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!

Christmas Cheer . . . sort of.

First off, let me assure you all that I am alive. Having your tonsils out sucks. It hurts a lot. You feel like crap. I don't like it. But I'm alive. Anyway.
Today as I teetered on a rickety ladder in my dansko clogs (praying that I wouldn't fall) hanging garland around my front door I heard wailing emanating from my living room. Jake's wailing to be precise. You see we got our Christmas tree and as we decorated it we also set up the train we got at Disney World to go around the tree. Jake has been asking about this train since we got home from our trip and today was the day of its debut. Well, when I climbed down from my precarious position to find out what Jake was yelling about I found my three boys in the living room. Ryan was consoling Jake while Reid did what little brothers do best . . . mess stuff up. See, my inclination would have been to scold Jake for having such a fit but that's probably because I was never the bigger sibling. Ryan was. I don't know what its like for a little brother (or sister) to mess up my stuff. Ryan does. So Jake had the right parent in there with him when Reid messed with his newest most prized possession. On a side note: I DO know what its like to have someone twice your size sit on your face and fart on it (or toot, as I'm trying to get my kids to say so people won't think I'm a horrible Christian mother - ha!).
So our festivities hit a bit of a bump today with the whole Reid messing with the train debacle but other than that it was a good day. I love this time of year. My house has never looked more festive. I even got a fresh white pine garland for my banister - LOVE it! And of course doing the whole tree thing WITH Ryan this year was so great.
Sweet mercy I just sneezed and now I'm going to cry. OK, I think its time for another round of Codeine. G'night!

Tis the Season

How is it that the Christmas season hasn't even technically started yet and already I feel a bit frazzled and overwhelmed by it all? On one hand I feel very on top of things but then I remember I'm working on a shorter time frame than usual and I start to panic.

In case you've been living in a cave the past few weeks and somehow managed to avoid the news that I'm having my tonsils out tomorrow, let me fill you in.

I AM HAVING MY TONSILS OUT TOMORROW.

And from what I hear its going to hurt. BAD. So that is going to take a chunk of time out of my festivity preperations. And then Ryan and I are supposed to be (wonderfully, gloriously) taking a trip to Tampa for a conference. I don't really know (or care) what the conference is about just that its far away. And I won't have to cook. (Thank you, thank you in advance Honey and Ozzie). And two days after we arrive home from the respite we need to be packed and ready to head to Columbus for a OUR FAMILY Christmas. So in essence I only have until December 14th to get myself ready for the holidays.

But wait, there is more. While I'm happy at the chunk of Christmas shopping I've already managed and that I've gotten my Christmas cards ordered there is still SO much to do. Like plan my 30th birthday party. That's right. You heard me, I'm throwing myself a 30th birthday party. Its on December 12th. And YOU should come. And my dear Troy is having a baby and I haven't done nearly enough for her yet. But I shall. And I need to start thinking on Ainsley's 3rd birthday. Oh, and I'm hosting a cookie exchange here for my fellow MOMS.

So, I need to get off my rump and get busy. But I'll leave you with a smile from my Christmas card photo reject pile:

A Magical World

Well, we are back from our Disney vacation and I can't really find the words to express what a wonderful week it was. I'm trying to figure out if they actually put something in the water that just makes everything seem better at Disney or if its just the fabulous service, wonderful accomodations and friendly people . . . not to mention the true magic of seeing the wonderment and delight of Disney World through the eyes of children.

Anyway, the trip could not have been better. The car trip was totally tolerable thanks to the incredible hospitality of my dear, dear Redonna. I really need to take a lesson from her on how to be a wonderful hostess. She had tents set up in her 2nd guest room for the kids - a CARS one for Jake and Disney Princess for Ainsley. The were so thrilled and slept like logs. She had a pack and play for Reid ready to go complete with appropriate white noise mechanisms for each kid. The next morning the apple juice was ready and then she spoiled us with a breakfast of waffles and bacon which she KNOWS my kids love. We then set out to see my dear Grandma who is an amazing lady at 90 years of age! I know the craziness of my kids probably took years off her life but since I know she seems to have an unlimited supply she'll forgive us ;) We also were spoiled at her house with one of my favorites of all time - Sonny's Barbecue for dinner. YUMMO!

But I digress.

I won't go into too many details here and bore you all to tears but I will say that Jake had a better time and was better behaved than I could have imagined. Ainsley was in love with every charachter we met and was voted "most likely to run away with the circus" by the adults, and Reid was dreamy as always and did so great for a baby who was on the bataan death march for babies (i.e. - no naps, feedings in weird places, forced rides on odd contraptions).

If you have kids and you've not yet been to Disney all I can say is GO! I don't care what you have to do to get there just go. Start skipping meals, stop using diapers, turn off the heat and bundle up - whatever it takes to save those dollars. Its so worth it.

I'm going to post all my pics on Snapfish and just put a couple here. If you want to see them all let me know and I'll send you the link.