It takes a village...

That was the title of my friends email she sent out a few days ago. It takes a village. Her sweet baby was sick, and it was one of those days when it wasn't very convenient for that to happen! She had two kids to pick up from school, one that had two back to back activities, and a baby who needed to get to the doctor. How is a mom supposed to be in 2 or 3 places at once?

Friends, that's how.

And Family.

A village.

I firmly believe that we, as parents, are responsible for our children's discipline, teaching them good morals, and responsibility, and about God's endless love.

It gets overwhelming though, sometimes. How am I supposed to keep all the plates spinning? Between the hours of 4 and 8, we usually have an "extra" activity or two, homework, playtime, dinner, baths, reading time, and finally bed! By that time every night I am totally wiped out. And compared to some of our friends, our schedule is light!

Sometimes I have a little pitty party, because our family owns a business, and my husband can't just take time off if I need him to. He works a lot of hours and Saturdays, We have stores to run, no matter what. So every now and then, I get frustrated, and cry and stomp my feet, and wish he had an easier job so he could help me out. And then I remember that our business is doing okay. That his hard work takes care of us. That he is a wonderful husband and father, and he loves us so much. And I remember that yes, I need help, but God has provided that too.

If I am running late for school pick-up, I have a list of friends I can call (and often do!) If I have to be in two places at once, I have family that can "replace" me in one of those places. If I am sick, I know there are people who love my children, that can help me take care of them.

We help each other. We love each other. And when my friend called, we were there for her. It might take two or three friends to get the job done. And in the end, you might have to figure out who has what kid where! But it all works out.

So today, this first day of November, this is what I am thankful for. Family and Friends that I can count on.

My village.

So I am cool by association...Right?

I have this cousin, Lauren. She's pretty cool. She lives in OKC, (that would be Oklahoma City, for those of you not in the "know" :) She and her sweet husband Will live a fun life, that I won't lie, Jason and I are sometimes slightly jealous of! I mean, we love our life, but sometimes miss the days of packing ONE bag for a spur of the moment trip. Now we plan for months, and pack 6 bags to go away for a weekend!

But now, now I am REALLY jealous! Because Lauren got to go to a PIONEER WOMAN BOOK SIGNING yesterday! And not only did she get to go, but now Miss Lauren is FAMOUS on the PW blog!

Seriously! In THESE pictures, my sweet cousin Lauren is in the adorable bright green sweater! She is with a bunch of other adorable girls. Did you see them LAUGHING with the PW? They are totally bff's now! :)

Oh Lauren. I have taught you well, have I not? I have not steered you wrong my sweet younger cousin! All those nights of holiday sleepovers, when we laid in bed and I told you all my stories, all of my advice, all of my wisdom...they have served you well!

Can you tell I am totally taking credit for Lauren's coolness? Yes, I am. Because I can. Because it was on THIS trip with my sweet cousins a couple of years ago, that I told them about The Pioneer Woman, and her blog. And now look what happened!

Love ya Lauren! Wish I could have been there! I can't wait until Christmas! :)

Farm Fun!

Observe...Austin in his natural habitat...

Ha ha! Okay, so it's not really his natural habitat...he's not really a farm animal...well, not all the time... :-)

He was in his element though, when we got to go to the pumpkin patch for his first school field trip! We'd been the day before, but for Austin THIS day was even better. This day he had mommy all to himself! He had his teachers, whom he adores, and all the other kids were HIS SIZE! It was a blast, and I'm so glad I went along for the fun! Austin's favorite things...

Running...


Climbing...


Terrorizing chickens...


Rolling in corn...


Sliding...


What a great day!

Things Change.

When Ellie was a toddler, and we were dropping her off in the church nursery, we would have a large bag filled to the brim that went with her. Extra clothes, 10 diapers, a full pack of wipes, extra snacks and drinks...etc. I would clutch the church nursery pager tightly in my hand the entire time she was in her class, and check it several times to make sure it was working.

