Happy 3rd Birthday Ainsley

I need to put together a photo montage for Ainsley for two reasons. 1: She is so darn adorable it'd be a crime not to and 2: Her birthday is in December so she always gets the shaft in some ways that are just unavoidable.

But in the meantime I've decided to put together a little list of some of my favorite Ainsley moments from this past year.

1- Ainsley coming in BUCK naked from the backyard where she was playing with Jake. Despite the 40 degree weather. I asked Jake why Ainsley took her clothes off and he explained it was because she was trying to go swimming. Oh, and he clarified that it was also because she was having fun.

2 - During her school program in May Ainsley tried to crawl underneath the communion table up on stage. Her teacher pulled her back to say no and Ainsley slapped her across the face. Then she gave her a kiss. All within a 5 second timespan and all DURING the show.

3 - Ainsley was running around after her bath up in Ohio and cousin Reese said "Nonny, Ainsley is SO rowdy". He doesn't know the half of it.

4- Ainsley asking herself if she is ok whenever she falls down.

5 - Ainsley answering us as a baby jaguar (rrrreearhhh, rrreearhhh) whenever we ask if she is okay when she falls down (its a Diego thing).

6 - Ainsley asking me if "Ms. Chrichy (Chrissie) is coming today?" everytime I hang up from a call on my cell phone. I guess I talked to Chrissie once on my cell phone so now every call is her.

7 - Ainsley as Jake's personal parrot.

8 - Ainsley crying for Jake to sit in the wagon with her, or go to sleep with her or do whatever it is that she needs his comfort and protection.

9 - Ainsley being the most theatrical little pixie fairy I could ever have imagined!

10 - Ainsley covering herself head to toe in peanut butter after her tubes were put in.

11 - Singing, singing always singing.

12- Ainsley wandering around in her snow boots with her panties and tights around her knees - for at least an hour - before she would let me pull them up.

You are TRULY one in a million little girl!

Goodbye to 2008

Leave it to me to send out my Christmas cards with our blog address printed on the back so everyone could "keep up" with our goings-on . . . and then fail to post anything new for over 2 weeks. I'm sure any momentary surge I had in readership is now gone but I just figure that is the Lord keeping my ego in check. I've had lots of that lately so I think I'm appropriately humble as I begin the new year.

Its been a whirlwind few weeks. The week of the 7th of December I hosted three parties HERE at my house (yes, I'm serious) and we also trekked up to Kentucky for our Polar Express adventure. But wait, did I mention that Ryan was receiving and IV in our bedroom during party #3 for dehydration resulting from a day of combatives that sounds more like a day of pure hell? Then my parents arrived 24 hours before Ryan and I flew out for our respite in Tampa. We had to leave directly from Jake and Ainsley's school Christmas program which was priceless (seriously, those kids rocked the house - out of all the kids in there you could here J and A singing out at the top of their lungs . . . I was SO proud). Anyway, Tampa was awesome, relaxing, fun, shopping expedition all rolled in to one. We had a wonderful time in the sun while my parents suffered through an ice storm and illness here in TN.

We arrived back in Tennessee on Thursday evening, I spent all day Friday doing laundry and packing (oh and fitting in a dinner and fun with the Remick family which is always a priority) and then Saturday morning we were off to Columbus, Ohio. We had a truly fantastic week with Ryan's family up there, so much so that we kept extending our visit and ended up staying until the 28th instead of the 26th. The end was bittersweet as we said goodbye to Jared and his family. We probably won't see them again for about 2 more years and many tears flowed as this realization hit me. I just have to trust the Lord's plan and that He works all for good. Even when I'm not happy about it.

So we pulled back into TN on Sunday night, I ran around like crazy on Monday planning Ainsley's third birthday party, ran around crazy on Tuesday throwing Ainsley's third birthday party and now I'm just trying to catch a breath.
Stay tuned. More to come. I've got bloggin' just itchin' to come out.

