my break to know how I'm supposed to set up my resolutions. HA! I should look back and see what years past resolutions were... although it might discourage me to see that I failed at keeping those too :) Sometimes I just forget what I said I was gonna do! Okay so here's mine...

1. Lose 10 lbs by Valentines Day, 10 more St. Patty's Day, 10 more by Easter, 10 more by Memorial Day, 10 more by 4th of July, 10 more by Birthday (8/13), 10 more by Halloween, 10 more by Thanksgiving and then just keep it off till the 2012 :)
*Now I realize that at some point its going to be harder to lose the weight but I think if I can see laid out like this then maybe it will help me stay motivated... kinda like a game.

2. Stay disciplined with my school work (use my time more wisely)

3. Scream less at my kids (just being honest)

4. Manage our money better

5. Have more date nights with my hubby

6. Study the bible

Big Dorks

Did you notice the flowers behind my hubby's ears??? Jessica thought that was cute.

On a serious note... I'm so glad he and Jessica have such a great relationship.

Our little trip to Elamville

We went down to Elamville for New Years. We've always talked about camping out but this time we actually did it. Our kids love to camp out in the back yard... thats the only place they've camped out :) We set up our tents behind grandmaws house in the field. We build a fire and roasted marshmellows and weenie's. The kids had a blast. Jessica and I came inside around 2am... I had to pee and she was miserable (good excuse). The kids stayed out all night with Matthew and his dad.

Here's Darcy roasting Marshmellows. She loved every bit of it!

Entertainment is hard to come by in Elamville so Jessica and I put on a freshing peppermint mask and took goofy pictures.

My parents got the kids little DVD players for Christmas... they didn't use them in the car but as soon as we got there (it was late) they wanted to watch their movies :) For some reason this picture makes me warm and fuzzy :)

This was actually taken before we left... Its Jacob

Here's Jeremiah acting like a doggy.

My boys have definitely got their own personalities... along with likes and dislikes. Used to you could buy them the same thing and they'd be happy... not anymore. They're so different. One likes orange the other like green. One likes Batman the other likes spiderman . I love my little boys. I can't imagine my life without my twins.