No time to rewind

Geez, where has the time went? I haven't blogged since July . . . oops. That would be a sign of no time to unwind . . . or shall I say rewind. So let's "rewind" now . . .

Lots of fun things happening here since July:

Peyton's 1st day of 3rd grade.

Parker's 1st day of 1st grade.

Preston's first day of preschool. (Oh my, since when is my baby old enough to go to preschool?)

Peyton's first gymnastics meet of the season (she placed 2nd in All-Around)

Other than work, soccer, and football, I think that's about it for this "time to rewind".

Doesn't everyone need a little Poo-Pourri in their life?

Ahem . . . men, you may want to turn back now. This post may not be for you, you may not find this post exactly, um, very manly. If you choose to read on, don't say I didn't warn you.


So many of you that know me, know that I've spent the last 10 or 11 years suffering from IBS. Any of you that attempt to go out to eat with me, know that when I have a flare up, it's not pretty. Flare-ups result in my becoming quite knowledgeable about whatever bathroom gets the pleasure of my company . . . ok, so really, it isn't very pleasureable for me . . . or the poor bathroom.


Hence, let me introduce you to my new best friend during flare ups . . .





The bottle reads:

Spray the Loo Before No 2
and No One Will Ever Have a Clue!







This bottle reads:

There once was a young lad from Rhone
whose odor he'd rather disown
now he's taming his poo
by anointing the loo
and now happily sits on his throne!



Now, even though this isn't KFVS 12 and Does It Work Wednesday, I can assure you, this product receives an A+ . . . not just from me but from my friends who have tried it( I mean really what kind of friend would I be if I didn't pass on something this good?), from my hubby, from my kids, and yes, even from the poor bathrooms. No really, I've had toilets bow down and thank me before! :)




So, if you are in need of a little Poo-Pourri in your own life, you can find it at Will Miller. No need to thank me now . . . just wait until you experience it yourself!

Sacrifice and Perspective

My last two blogs have reflected the wonderment of being a mother . . . the magic, the love, and yes, even the work. Only by being a mother myself, have I been able to realize the pure sacrifice, and the cost of such, that mothers give. You see, my own mother knew she was fighting lung cancer for a month without telling anyone except my dad . .. all in the name of sacrifice. I was preggo with my dear Park-man and she desired to protect me even in the midst of her own hurt and pain. 6 years later, her strength and resolve still amaze me.

However, that sacrifice was nothing new to my mom. She spent my entire life sacrificing so my brothers and I (my sisters were pretty much grown at that point) could go and do. Only recently have I realized the extent of the sacrifices she made just coming to our basketball, softball, and baseball games alone, (boy, that takes more energy then I ever knew) not to mention all the other sacrifices one makes when raising children.

My momma's final sacrifice (although it has caused me much guilt) was dying alone. She had a brief time span of 10 mins between the time my sister left her and I arrived home . . . it was in this time that she made her way to heaven on this day six years ago. My sister told me later that she felt much like mom was wanting her to leave. Only a mother would sacrifice her own comfort, peace, and security to protect her children.

Sometimes I look back at those days and wonder how I made it to this point, six years later. My mother was my world . . . my greatest fear had always been that something would happen to her. As a child, my sleep was often plagued with nightmares in which something bad would happen to her. I still remember those nightmares today.

But today, I also finally realize that what was my worst nightmare come true, was my momma's sweet, relished fate. For although I lost my mom, she gained the pure joy of meeting Jesus and being held by her own mother. See, I didn't mention earlier that she received her biopsy results the day of her mother's memorial service . . . this is just one of the reasons her strength and resolve amaze me . . . I am so proud to be her daughter. And I can't think of any better healing for a broken heart and weary body than being held by Jesus and her momma.

While I won't deny that I shed a few sad tears today,with my new-found perspective, I was able to celebrate my momma's glorious arrival in heaven 6 years ago. As the rain came today, just like on all the days I've needed her since she left this earth, I watched my children dance and play in it and whispered my thanks to the heavens above, not just for my amazing mother, but also for the gifts of sacrifice and perspective. Like the name of a candle a dear friend gave me today, she truly is a "Bird In Paradise" now.

