Meet the Fam...

So far you've only met my little family of four. I figured it was time for you to meet the people in my family that came before my husband and children. Though, considering that my mom has 7 siblings, I have 13 cousins and there are already 10+ kids in the next generation, it would take way to long to introduce you to everyone. So I am going to tell you about the two people that mean the most to me. My mother and my brother, of course!

This is Marshall, my big brother, by 3 and a half years. Growing up, I was the annoying little sister and he was the big brother I looked up to. He beat me up and made fun of me, I whined and complained. We joined forces and drove our parents crazy. I had a crush on one of his friends. I wanted to do everything just like him so that he would be proud of and like me. I loved him, he was my big brother. Now that we are adults we don't talk all the time, though I wish we did. I would love to call him everyday just to say 'Hi'. (Though, I would feel like that annoying little sister again)

LIfe is never boring with a person like Marshall around.

After graduating from high school, he moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia Tech, because he is a computer and math genius. A couple days before he left I was sitting in the living room at home when he turned on the stereo in his room and blasted a They Might Be Giants album. He wandered out of his room and stopped right in front of me, just looking at me for a second. Next thing I know he starts jumping around and dancing in the middle of the living room, with a big smile on his face. I cracked up laughing! Mom came into the room to see what I was laughing at, he stopped and just looked at mom but I couldn't stop laughing. Two more times this happened, he would dance until mom popped her head around the corner to see what was going on and he would stop. That is one of my favorite memories of him, and in a way I think it might have been his way of saying 'I love you and I'll miss you'

There are so many things about him that I love. His intelligence, reasoning and explanations always make me think, listen and want to hear more. I don't always follow what he is telling me and am grateful when he takes the time to re-explain something that I didn't understand the first time.

He is easily the funniest person that I know. It's not your everyday 'HaHa' or 'silly' funny, he isn't a stand-up comic kinda person, nor is he throwing out one liners all the time. He is all of that in one, mixed with a mind that never quits...only better.

While our relationship may have been pretty typical, Marshall was not. He was an interesting person to grow up with and I know that a lot of who I am now is because of him, all in a good way. :)

He is dating a wonderful woman, Deri. She brings out the best parts of Marshall and he always has a smile on his face when she is around. They fit together perfectly and she quickly stepped into our huge family and caught all of their hearts too. I can't wait to see what the future brings for the two of them. Maybe a few nieces and nephews for me...?

(here are Marshall and Deri with AJ and Ryan)

My mom, quite simply, I love that woman. She is my best friend and I never give her the recognition she deserves. She was always there when I was little. She drove on field trips and was a classroom mom. She religiously took me to dance classes and busted her butt backstage at every recital for 12 years. She was always in the stands at football games to watch me cheer and always at dance conventions to cheer for me. 
 (here she is at my wedding dancing with Troy, a groomsman)

We've done some wacky stuff over the years, dancing in the middle of an intersection while stopped at a red light. Discovering a new planet in our own living room and making friends with the 'Walnutians'. We've taken road trips and re-wired bathroom lights. We've laughed till we cried and cried till we laughed.
 (here we are playing in a tree that fell in her backyard during a hurricane)

In the last few years she has become something more then my mom and my friend. I got married and she became a confidant. She listens when I need to talk and gives advice when I don't know what to do. 
 (at my bachelorette party)

Then I had children, and she became Momah. She is always there and I can always rely on her when I am at my wits end. All I have to do is call and she knows by the sound of my voice that I am slowly going crazy. Just telling her "I can't take it" calms me down. She is always willing to lend a hand whether it's watching the kids so I can grocery shop or just stopping by so I can see another adult in my day. I am so grateful for her and everything that she does for us.

So there you have it, the two people in my life that have been there the longest. They have helped to mold me in to the 'special' person that I am today. I hope that they know how much they mean to me.

