Cooking Up A Storm

Well tonight it looks like we are having company. I invited Ray's mom and bother to come and join us for dinner and am very happy to say they accepted my invite. I'm very pleased that I finished all of my cleaning this weekend so it makes the day a little easier knowing that I don't have to spend all day cleaning for guests. I sat here for an hour trying to figure out what to cook for our little dinner party. I finally decided on Spaghetti and Meatballs, which Ray and I haven't had in almost three years. I love Italian food but Ray does not, so I NEVER fix it. I was very pleased/excited when I asked his opinion on the spaghetti and meatballs and said YES. So off to Kroger I went to gather all the ingredients that I need to make my favorite Italian dish. I also stopped by the 'Wine Shop' on Main st. and picked up a nice bottle of wine, which I'm looking forward to since I haven't had any since before I was pregnant with Anderson. Well I must go finish getting the kids and myself ready then I'll be ready to 'Cook up a storm'.

Mommy's Little Helper

I love the fact that Callie loves to do whatever I do. She is always mocking every move I make and repeats every word I say. Yesterday as I was making my 'Fried Green Tomatoes', Callie jumped up on my stepping stool and said "Pelp" (Help). As those Big Blue eyes looked up at me and that beautiful smile, there is no way this mom could say NO. So I handed her a spoon and some measuring cups and instantly she was 'Mommy's Little Helper'.

Fried Green Tomatoes

My mother-in-law came to visit us yesterday and she brought me some green tomatoes strait out of the garden. That made me think, I hadn't made fried green tomatoes since our restaurant burned down over a year ago. So tonight I fried me some green tomatoes and boy were they good :-)







































Callie loves it when her Granna comes to visit because she gets to show off all of her toys. Most of the time Ray takes her to see her Granna but about once a week Granna comes and eats supper with us, which I personally look forward too. I love having company, Ray hates it, because with two little ones I don't get out very much.











Also today, Lauren came to see me and the kids. I miss Lauren so much because we did live together for two years and from our Junior year in high school on we were inseparable. Now, being married and having kids, our lives are complete opposites. Although I do look forward to her visits so I can hear all of her stories about life young and single. Callie really enjoyed her being here too, she's very silly when we have guests.















































Anderson finally, yesterday morning, pulled himself up to a standing position. I was so excited (still am)! My little boy is growing up so fast. He is even trying to walk once he stands up, so I give him a couple of months and he'll be walking all over the place.












































Before I have to get Anderson down for a nap wanted to give you an update on my cleaning....everything is done, except my room. YAY!!!!

Good Morning Coffee..

Good morning to my coffee cup! I have to admit that I have never been a coffee drinker, well that is until Anderson was born. My little early bird has led me to be friends with coffee. Every morning I must have a cup of coffee as I sit here and watch my handsome son play. While I watch him go around and around in his toy I find myself thinking 'Please go back to sleep soon'. With every sip of my coffee I try to convince myself that it is helping and I'm becoming more awake. But the truth is I"m not sure that it really helps because as soon as Anderson is ready to go back to sleep, I am too. I love being able to get up with him every morning but I have a confession....I do miss sleeping in and cuddling with my husband. Now I have learned that the only real good time that I can cuddle up to Ray is early at night before Anderson starts waking up for night time feedings and Callie starts talking in her sleep, which always wakes me up. It's funny how you have to change everything in your life when you have kids.

TGIF!

I just now realized that it was Friday! This week has just flown by. I was really hoping my parents, including my little brother and sister, was coming here this weekend to tell me all about the Alaska trip. But I guess they are need some 'Stay at Home' time. As of right now we have no plans on going into Pikeville, but you never know.

Well I started trying to get my house clean and organized again, so it can last that way for a day or two. I did accomplish getting Anderson's and Callie's room's picked up (well I'm still waiting on Callie's sheets to dry so I can make her bed.). Mine and Ray's room is a different story though. I have dirty laundry all over my floor, because I haven't taken the time to bring them down stairs to the laundry room to be washed. All though I did get my bed made up today. I also got my kitchen cleaned, at least until I cook dinner. I organized our coat closet for the hundredth time and cleaned and organized my laundry room, again. Let's hope that I get everything finished before the weekend is up. So in other words-I'm going to have such a fun weekend!

The rooms downstairs I STILL have to clean.

Poor little Anderson fell off my bed this morning....I let him lay we us because he was in one of his moods where he wanted me to hold him and while Ray and I were still asleep, Anderson woke up and I assume crawled to the foot of our bed where he fell. To say the least it scared Ray and I to death because Anderson was screaming (the thump when he hit was so loud) and on top of that his nose started bleeding. I'm not sure exactly how he fell because when I found him he was on his back. It broke my heart!!! I told him from now on he sleeps in his bed or I will rock him.

In two months our rent contract is up and I can't wait! I want to find a place with hardwood floors, kids and carpet don't go together, and a place where I can paint the walls. To be honest we never planned on being here this long. I can't wait to paint Callie's room pink and Anderson's Texas orange. There is so much that needs to be hung up in both of their rooms, and the living room, just didn't want to hang everything up then take everything back down to move. After loosing our house to a fire last March we have lived everywhere...my parents house/hotel/very small apartment/our current townhouse. That's a lot of places in such a short time. My two favorite rooms in this place is Callie's and Anderson's rooms because I have tried to make them as home feeling as I can.