Forever your sunshine . . . I will always love you mom!

One single moment . . .

One single moment can change a life forever . . . like the moment I became a mommy. I never dreamed that in that one single moment my heart could instantly love SO deeply and SO completely. In that one single moment, I saw God's pure majesty and was awed by it.

Nothing I could have imagined or dreamt could have prepared me for that moment when I held my first child. From that one moment, I would never be the same. In those first few months of parenthood, Jerry and I would argue and race to see who could get to her first . . . we just couldn't get enough . . . we wanted every single moment.

In that one moment, I finally understood what it meant to love something or someone so fiercely you would give your own life. I understood the sacrifices my own momma had made . . . the pride . . . the love . . . the fear . . .

In that moment, I became so much more than I ever knew I could be. I was her mother . . . how incredibly amazing. In that moment, I saw pink (and lots of it), I saw pigtails and frilly dresses. I saw shopping trips and slumber parties . . . I saw me as I never had before. I was now her mother.

And in every single moment since, I have thanked God for this awesome privilege and blessing. What a gift it is to be her mother . . . every single moment.

6 years ago today . . .

6 years ago today . . . we were expecting to make our family a little more "pink". However, it was a sweet, 8lb 10 oz bundle of blue that made his way into my heart that day. Despite the very pink nursery I had labored over for hours (for real, the stenciling was murderous, especially for a perfectionist like myself), we were delighted to have this "biggest surprise of our life", especially Jerry who had answered my question (en route to my induction) "Are you sure you don't want to talk about boy names . . . just in case?" with a very resounding, "There is NO way I'm getting a boy". And so, the first five minutes of his life was filled with laughter, a little shock, and a lot of discussion about what his name was going to be. Somehow Kerrigan just didn't seem fitting. :)

6 years ago today . . . I began to learn just what it means to be the mother of a boy. It means dirt, and LOTS of it. It means trucks, tractors, four-wheelers, fire trucks, boats, airplanes, trains, and pretty much anything else with wheels that moves . . . yes, even baby doll strollers sometimes. Being the mother of a boy means kisses and snuggles and fixing boo boos. It means tricks and jokes and lots of pats on the booty. Being the mother of a boy means worms and frogs and bugs, not to mention cowboys, bulls, and horses. It means in someone's eyes, I will always be Cinderella at the ball. But mostly, being the mother of a boy means a piece of my heart will always be found in his sweet, dimpled smile.

6 years ago today . . . God already knew how much I would need this little blessing. It was his sweet, dimpled smile that healed my broken heart in the months after my momma died. It continues to be his sweet dimpled smile that makes it all right with the world-my world anyway- when I've had a bad day. It will forever be his sweet dimpled smile that is etched into the corners of my soul . . . my baby boy, my Park-man, my son.

What a precious gift I was blessed with . . . 6 amazing years ago today.

Parker's first ride on the big surprise.

Fishing today with his BFF and cousin, Blake!

A Whole Luau of Fun

A whole Luau of fun was happening here tonight as we celebrated Peyton and Parker's birthdays.

Water balloon fun!

Boys chillin' with the slip n slide.

My sweet babies are growing up . . . Parker will be 6 on Saturday and Peyton will be 8 on Monday.

Park-man

Peytee Brooke

The kiddos had a great time . . . a Luau of a great time. . . I'm thinking my yard and garage may never be the same though! Something tells me I'll be picking up water balloons this fall when I'm raking (ok so when Jer is leaf blowing) the leaves away. It's all worth it though for the smiles on their faces and the sunshine in my pocket!

More pics later!

Toodles! :-)

How Lucky Am I?

I'm not going to tell you how many Cokes & Mt. Dews I have drank today. I'm not going to tell you how many times I raised my voice with my kiddos today. I'm not going to tell you how badly I needed the peace and quiet I got while in the tanning bed this evening. I'm not going to tell you how many times I've complained to friends or begged for their advice on parenting strategies the last week. However, I am going to tell you that in his ever-present, all-knowing ways, God reminded me tonight how lucky I am.