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Shuttle Atlantis

Friday, Jasey took the day off of work (an amazing event in it's self), the four of us hopped in the car and drove to Titusville to watch the final launching of the Shuttle Atlantis. The timing for it was perfect, AJ is really into rocket ships and his birthday is a little over a week away. We figured a little trip to see a real life rocket would be a fun pre-birthday surprise. You can see the launch pad between Jasey and me. We were 12 miles away and had a great view.

We got to Titusville about 3 hours before the launch, our only plan was to find a place along the 5 mile stretch of road running along the river to set up camp and wait for the main event. We found a great spot right on the water under a couple palm trees so we had some shade for Ryan, it was perfect! Although, AJ discovered why it is not smart to run your hands up and down a palm tree trunk, poor guy got splinters in both hands. :(

It was great spot and we were surrounded by lots of other people, from different states and a few from different countries, that had come to watch the shuttle.

Our perfect spot also happened to be right next to a restaurant. We had stopped and grabbed lunch on our way so we didn't need food but as an added bonus this restaurant was serving margaritas for $2.50 and a server was even coming out into the crowd and taking margarita orders! Jasey and I decided to partake in the tequila and lime concoctions. Yummy!

AJ had a special treat too, a huge chocolate milk all to himself while we settled in and got ready for the final countdown. We really did have an absolutely perfect view.

Ryan was very excited. She actually did great all day and ended up falling asleep not long before the launch, though the rumbling woke her up so she technically didn't miss it.

AJ was starting to get a little antsy and we had to keep reminding him that we were about to see a rocket ship, then everyone started counting. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...as soon as he heard the crowd he climbed up in daddy's lap and looked out over the water, he knew what was coming.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1...We have lift off

It was amazing to see and and not as loud as we were expecting. Though, that worked out well since we didn't know how Ryan would react to the noise. AJ, despite being tired, having splinters in his hands and getting bit by an unidentified insect, had a great time and was very excited that he got to see a "rocket ship blast off to the moon in outer space" Since being home he has watched the launch no less then 20 times on the computer, over and over and over again.

It was a first for both Jasey and myself and we've already talked about going again, we would love to see a launch when it's dark. Maybe one of the last two, scheduled later this year, will be at night or in the early morning.

I know AJ is still young but I hope that this is something that he remembers when he is older. It was definitely a great day and a fun family trip. We are so glad we went!

Also, AJ and Ryan will have pictures to prove that they were there! Including this one that shows what a great time that AJ had :)

Journey To Become A Mom...

Jasey had barely finished putting the ring on my finger when I started questioning him about when we were going to have children. A little over a year later we brought this 'little' guy home...

Not exactly what I had in mind but that's ok, I already looked like this...

This was two days before I had a c-section and we got to welcome our 'little' babycakes...

Isn't he cute :) We settled into parenthood pretty quickly and he was a great baby. Next thing I knew a couple years had gone by and it didn't seem like I had been able to lose any of my baby weight, see...

hehehe, just kidding. This picture was two days before another c-section and our second 'little' chipmunk...

There she is! She is also a fantastic baby and has completed our 'little' family. How could you not love these faces?

And of course we can't forget about the first baby we brought home. :) There he is front and center...

Happy Mother's Day!!!

LIttle Ruler...

Everyday, at some point, Jasey and I will glance at each other and grin. Then one of us will gather all of our strength, take a deep breath and shout to the other, "We are in big trouble!". There really is no response to this statement, which is good because by this time Ryan has realized that we are communicating with each other. This means two things to her; one, we aren't paying attention to her and two, she obviously isn't being loud enough. So she quickly remedies the situation the only way she knows how at the moment...screech louder!

When picking out a name, we went through pages of possibilities before agreeing on Ryan. It wasn't on any of the original lists of names we liked, but we both immediately knew this was her name. Then I looked at the origin and meaning, an Irish name meaning 'little ruler', sounded good. She is a wonderful baby. She's not a crier, she eats great and sleeps like a champ. She has the best smiles that light up her eyes and a baby laugh that melts your heart.

She can also screech like a hawk. Long, drawn out, high-pitched, makes you want to rip your ears off, delightedly happy shrieking. (Jasey and I have both tried to imitate her but only succeed in ending up in a coughing fit.)

