Whew!

I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a MONTH! I have been sooo busy. Here's a brief update on what has been going on in my life over the last month.

Let me start with the most recent and head backwards.....


Meet Lydia Lea, born Wednesday, May 24th. 6 lbs 7oz and 19" long. Congratulations to my brother and sister-in-law, Isaiah and Jen on the arrival of their 4th adorable little one.


The next family news is my little brother, Josiah, graduated from college last week. He has a degree in music education and will be doing his student teaching this fall at a nearby high school. (Pictured here with my mom and dad)

Then of course we had our last day of school. Ryan's next day of school will be kindergarten. I can't believe how fast time has flown. I remember him being 3 or 4 months old and thinking it would be soooo long before he were to be in school. Now its just a few short months away.



We had a fast and furious Mother's Day with having lots of family to visit. Heres a cute pic of Lizzie. I painted her toenails for the first time that weekend. She actually sat there and enjoyed it. Boy is she a girly girl or what???!!!



Our biggest project has been the never ending saga of our bathroom. We got started on the demolition a few weeks ago. We even let the kids help. Heres a cute video of Ryan kinda freaking out because we didn't tell him ahead of time what was going on. He just saw my brother come in and start tearing down walls and flooring. (Sorry, part of it is on a side angle, but if you listen close you get the gist of the conversation).

Bathroom demo

Bathroom demo
Video sent by cooperden

Ryan Freaks Out

Bittersweet Memories

My kids birthdays are such a bittersweet day for me. I rejoice and celebrate with them that they are one year older, one year closer to kindergarten, one year closer to driving their first car, one year closer to graduation. But in the back of my mind I remember the day I gave birth.

Ben, my middle son, turned 4 yesterday. My labor with him long, 60 hours to be exact. I had to have an epidural (which was an improvement from my previous birth that ended in C-section) He weighed 8lbs 10 oz and was adored by his older brother. When I was pregnant for Ben I desperately hoped for a girl. After Ben was born, he looked at me with those big blue eyes and I just melted. God knew exactly what I needed.
As I sit here I realize something...isn't it funny how, each year, I find I remember less and less of the actual birthing event. The one thing that does not waiver is the memory of the first time I held them in my arms.

~ Tough Love vs. Spanking ~

Most of America's populace think it improper to spank children, so I have tried other methods to control my kids when they have one of "those moments." One that I found effective is for me to just take the child for a car ride and talk. They usually calm down and stop misbehaving after our car ride together.

I've included a photo below of one of my sessions with my son, in case you would like to use the technique.






** disclaimer: this is absolutely in NO way my son. I put this on my site just for a good giggle, especially for those of us who have children and know what it is like to be a parent. If you do not find this humorous even in the slightest bit...you probably shouldn't be reading my blog**

A Little Known Fact...

Sorry I have been super swamped at home and have not been able to post lately. However, this email was sent to me today by a friend and I thought you would enjoy this "little known fact"


Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England.

In fact, the Titanic was carrying 120,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York. This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico.

But as we know, the great ship did not make it to New York. The ship hit an iceberg and sank, and the cargo was forever lost.

The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery, were disconsolate at their loss. Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning, which they still observe to this day.

The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th and is known, of course, as Sinko de Mayo.

WHAT!!!! You expected something educational from me??!!