How lucky am I to have had three wonderfully easy pregnancies that resulted in three beautiful, precious children?



How lucky am I that I have these three beautiful, precious, healthy children to drive me bazonkers, get me high on caffeine, and make me question my ability as a mother?



Yes, this last week has been a doozy. But I am so thankful that our amazing God chose me to be their mother, in spite of all my inabilities and shortcomings, in spite of all their fighting, wild-goose-chasing, ignoring-their-momma ways.



They are rotten. They are loud. They've forgotten how to listen. But they are MINE. And they teach me so much about this life.



They so easily overlook my mistakes. Why is it that I am so stubborn to forget that they are only my babies and not so easily overlook theirs?



In their simple child-like ways, I am taught that life is short . . . you've got to live hard, forgive easily, and love with all you have.



I hope they forgive me for not knowing all that they know . . . for not loving them today the way they loved me.



Tomorrow comes anew. Tomorrow, when I am high on caffeine, somewhere over in the land of bazonkers, and wondering how to perfect this mommy thing, I will simply remind myself how truly lucky I am.

The Simple Things . . .

So many times in our lives, we lose focus and only see the "fancy" things or the expensive things, or the things wethink we need or want. The grandest things in life most often aren't really "things" at all.


Today, as I sat and watched my darling, monstrous Preston enjoy a pretzel at the water park, I was reminded that it truly is The Simple Things in life that matter most. The look of pure joy as he chewed on his pretzel will be forever etched in my memory as a reminder to not lose focus on, or take for granted, The Simple Things in life.


My list of The Simple Things:


-spending the summers with your kiddos


-sharing a sappy movie with your best gal pals


-savoring a strawberry cheesequake blizzard, especially after remembering you haven't had one of those since that night almost 6 yrs ago that your momma was in the hospital and wanting a treat from Dairy Queen


-hearing your youngest son scream for chocolate milk as soon as he is somewhat coherent every morning . . . cracks me up that this happens EVERYDAY.


-seeing your kiddos smile at you


-the smell of rain


-the laughter of babies . . . you can't help but laugh yourself when you hear that baby belly laugh


-true friends


-late night chats


-getting sweet hugs and kisses from those same kiddos that you wanted to strangle only a few minutes ago


-your own bed


-a clean house


-watching your 3 amazing kiddos grow and learn and just . . . be


-summer nights


-flip-flops (speaking of which, for the life of me, I can't figure out how one little navy blue flip flop can disappear without a trace)


-getting comments on your blog (hint hint)


-sunshine . . . in whatever form it takes (literal or not) that brings a smile to your face



Take pleasure in The Simple Things . . . always.
(And don't forget to tell me about them . . . in the comments section below! Ha ha)








Toodles!

A little bit of This and a lot of That

So, it's been awhile since my last blog . . . we've been toodling around doing a little bit of This and a lot of That-none of which amounts to much except for oodles and googles of fun!

Our little of This and lots of That list consists of going to the river at Van Buren, hanging at the waterpark, going to a red, white, and blue pool party, going to a Demi Lovato and David Archuleta concert (which was awesome by the way), going to the cabin with Carrie and Julie and their great family, going to a b-day party for the boys of my BFF from high school, taking a day to recoop (think we must have needed it since Park-man slept until 11:30 yesterday), and of course, more hanging out at the waterpark. Throw into the mix lots of gymnastics and fireworks since the 4th was mixed in there somewhere and you'll see, we really have done a little bit of This and a LOT of That.

Hmm . . . do I dare ask what this huddle is about?

Kiddos having fun . . . only at Jellystone!

For more views of our fun at Jellystone Park (Van Buren), check out our video at http://www.jellystonefun.com/. Our video is titled Only at Jellystone and it's sure to make you giggle. Don't forget to vote for it once a week so we can win lots of moolah! :)

The "gang"minus Carrie and I before we head into the concert.

This little girl got to sing onstage with Demi. Her mom cried.