As much as I would love to keep writting, it's bath time for the kiddos.

Potty Training Update

I have to admit, I don't really put in the time that is needed to potty train Callie. Between taking care of her, Anderson and the house, I don't take time out to really work with her. There for a little while she did start using the BIG potty. But then I stopped taking the time, yet again, to sit her on it everyday. I know I really want to get her out of diapers because between her and Anderson they are going through 352 diapers in about 2 1/2 weeks. Crazy I know! So if I could just get her potty trained for the day time that would save on so many diapers. I have even tried the BIG GIRL PANTIES but she'll just pee in those too. And if she runs around naked....well that doesn't stop her either. One thing I can say is, it is so much easier to house break a dog than it is to train Callie to pee and poop in the potty. I had Frosty house broke in less than two weeks and Sadie in three weeks and then Tinker Bell was in between two and four weeks. So why am I having trouble taking time out for Callie? Oh yeah, when I was house breaking dogs I didn't have kids to take care of and a lot less house work.

Here is Callie when she went to the potty on her own and peed...this was in May.

Here is when she pooped for the first time, and the only time, in her potty. Again she went and sat on her potty without us telling her too. (I figured you didn't want to see the picture of the poop so I choose this picture.) This was in June.

Here is my BIG Girl on the BIG Potty. There for a week, after she peed the first time in it, I couldn't keep her out of the bathroom and off the potty. Now, I can't seem to get her in there. This was in July.















As you can see there is a little pattern going here, once a month! Well I guess that's better than nothing. I plan on trying my hardest to work with her all month and see if we can't get more than one time out of her. Wish me luck!

Hello, It' been awhile

Wow, it has been such a long time since I have taken the time to write on this blog. To be honest, I have never in my life kept any type of journal, so this whole thing is really new to me. When I do have time to get on here I find it difficult to figure out what to write about. I feel like my life is a little boring, so there's not much to write about and on top of that I'm not a very good writer. Even though my little ones do something everyday to make me laugh or they just overwhelm me with how amazing they are, I never really know what to write. I could sit here all day and write about every little thing they do to make me smile, but like I said, that would take all day. A lot of things have happened since the last time I blogged, so now to figure out where to start....



Callie Mae has now been with us for two wonderful years. It's so crazy because it feels like only yesterday I was in the OR, scared to death, waiting to hear that little cry. But it also seems like she has always been here. I can't imagine my life without her. It has been the best two years of my life getting to wake up every morning and knowing that she is mine. God truly blessed Ray and I! Sometimes I find myself wondering what I did so right to have God give me such a precious gift. The doctors had told Ray for years that he couldn't have kids and then on January 10, 2007 we discovered that God had blessed us with a miracle. Even though it was a very rough pregnancy, I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, Callie Mae arrived 6 weeks early but as healthy as could be. The doctors and the nurses at UK were so impressed with her, she weighed only 4lbs and 5oz but she was healthier than more full term babies. So yet again God blessed us. I find my self thanking God everyday not only for Callie but Anderson Colt as well. It's even hard for me think it has already been 7months since he was born. I was able to go full term with him without getting sick at all, thank God. I think if I didn't have a repeat c-section he would still be in there...haha. Anderson weighed 8lbs and 15oz, a BIG BOY!






Picture of Anderson when he was born

Speaking of "BIG", Callie now has a "Big Girl Bed". I told my mom and dad not to buy her anymore toys for her birthday but if they wanted they could buy her a full size mattress. The mattress arrived last Tuesday and we can't keep the child downstairs anymore. It's "Mommy, big girl bed. night night. Lion King", translation, she wants to go to her room and lay in her new big girl bed and watch Lion King. That's all she does now is to stay in her room playing and watching The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast.

Saturday morning Callie woke up at 6am and ran into Anderson's room, where I was trying to rock him back to sleep, and said "mommy animals". She had remembered me telling her the night before that we were going to take her to the zoo so she could see some animals. So she spent her birthday at the Cincinnati Zoo, which was very crowded and 98 degrees. She didn't mind the heat though because she absolutely loved seeing all of the animals. I think it's so funny how monkey's and snakes was her favorite things at the zoo. Now don't get me wrong she LOVED every animal there and wanted to kiss all of them but for some reason she got so excited about the snakes and watching the monkey swing and flip all over the place. I started trying to film some of them that way she could watch them here at home but it seems like every time I try to video or take a picture of an animal they start using the bathroom. So yes, I have a video of a monkey doing one and two...Callie will love that one I'm sure. We are already planning to take her and Anderson back this fall when it's cooler and not so crowded.

Well as much as I would love to do into detail about everything that has happened since the last post, which would take way too long, I have to take care of two very cute and sweet little kids and try to clean house downstairs until Ray can watch them so I can clean upstairs. God Bless everyone and God Bless America!