When Annie was a toddler, and we were dropping her off in the church nursery, we would have a small bag filled to the brim that went with her. Extra clothes, 2 diapers, half a pack of wipes, and one drink. I would hook the pager to my clothes, after I checked it once to make sure it was working.

I think you know where this is going.

We dropped off Austin in the church nursery Sunday, at our NEW church, one we've only been at for two weeks.

Usually I hand the nursery workers a tiny bag with one diaper and a few wipes. This Sunday I forgot to even do that. I took the pager, and promptly forgot all about it.

2 hours later, we went to pick him up..

Austin had a dirty diaper. But I hadn't sent any diapers. Or wipes. It had leaked. He had no extra clothes. They had paged us, but I hadn't even noticed.

Way to make a great impression at the new church! Ha!

I felt so bad! My sweet friend who takes care of all the children's classes was very gracious. They had diapers, wipes, and even extra shorts for him. They didn't mind that we hadn't noticed the page, they were very understanding.

Poor kid. I'm not sure what happened to the "always prepared" parents we used to be. Sometime after Austin was born, that mommy disappeared, and I took her place.

I will never let my kid run around outside in just a diaper. I will never never bribe my kids with candy. I will never let my kids dictate what we watch on TV. I will never not send my own diapers with my child at church...

Yeah. Right.

It's a good thing we're not planning on a fourth child. I mean, who would feed the poor thing?

First days of school!

So you may think I'm a little late with this post, but I'm not! Really! This year was a first for us...3 kids...3 first days of school!

Ellie was first. First day of Second grade! She was very excited! Ellie got to move across the parking lot to a new building this year! So far her year is going Fantastically! (Is that a word? Oh well, I'm going with it.) I would say that this has been her best year to date, and that makes me so happy. For her and me!

10 days later...Annie started her second year of preschool! Her year is going great too! Her class is a little bit bigger, and everyday she tells me she "made a new friend". My little social butterfly!





And 3 weeks later, on his 3rd Birthday, Austin started school! I am so excited for my little guy. He was ready for something more than just mommy at home, AND he's getting speech therapy while he's there. It's two mornings a week, and just perfect! We all walked him in on his first day, which just melted this mama's heart.







So there you have it! 3 first days. We're getting into the swing of things finally. We're busy, but happy! And ready for a great year!

The Birthday Photo Shoot!

Who wants to dress up like 50's kids and take pictures on daddy's motorcycle?! Because Mommy REALLY wants to! Please! Do you want CANDY?! Come on! It'll be fun!

That's pretty much how it went last month when I hosted my own photo shoot for Annie and Austin's party invite. They were not NEARLY as excited as I was about dressing up. 50's kids? What is THAT?! :)

Someday they'll appreciate it. Or at least that's what I tell myself!

Anyway, I already posted about the big party (see below!), but just had to share these pics with you because they are so darned cute!

Introducing my little Grease Monkey and my Sweet Doll Girl!

See ya later! We're hittin' the road!

Rock 'n Roll!

Picture this...Pink poodle skirts, black leather jackets, roller skates, and 50's music...Oh My Word, I had so much fun planning Annie and Austin's birthday party this year! We invited our friends and close family to celebrate Annie's 5th birthday and Austin's 3rd birthday at a Fabulous Fifties Rock 'n Roll Party! We rented to local skating rink for the afternoon, and it was SO much fun!!!


warning: you're about to see A LOT of pictures!

Daddy and I and the Birthday Girl on skates!


My man and my big girl! What cuties!

Nana and the Birthday Boy! He was glued to her side all day!

Me and my (getting tired!) Birthday Boy!

We did the Hokey Pokey!

Birthday kids in the GIANT skate! That thing is cool!

Yo Wingman! Nice ride dude!

We limboed!

We skated, and by we, I mean ME! Yeah baby!

And Michelle!


And the birthday kids opened some gifts! This is one of the sweetest pictures ever of Austin and his buddy Bear!

And Grammie and the awesome plane!

And of course! A family pic! What a fun day this was!