He has one of those smiles that makes you not help but smile yourself.

Toodles!

There's no place like home . . .

Although I loved every minute of our vacation,



I must say there truly is no place like home.




But by home, I mean more than just our house . . . I mean our community, our friends, the familiarity of seeing the people and places that you know . . .



I think that is what makes vacations so special . . . time to get away from the hectic, day-to-day stuff and enjoy the simple things in life while being able to return home and realize what a blessing life is and how special the people in your life are. While being with my family for a week was awesome, it was so wonderful to come home today and hang out with a few of my best buds . . . creating those moments not just for me, but for my kiddos as well . . . to fill their lives with people who love them.

I heard this song "One Life to Love" for the first time today . . . what a powerful reminder of what life is truly about. The lyrics are below but the song is online . . . take time to listen . . . it's awesome.

*******************
One Life to Love
by 33 miles


He never thought he cared so much about the minute hand,
Until he started playing for a second chance,
If he could only do it all again,
He'd trade the long nights that he spent behind his desk,
For all he missed,
He tells his wife,
I wish that this moment in this room, was not me dying,
But just spending a little time with you


You only get just one time around,
You only get one shot at this,
One chance,
To find out,
The one thing that you don't wanna miss,
One day when its all said and done
I hope you see that it was enough,
This one ride,
One try,
One life,
To love.


She never thought she cared so much about those little hands,
That held on tight the day she left,
Til she was scared to death,
Sitting all alone on a hotel bed,
The end of the road,
The sun has set on her big plans,
To feel young again,
She picks up the phone,
Dials the number,
Hears that little voice,
That's haunted every single mile,
Since she made that choice,


You only get just one time around,
You only get one shot at this,
One chance,
To find out,
The one thing that you don't wanna miss,
One day when its all said and done
I hope you see that it was enough,
This one ride,
One try,
One life,
To love.


You only get just one time around,
You only get one shot at this,
One chance,
To find out the one thing
That you don't wanna miss,
One day when its all said and done
I hope you see that it was enough,
This one ride,
One try,
One life,
One ride,


One try,
One life,
To love,
To love
***************
This week, I challenge you to fully embrace "this one life, this one ride" and live and love as much as you can without taking a single second of it for granted.


A few more pics from "this one 'vacationed' life".




On the dolphin tour ride.

Ahh . . . brotherly love . . . for a minute anyway!

My 3 sunshines!

Beyond my wildest dreams . . .

Nearly 8 years ago, I found a love beyond my wildest dreams . . . my world was blessed with my sweet Peyt-ee Brooke.


Fast forward to today and as you all know, we've been on vacation in/near Hilton Head Island this week. The reason behind this vacation spot? Peyton begged to compete in Nationals for gymnastics held in Savannah, GA. When we finally agreed, we in no way expected what happened today. . .


My sweet baby girl is now a National Champion!!! Peyton won 1st on floor and bars, 2nd on vault, and 3rd on beam as well as winning 1st All-Around . . . simply amazing and most definitely beyond my wildest dreams!



This is a picture of the picture collage I bought today . . . who could resist?



Lauren, Peyton, and Abby waiting for awards to start.



Peyton saluting as the national champ!!!



The dinner of champions . . .






She is such an amazing gift . . . I have truly been blessed . . . beyond my wildest dreams!

The best ending to this extraordinary day is that as we walked out of the competition area a little while after the awards it was raining . . . what is so great about that you wonder? My momma loved the rain and there hasn't been a day, an hour, a moment in the nearly six years since she died that it hasn't rained when I have needed her or wanted to share something with her . . . the rain is my reminder that she is truly forever with us . . . that I will always be her sunshine . . . that is indeed beyond my wildest dreams!

In progress . . .

. . . . vacation, that is!