It was very early in her second month that she started babbling. It was amazing, all of a sudden she was awake for long stretches of time throughout the day talking the whole time. AJ was never that vocal, he was usually more content just looking around. Ryan, on the other hand, seems to be picking up a new sound or inflection every other day, she wants to let us know what's going on in her little baby brain.

Then came the day that she realized that if she 'cried' we would pop our head over the side of her playpen and see if she was ok, to which she would grin.

Once we got used to that trick, she started pushing out tears because she knew tears got her picked up, to which she would grin...and giggle.

Now she bounces in her jumper, laughing and babbling, which turns into fake fussing. We talk to her to let her know we are there, she stops and looks at us, but...it's not good enough.

She starts bouncing so hard the jumper is banging and playing it's crazy music. She talks non-stop and will try a few tears...and then the screeching begins. Kirby starts pacing around me and glancing at me with scared puppy eyes. AJ starts jumping on the couch and yelling at the top of his lungs that I need to "change Ryan's diaper" and "feed her, faster!" ("Thank you AJ, mommy can handle it") Soon, the whole household is focused on our little 6 month old, chubby chipmunk, just what she wants, but it's not enough, she is still shrieking. So, I give in and pick her up. The house is immediately silent. Then she grins...and giggles...and looks at me with an unmistakable gleam in her eyes that says, "HAHA, Sucka!"

So all those months ago when we decided on a name for our new baby girl, the final addition to our family, we had no clue how perfect that name would actually be for her and how quickly we would realize it. There is no doubt that this ball of shrieking power really is the 'little ruler' of the household. We are in big trouble.

Old into New...

I want to show you my newest project, but before I do I wanted to share where the idea came from. Check out this blog. I'm not sure what to call her...a girl, a young woman, a lady...? We are the same age and I don't feel that any one of those describes me, so lets go with the alternative 'awesomely creative chica'.

This awesomely creative chica was hitting 30 and dealing with some other life funkinesses. So, she decided to do something 'Julie & Julia' -like about it. She pledged to wear something new everyday day for a year, but heres the catch, she is only allowing herself to spend $365 for the whole year! So she hits thrift stores, garage sales and any dollar bin she can find. She takes her treasures home and, with the help of her sewing machine and seam ripper, turns them into something better then you could find on any department store rack.

This has become one of my absolute favorite blogs to check out and has me wanting to give the clothing transformation a shot. So without further ado here is my first attempt at turning something old into something new.

This is what I started with. It came from my aunt, she was cleaning out some of her old stuff and this was in the pile. I liked the print and thought I'd give it a try. I figured if it came out like crap no harm done, it was free! As you can see it's not very flattering on me and I'm not usually much of a skirt person anyway. I wasn't sure what to do with it...

I decided to make it into a top. I started by cutting off the top part of the waist, about a two and a half inch strip (I realized later that I could have cut more). I cut an inch slit in the top to give it a slight 'V' neck...I can't sport a square neck, it's just doesn't look good...then folded over and sewed a hem around the top. The strip from the waist was used to make tank top straps. I had to take it in on either side quite a bit, about 3 inches up top and 8 inches on the bottom. I don't need any help looking bigger then I already am! Here is the finished product...

I love it! Though it's still a little too much skin for me, so I added my orange sweater shrug and felt much more comfy. Perfect new spring time outfit!

I have always been a 'jeans and t-shirt' sort of girl but I am doing my best to change my ways. If I have a few more successes like this with some other old things I have in my craft room, I may just start scouring garage sales and dollar bins myself :)

My Happy Day...

My friend, Jenn, blogged about '10 Things That Make Her Happy Today'. She asked me to do the same and who am I to say no? So here we go!

1. Of course, my husband, he makes me happy everyday. He's understanding and loving like every good husband should be. He is a great daddy to our children and supporter to our family. For four and a half years now he has definitely lived up to his end of the wedding vow bargain.

