My cute friend read that I couldn't find any pictures of Cody and I together so she went through all of her pictures and found one that she had taken a year and a half ago at Cody's work Party! (... In my defense, this was taken only 2 months after I had Michael.) I don't think I've seen a picture of us together since our wedding pictures :) Thank you so much Selina!
I got an e-mail from my brother, which is weird enough
as it is (love ya Bri!), but the most crazy thing about
this email is that I was practically sobbing by the
time I reached the end (I hardly ever cry... that is,
until I became a Mommy!). The story is cute, but it
was the ending that got me. Most of the sections don't
even apply to me yet but it makes me very emotional just
thinking about it. I have 3 very busy boys.
My first baby is now in kindergarten and the other two
are trying too hard to catch up to him. Life goes by
so fast and I'm trying not to be one of those "I wish..."
people. I love them more than I can say
and although on certain days won't admit it, I
absolutely LOVE being a Mother. I LOVE my Mom and am
so grateful for all that she has done for me in raising
me in the gospel. I hope I can do the same for my
children. I love my Mother-in-law and am constantly
in awe of all she can do. I also want to thank all the
other Mothers out there who help me and my children so
much - you all know who you are!
I am SO blessed... and that is why I'm sobbing!
Here it is and I'm sorry if it affects you as it did me!
"Somebody" said it takes about 6 weeks to get back
to normal after you've had a baby....
"somebody" doesn't know that once you're a mother,
'normal' is history.
* * *
"Somebody" said you learn how to be a mother by
instinct...
"somebody" never took a three-year-old shopping.
* * *
"Somebody" said being a mother is boring....
"somebody" never rode in a car driven by a
teenager with a driver's permit.
* * *
"Somebody" said if you're a 'good' mother,
your child will 'turn out good'....
"somebody" thinks a child comes with
directions and a guarantee.
* * *
"Somebody" said you don't need an education
to be a mother....
"somebody" never helped a fourth grader
with his math.
* * *
"Somebody" said you can't love the second child as
much as you love the first....
"somebody" doesn't have two children.
* * *
"Somebody" said the hardest part of being a mother
is labor and delivery....
"somebody" never watched her 'baby' get on the bus
for the first day of kindergarten ...
or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
* * *
"Somebody" said a mother can stop worrying after her
child gets married....
"somebody" doesn't know that
marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a
mother's heartstrings.
* * *
"Somebody" said a mother's job is done when her last
child leaves home....
"somebody" never had
grandchildren.
* * *
"Somebody" said your mother knows you love her, so
you don't need to tell her....
"somebody" isn't a mother.
So, here's how this game works... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the next couple of months, a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play (comment) and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Remember, only the first three get a gift, so you have to be super fast!
I figured I'd post these pictures since mid-project, I told and showed some of you the mess I was in!
Our master bath got a crack in it a few years ago. It's just fiberglass but it was a soaking tub so of course it's more expensive to replace. We tried fixing it and that worked for a minute but after it cracked again, we took over the boy's bathroom and had to walk down the hall to shower. (It proved how spoiled we are cause it was so annoying to us!)
After watching many designer shows, I decided I could totally remodel our bathroom! I ripped out the tile (which if anyone else has done this, it's not 'ripping' but more like banging, back breaking, ear peircing work). It is in the corner of our house and closed all doors but the tile, grout and cement dust got everywhere. We took out the tub entirely since we've used it maybe three times in the last 7 years that we've lived here, also figuring we have two other baths if we feel so inclined. Taking the tub out showed that the builders didn't support the tub correctly which is why it cracked.
After going to Home Depot to buy the tile and get some advice, I decided I was way over my head. Instead we got some bids. The person that came in the lowest was the same person that tiled our basement and he did such a good job that we weren't concerned in the least. I told him what I wanted, picked out the tile, he gave some suggestions and then went to work. His work is amazing as you can see! We can actually use our shower for the first time in years! It has a built in shelf and shower seat and everything is tiled with beautiful details. If anyone needs tile work done, I have his name and number for you :)
Here are our edible masterpieces! The were so yummy!
The boys in their Christmas PJs! Caden got Army Men ones, Trey got Iron Man ones and Michael got Spiderman ones.
Our Christmas Tree after Santa came.
Opening Christmas presents at our house!
The boys got their own Laptops! Caden's is a Cyber Spy and Trey's is Little Einsteins. They were so excited to have one's like ours!
They could hardly wait to play their laptops! We got their cousin Crew a spiderman computer so they all had to show each other, even though none of them were paying attention to anything but their own. Funny Kids!
These are our little Clone Trooper Bobble Heads!!! Aren't they adorable?!? Cody's Mom and Dad got these for the boys and obviously they were an instant hit! Thanks Bruce and Billie, the boys have been asking for these for months!
Michael got the cutest little Airplane and penguin set but he was far more interested in his most favorite food in the world... Pringles! He gets the biggest smile on his face when he sees the can, then once you open it, he reaches in and grabs a handful then shoves them in his mouth! I hope I never forget how cute it is when the can is almost empty, his arm is the perfect length - it's up to his armpit so he can get his precious last chip!
I know this picture is hard to see but I had to post it anyway. This is at my Mom and Dad's house. Caden got a Mars Mission Lego set, Trey got a Mac and Lightening Cars block set and Michael got a Sock Monkey made by my Mom. You couldn't have picked more perfect gifts for each of them, thank you!
Caden is like me, always wanting a project to create. The part of that that comes from Cody is that he hates throwing things away that still have use. I was walking to the garbage with these plastic cases until he stopped me - He transformed them into goggles! I don't think I've laughed so hard!!! Trey just follows what his brother does, so I had to take a picture of them in Caden's home-made goggles! (Not to mention Caden's Big Guns! whoot whoot!)
Here the boys are in their Thanksgiving Indian hats... Of course I'm 2 months late! Cody's cute Mom use to be a pre-school teacher and now uses the school room just for the grandkids. Caden and Trey were going to Grandmommas for a sleepover and right when they got there he asked what they could make. She whips out supplies for these hats and they came home as Indians! Thanks for being so prepared for my busy boys Billie!
I never imagined I would have such messy kids, but what surprises me the most is that the messiest one by far is the smallest one! My little Michael must wake up with a little checklist and throughout the day he tries to see how many times he can check each one off the list. He goes from room to room, from 
drawer to closet, pulling out as many things as fast as he can. You know how some people leave a paper trail that you can follow?... his is a mess trail and I can tell when cleaning up after him where he was first to where he ended up. He has pulled out, tipped over, spilled and broken more things than my other boys put together! How can I be mad at this face though? Little STINKER!
