What Not to Hang

I was blessed to be raised in an immaculate home. My mom actually enjoyed cleaning, and took pleasure in forcing that joy upon us kids. I of course now am grateful that I learned to clean at an early age. It is comforting to sit in a clean home and just enjoy your family. But there is one talent that my mom possessed which definitely did not get passed down to me. She has an eye for design, and every nook and cranny in her house is decked out in gorgeous manner. My house however, is certainly a work in progress.

My friends have seen a need to assist me . They keep an eye out for objects that would look good in my home when they are on their own shopping endeavors. They then call and tell me where to go and what I have to buy. I appreciate this no hassle approach to shopping. This beautiful Families are Forever plaque was a result of such a tip.

I now face the dilemma of how to place the shelving around it. Hence the paper cutouts of shelf forms that I happen to possess. I have tried several different layouts, and still have come to no serious decision.

When Chet came home for Lunch today he decided to help me out. And so below we see a man's take on what a decorated room should look like.

Is anybody in need of a GATOR fan at their house. Mine seems to be getting in the way.

Peyton's Prayer

Mornings with school children always seem to move at a frantic pace. It's fun to watch the kids busying about their daily schedule.

They pick their clothes, have showers, brush teeth, choose a breakfast, pick a morning snack for school, fill backpacks and search for shoes. But there is one moment of time during the morning where chaos halts and calm ensues.

Right before jumping in the van and heading off to school, we gather together for morning family prayer.

Today Peyton was asked to pray. I was impressed by his thoughtfulness. It was obvious that he had been paying attention to the activities the day before and offered a touching prayer to start our day. From the mouth of my sweet babe came these words.

" Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for our family. Please bless Alyssa that she can make good choices today. Help her to stay with good friends. Help us to have a good day at school. Bless daddy to do good at work. Please help mom finish her house work and teach Camden. Help Camden learn to crawl better. Thank you for a car so we don't have to walk today. Bless that we be helpful. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

DOUBLE TAKE

How much is that baby in the window?

The one with the slobbery face.

How much is that baby in the window?

I sure hope he doesn't take my place.

Camden discovered himself this week. He has always enjoyed looking in the mirror. Lately he has seemed confused how mom could be in front of him and holding him at the same time. But the real kicker came when he made his way to the mirror himself, sat up and tried to play with the child in front of him. He was desperately trying to stick his hands in this intruders mouth, and smack his hands, but darn it that little boy just wouldn't budge. In essence he was jealous of himself. For a moment I got a glimpse of what it might look like and possibly be like to have twins. Yep! I'm happy to have just one strong minded little baby.

Welcome to Gator Nation

We are the Champions! yes, the Gators won the National Championship last night with a rousing victory over Oklahoma.

It was a push and shove match all through the first half. Both Defences appeared sloppy and disorganized, resulting in a 7 -7 tie at half time. Chet would disagree, stating "No, they showed good defence , Oklahoma got into the red twice and were stopped both times by Florida." A true fan is always bias.

However the second half showed Florida's strengths, and amplifies Oklahoma's weaknesses. Tim Tebow, known for his leadership abilities rallied his team together to score again in the 3rd. It wasn't until the 4th quarter that Oklahoma was able to match the score, tying the game at 14 -14. The Gators then had to settled for a field goal bringing the score to 17 -14. The turnaround of the entire game, and the dominance of Florida shone through a mere 4 plays after this field goal when strong safety Ahmad Black, snatched a deep pass out of the hands of Sooners wideout Juaquin Iglesias at the Gators' 24. This frazzled Sooner Quarterback Sam Bradford, his second interception toss of the game, and he never recovered.

Florida clinched their victory with 3:07 to play, from the Oklahoma 3-yard-line, Tebow took the snap, started as if he would crash through the left side of the line, then leaped and flipped a pass to David Nelson. Florida now ruled the game by more then 7 points, and would remain there with a final score of 24 -14.

It was a dooser. Moments of strain crossed my face, anxious churning of the stomach, and deafening screams damaged the ears. But all is worth it for the happiness of my number one fan, Gator in heart and soul, my Husband.

This is what the number one fan looks like after staying up all night celebrating.

Silence

The power of SILENCE is seriously underestimated. I hadn't realized how loud my house had become in the last three weeks. Kids were home running around, playing the computer, blaring the TV, turning up the radio, and pounding on the piano. New toys were humming around on the floor, Nintendo DS's were singing out their music, and children regularly made up new games that required yelling, leaping,ball smacking, and whistles.

It is amazing how easily we adjust ourselves to the noise. As a mom, I am an expert at tuning out anything unimportant and continuing with my work. However, there could be a plane crashing into my neighbors house, and I could still hear Camden waking up from his nap.

And so this week began and I heard something I hadn't heard in a while. SILENCE!!! Oh bless you SILENCE. I have missed your warm blanket of comfort, the way you whisper nothing into my ear, and your ever soothing and relaxing monotony. The kids are back at school, a regular nap schedule has resumed, and you SILENCE, my dear friend, have returned.

The 1st with a first

January 1st is more then just a date in our family, it brings with it another first. Camden cut his first tooth today. He has been miserable the poor thing. Making teeth is rough business. After soaking through two shirts with ounces of slobber, it was time to investigate. I carefully prepared my pointer finger to enter the unknown, and upon gently swiping the lower gums, I was shocked to find sharp bumps hitting my Finger tip. Thankfully we are fully stocked with Tylenol, Ora gel, cold cloths, and chew toys. Ever the individual, Camden has separated himself once again from his siblings. He is only 7 months, and getting his 1st tooth. They were both 10 months. I hope this doesn't mean that he will have worse teeth then them. No Cavities yet in our family. Let's all knock on wood together, shall we!

The classic gnawing on your lower lip to ease the pain look.

Camden getting very annoyed with me after trying to get a picture of the inside of his mouth, unsuccessfully I might add.

Happy New Year!

How do you ring in the new year? With friends of course. Things can get pretty tricky when everyone you know has two or three kids, it requires staying up past 10:00, and Babysitters are non existent ( Stake Youth Dance ).

Solution! Host a family friendly New Years Eve Party. And that is exactly what we did. We had a blast. Or at least I did. I hope our company enjoyed themselves as well. We were pleasantly surprised by how well the kids did. They were so good at entertaining themselves and each other. Everyone snacked on food, played games, watched dare devil stunt men on TV, caught a few football moments, talked non stop, and changed the occasional diaper.

The best part, you didn't feel obligated to stay until 12:00. If a child was spazing out, or an adult was just plain too tired, then off to the comforts of home they went. This may have to be a regular thing at our house.

Our kids made it to the end with their Nintendo DS's stuffed in their faces. I don't think they even realized that is was 2009. Peyton stayed up longer then me, or Alyssa, or anyone else in the family. Oh! to have that kind of energy.

Thanks everyone who came to enjoy the night with us, You were great company.