2. Our children. They don't have to do anything special. Just looking at them, remembering the days they got here and wondering what the future will bring is enough to have me floating on a cloud all day...until they start screaming. Though in a way even that makes me happy :)

3. Creating something. I love to sew, bake, cook, paint...everything! I try to do something every day. From trying out a new recipe to doing a fun craft with AJ. It is relaxing and you end with such a feeling of accomplishment. It's wonderful to be able to say 'I made that'.

4. Being active. I go for a couple walks a day, it's great getting the whole family outside into the fresh air and sunshine. Also, I love to dance, it has always been a big part of my life. Even though I don't dance in a studio right now it's still all around me. I love to see Ryan kicking her feet around while AJ and I are dancing silly to a song on the radio. Or humming a tune with Jasey while we dance in the kitchen.

5. Taking time to hug my dog. Poor Kirby gets left out sometimes with a busy household to run. So when the kids are down for a nap I like to take a couple minutes and sit on the floor with Kirby and give him a big hug, he likes the attention and I like that I can give him some one on one time.

6. Silence. It is very rare in my day and only happens for a short period of time. But when both of the kids finally fall asleep, the TV gets turned off and all the noisy toys are put away, I love the few brief moments when I can hear the ringing in my head finally stop, it's almost as good as sleep.

7. Reading and learning. I will read just about anything that I can get my hands on. I don't always like what I read but I do like that I get a chance to be introduced to something I may not have known about before and I really enjoy being able to escape into another persons life or a different culture or time in history. It always puts me in my place and makes me think.

8. I know I said that my kids didn't have to do anything to make me happy, which is still true but things they do, do make me happy. I love watching my son be a big brother, he is so loving. I love listening to him talk and reason and figure things out. Watching him and seeing myself or my husband in his actions makes my heart sing because it's a reminder that he is ours, we made him, there is nothing sweeter.

Watching my daughter is just as rewarding. Too see her face as she figures out that that thing is her hand and she is making it move is incredible. When she cries and I pick her up I love watching her face go from crying, to recognition, to smiling all in a split second and knowing that it's because of me. She knows who I am and I make her happy, and that makes my year.

9. Housework. I know this is a weird thing to say makes me happy but I stay at home and if my house is in disarray so is my mind. I am not a crazy neat freak, how can I be with animals and kids running around the house all day? But to have the house as neat as possible for the moment makes me happy. Everyday is dishes, laundry, stuff like that but I actually also enjoy the bigger projects. Hanging things on the walls, rearranging closets and pantries, pressure cleaning and working in the garden. It's not a house, it's our home.

10. I am happy that I have things to be happy about. So many people complain for no reason. Some think that the world is out to get them. Some people think that they have nothing to be happy about. I know that I am lucky. I love what I have, who I am and all the friends and family around me. I have everything to be about about.

I guess I haven't lost my 'Happy Camper' status after all! :)

Looking Back...

We will be heading out on a week long road trip in a couple days, so as part of the preparation I asked Jasey to download everything off of the video camera, it hadn't been done for a while and was just about full. I deal with the digital camera, Jasey does the video, so I never really look at any of it. You take video to have mementos of important milestones and then never even watch them, seems silly right? There was all sorts of stuff on there and things already on the computer that I had never seen either. Holidays, family, puppies, parties and playtime.

Then I came across the video from our hospital stay when Ryan was born and decided to watch it. It was just over 5 months ago, but it seems like ages. There was video from before I want into the OR, with a shot of my belly (I was HUGE!) and AJ running around playing with some of the hospital equipment. There was Ryan when she first came back to the room and her being weighed, which is something I missed with both her and AJ, since I was still in surgery. I was cracking myself up with some of the stuff I was saying and how I was acting, I was still very drugged and groggy. It was amazing to be able to go back, with a clear head now, and see her all new and little tiny. It was incredible to see how much AJ has changed in that short amount of time. And even though we have pictures, it is great to know that we will always have an even truer to life account of that day at our fingertips.

A groggy, swollen mommy and new baby

Daddy and big brother checking out baby sister