Clean house = Happy Mom!!

It seems that the only time I can get and keep a clean house is when company is coming. Maybe I should pretend company is coming every day so I get motivated to keep the house clean.. It is just an endless task. I clean one room up and the kids are right behind me tearing it apart again. Usually I just give up. Since company is coming I am in a constant cleaning stage. At this very moment Connor is at preschool and Reese is taking her morning nap. The house will be clean until about 11:10 a.m. (that's when Connor is going to be home from school) then I will be in a constant cleaning stage again! So for the moment I am going to enjoy the clean house and the feeling that I don't have to get up and clean.
Reese is getting to the point where she is very mobile and into everything! She even opened all of the Christmas presents I had wrapped, at least I know she will enjoy Christmas! Looks like we won't be putting any presents under the tree this year! Connor was a little bummed that she did that because he helped me wrap the presents. Luckily they were gifts for other people and they didn't see their own. Better get going and enjoy the quiet while I can!

Christmas Shopping

Christmas is just around the corner and will be here before we know it! So far I think I have bought about six presents... I need to get into gear. But I am suffering with a dilemma for my children and nieces and nephews, do I get them what they want OR do I get them what they need? My sister says her children do not need any more toys.. I believe it. However, I want them to like what I get them for Christmas! Do I act like a good sister or a fun auntie? I think I choose the later!
I do however have to consider the fact that I have children too. She could get back at my by buying my children the most obnoxious gifts imaginable. So now I have to think about going into self preservation mode...In buying her kids toys I risk getting toys in return.. I am going to be buried in toys before the year end! But I still think I am getting her kids toys! haha!
For my family we draw names between the adults. Everyone dreads drawing my brothers name because he is sooo picky! You buy him something and it sits on a shelf for the rest of his life. It's difficult to find what he would actually use and want. Guess who drew his name.. ME! So now I basically have to search for the lost city of Atlantis. WISH ME LUCK!

30th Wedding Anniversary

This weekend we celebrated my parents 30 year wedding anniversary. We had a party back at their resort and had a blast!
My mom and dad were high school sweethearts. They actually started dating in the 8th grade! so technically they have been together for 37 years! I and couldn't have asked for two better parents or two better role models.
We were overwhelmed with the amount of friends and family that showed up to support my parents at their party. This was something we all looked forward to. Getting to see everyone and getting to come together to honor two people who have made such a wonderful life together was amazing.
After the party we had a band come to the lodge. They played till 1in the morning and I honestly think my parents danced every dance. We were so happy to see that they were enjoying themselves and so were the guests!
I have always looked at my parents relationship as something to aspire to. They have so much love and affection for each other. Before I got married my mom said "Don't settle for anything less than passion". What I realized is that having that passion for your significant other spills over into everything you do. Passion for your spouse, passion for your children, and passion for your career. But it all starts and ends with that special person.
Growing up my parents always said "I want more for you", I couldn't imagine having any more love or happiness than they have. It is something I aspire to everyday.

LaVoy Cousins

 

I have one sister and one brother. My sister has three kids, and my brother is still single. Above is a photo of the kids on my side of the family (my sisters children, and mine). Our oldest children are four, Connor and Jillian (In the back holding the babies) were born just 10 days apart. They have been best friends since birth. I nannied for my sister the first two summers of the kids lives so they were kind of raised like brother and sister. I was so lucky to have that time with both of them. Gabriel (far right, in the green coat) is  three years old and wild! He is always on the move and into something. He can be a terror but turns around and says the sweetest things like "Auntie, I just need a hug!" Ugh, melts my heart! I don't know if he really does need a hug or if he is playing me, he is a smart little stinker! Next is Zachary, he's the little chubby one down front with the red and blue coat. He is like a little teddy bear, sweet, and cuddly. You can't see it in this picture but he is kind of the odd ball of the group. He has dark brown hair, brown skin, measures in the upper 90th percentile, and looks nothing like his daddy! My kids, and Trisha's two older look exactly like their dad's (blonde hair, lighter eyes, and light skin) and Zac resembles my family, especially my dad and sister. Zac and Reese are only four months apart. He will be one year old on December 27th. I am so happy that my kids can have such a close relationship with their cousin's. They are always so happy to see each other, and usually play very well together (as well as kids can!). This picture was taken in front of my mom and dad's house. My mother knitted all of the hats for the kids! It made a beautiful picture!

Milestones

At this point my daughter is 7 months old. Every time I look I her little face I can't help but smile, first because she looks so much like her daddy (I married him for a reason) and second because she has the sweetest little personality. I cannot believe how fast  seven months has flown by! Lately it seems like we have been wishing away time. I want so badly to be done with school, and we want to get going on our move already. In that way, we are sort of wishing away our little girls time of being a baby.
Now at seven months she is just starting to crawl, and she wants to touch everything and put it into her mouth. She babbles and is starting to make the consonant sounds such as "ba ba" and "da da" not real words yet, but she is on her way! She loves her big brother! As soon as she sees him after preschool she starts giggling with excitement. She is actually easier to handle when he is around because she really likes to watch him play, and he likes to play with her.

I think I am kind of in a honeymoon period with my kids. Connor is really getting to be independant, and Reese is getting into a really good schedule, she is sleeping through the night and taking two good naps during the day! It makes me think about having another.. My husband thinks I'm crazy, and I tend to change my tune after a tough day! haha!

Christmas Time?

I just want to know why we need to start decorating for Christmas in stores as soon as Halloween is over. Don’t get me wrong.. I LOVE CHRISTMAS, but I just believe in celebrating one holiday at a time. With Christmas comes stress and worrying about what to get the kids and family members; I would rather jump that hurdle when Christmas is closer. Let me prepare for Thanksgiving before I start with Christmas.. Does it really need to be a 2 month thing?

                Connor is 4 ½, the countdown to Christmas for a 4 year old already seems endless, then they add another month to it! Poor Guy! He has already been asking me when we can put up our Christmas tree. I tried to explain that we had to wait until Thanksgiving was over. When I was explaining that Thanksgiving is coming first, he decided that he better start his “Thanksgiving list”! We had to have another talk about what Thanksgiving is; he is still looking forward to Christmas! HAHA!

A friend of mine posted this on her wall and I was very excited to see this! 
 

Hunting Widow

This week is hunting season. This is something I do not look forward to. I understand everyone needs their hobbies but none of mine take me away from my family for a week and a half and render completely useless to my husband.  I’ve been thinking of things that I could that would be equivalent to the time he spends hunting just so he could see how inconvenient it is for me and the kids. The only thing I can think about is shopping, go figure! But I have come to the conclusion that while I would be shopping I would be thinking about my kids, and shopping for my kids; when he’s hunting, he is only thinking of one thing and it sure isn’t me and the kids! One of Cody’s excuses for hunting is that it provides food for our family.. This is what I have to say to that.. BULL!! Deer meat must be the most expensive meat there is! From what it takes to prepare the sausage, buy the gun, buy the ammunition, and buy the hunting supplies we could save a small fortune (A little drastic, but I tend to over exaggerate when I’m tired!). I’ll keep thinking about what I will do for myself and keep you posted. For now I’m working on keeping my head above water!