Yippee!!! Vacation has officially been in progress for 2 days! While we had lots of fun in Chattanooga yesterday and today, I think it's fair to say we are ALL so GLAD to be at our final destination, especially Peyton. Her mood changed drastically once we finally got here. I must say that's probably a good thing because she and I were about to go 'round and 'round! :)

Yesterday, we visited the Tennessee Aquarium . . . Parker was in heaven . . . Preston on the other hand wasn't as thrilled. All he wanted to do was ride the escalators up and down. Now, that might not be a bad thing if he were any more talented at getting on and off of those then he is.

Today, we rode the Incline Railroad at Lookout Mountain. It was pretty cool . . . not quite as exciting as I'd thought it would be, though. Of course, while we were standing up at the top looking at the view, Preston decided to kick his flip flop off so we had to go ask the office to let us in the gate to get it or retrieve it for us . . ."Flip-flop duty" is what they called it. I tried to use that to reassure myself that my 3 yr old isn't the only one that's ever done that. Right? Surely?

We rolled into our hotel around 9 tonight . . . very ready to be done driving for a while. Tomorrow, I think we're gonna hit the beach and do a boat ride where you can see some dolphins. Promises to be a fun day!

I leave you with some pics of Day 1 . . . Day 2 pics will come tomorrow.

Toodles!

P.S. Happy Father's Day, Jer! You are such a blessing to our family and we love you!

! The mountains outside Chattanooga

My crew at the Riverfont outside the Aquarium. Check out how Parker is standing . . . He is my cool dude!

Peyt and I couldn't resist this . . .

Preston walking away during one of his MANY MANY fits while at the aquarium.

Vacation Bound!

In about 5 hours, we finally leave for vacation!!! We are all super excited around here! Our first stop will be Chattanooga, TN where we will visit the aquarium (Parker will be loving this) and Lookout Mountain. Sunday, we will head to Hilton Head and spend a few lazy days trying hard not to wear Peyton out. She competes on Wednesday morning so everyone say some prayers and keep your fingers crossed for her! She's been working SOOOOO hard the last month getting ready for Nationals. I think we are going to try to eat at The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen's restaurant-Jerr will be loving this) while we are in Savannah on Wed. If that doesn't work out, we'll drive back to Savannah later in the week. Thursday and Friday will be just fun vacation days like Mon and Tues, doing whatever sounds fun . . . like laying around at the beach! :) We will head home on Saturday sometime so we can make it back for the Pinderski girls' birthday bash on Sunday! We wouldn't miss it for the world!

I will be taking the beloved laptop with me so I"ll update often on the blog and on facebook!

Don't forget to say some prayers for Peyton! Thanks bunches!!

Toodles!

Off to a running start . . .

We got this week off to a running start with Preston's surgery for his tubes bright and early at 7:30 this morning. Now typically, 7:30 isn't so early around here. However, you do have to remember it's summer . . . time of freedom . . . time of living the good life here in our little world . . . time of NOT being up and about by 7:30.


Other than telling us repeatedly that he did not want to lay down, Preston was wonderful before his surgery. The lovely nurse who took him back was just that, lovely. She pretended his bed was a fire truck, complete with sirens! I heard a nurse at the nurse's station comment that Preston said he wanted his mommy but the nurse (I think her name was Amy?) said "But your mommy can't come on the firetruck". Apparently that was enough to keep him happy and not wanting momma too badly! :)


He came back from surgery dry eyed and ready for his apple juice! He drank the whole cup in record time, I think. Poor fella wasn't happy about getting out of bed so early and not even getting a cup of his most beloved chocolate milk this morning.


He is now home in mommy's bed fast asleep . . . I remember when I was a kid and sick,, no place was better than my momma's bed . . .



Yeah, I let the poor kid wear his jammies this morning. I was feeling sorry for him having to get up so early.



Preston's trying hard to focus on Handy Manny and not worry about what's going on!



Since I was taking pics of him, he thought it was only fair that he got to take a pic of me. Sarah K, you better watch out . . . you might have some competition . . . I was sure he'd cut my head off or something.



Preston is on his way to surgery . . . not feeling too sure about this hat!



My entertainment during the surgery!




Preston snuggling with momma and drinking his apple juice!




Home in momma's bed . . . sweet dreams, my baby boy.