The Big 3-0

Yes, today is my 30th birthday. And its been a wonderful day. There has been no hair pulling or crying or tearing my clothing in mourning. I think that is probably because I couldn't feel more blessed by where my life is at the ripe old age of 30. I have a wonderful marriage built on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ, I have three fantastic kids and I have the best job in the world. I truly can't imagine doing anything that would leave me more fulfilled and happy than running my home, caring for my husband and raising my children. I'm blessed, blessed, blessed and I don't deserve a drippity-drop of it but God has chosen to so richly bless me nonetheless. So where else could I possibly be on my 30th birthday but joyful and content.
I think my 30th birthday is an appropriate time also to recognize the love of a mother. My mother to be exact. I remember having a conversation with my mother-in-law once where she was relating in the months after Ryan was first born being hit with the realization that her own mother had done all of the same things for her. And as I'm in the throes of motherhood and all the fatigue, worry, joy and stress that goes along with it I realized how incredibly blessed I am to have had a mother who did all these same things for me. Who cared for me when, by all accounts, I was an incredibly fussy and unhappy baby. But who soothed and loved me anyway. Who raised me up to be who I am today. Who instilled in me the love of Christ by always sharing openly with us the transformation that occured in her life the day she received Him as her Savior. And who is know caring for my brood so that Ryan and I can get away for a much needed bit of R&R to take care of our marriage and ourselves for just a few days. I know we'll feed off this rest for quite some time to come.
So hopefully you've enjoyed my time to reflect on where I am today and the woman who helped me get here. And hopefully she'll be encouraged enough to not be so discouraged by Jake's pee that manages to wind up just about everywhere but IN the potty.

Top 10 Reasons To Have A Tonsillectomy

As I improve my sense of humor is coming back as well. So I've decided to put together a little list of the top 10 reasons to have your tonsils out:

1- All the JELLO you can eat . . . yumm-o!
2 - Find out how you would talk if you were deaf (if you haven't heard me talk in the past couple weeks you just have to trust me on this one)
3 - Give your underutilized liver a workout as you overdose on controlled substances - PAIN management.
4 - Holiday weight gain? Nope, not here.
5 - Get on a first name basis with the guy who dishes out the egg drop soup at China King.
6 - Make extra Christmas cash selling your left over Oxycontin to the kids at the local high school.
7 - Relive the pain of childbirth. But worse.
8 - Make a top ten list with only eight things on it but nobody can say anything because you are so pitiful.

Lacey's Favorite #4

Another one for my fav's file. This is too funny. It takes a couple minutes to watch so grab a cookie and sit back to enjoy.

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/videoPage.aspx

HOW Many Kids?

OK, time for another post straight from my brain. Lately I've been thinking a lot about kids. How many kids will we have? What is God's plan for procreation? How many kids is too many kids? I don't know. But its been on my mind a lot.
I guess I'm just trying to work through the preconceived notion we seem to have about family size and where does that come from. Is it from God? Lots of families have their two kids and then they are done. Some get a little more out there and have three (I'd be interested to know what corelation there is between religous beliefs and family size - but that is way to much to get into here) and some CRAZY families (sarcasm intended) go nuts and have four children. Since I've already had plenty of comments about teaching me how to use birth control or "better you than me" when I mention that we might have more I know what the world's perspective on having so many children is. But why? What is really so nuts about four, five or six kids even. If you enjoy your family why is that so nuts. Sure there are financial ramifications to be considered but as Ryan and I were discussing the other day even this is miscontrued in today's culture. I mean, I would be careful to not have more kids than you can afford but what do we mean by afford. As long as you can dress them in Baby Gap and Stride Rite? Or as long as you can send them to private school? Or is there more to it . . . should it be as long as you can take care of them and provide for their basic needs. I grew up feeling sorry sometimes for kids who had to wear hand-me-downs or whose parents couldn't afford gymnastics lessons for them (and I don't think there was anything wrong with my sympathy - I was incredibly blessed in having a father who provided for our family and a mother who took care of us all) but I wonder if maybe they had joy and love that I didn't recognize for what it was worth. Now when I look back on those families I see how their big families probably had much to admire that was in no way material (and again, we also had a very happy family too I'm just saying . . . ) . I hope this is all making sense!
Anyway, I also wonder about God's perspective on this. I've had a hard time finding in Scripture where it commands us to have "two to three children and then quit"! It seems to only tell us to be fruitful and multiply.
Those are my thoughts. I'm sitting here at the computer questioning if I should publish this because I'm not so sure it makes sense but hopefully you'll get to see my heart!
And a final note, don't worry. This isn't a precursor to telling you we are going to be the next family featured on TLC's 17 and Counting show!

And now a plea from Baby Reid

Dear Readers of my Mommy's Blog -

If I am lost please know that I won't be found. Because my mommy has eaten me up. She says I'm too delicous to resist. And she is always nibbling on me.

Please. Help.

Oh, and did she mention I'm WALKING!