i spy a mess

This reminds of a page from an I-Spy book. I'm trying to figure out how this happens. Were we hit by a tornado I didn't know about? An earthquake? It blows my mind that three kids can do this much damage in a matter of hours. Do they purposely attempt to cover every inch of the carpet? I don't know, but I do know that I am so thankful that we have a place to contain the madness!

happy 2nd birthday!

What a weekend it has been! It started out a little rough for Embry. He woke up Friday morning (the actual birthday) crying. He didn't feel good and he continued to feel worse so off to the doctor's office we went. After two breathing treatments, two shots, a needle stick to the finger and a chest xray, we were headed back home to deal with beginnings of pneumonia. The poor guy didn't crack a smile all day until I tickled him right before bed. What a way to celebrate your second birthday, huh?

It's amazing the difference a good night's sleep and some good medicine can make! Embry felt so much better Saturday morning, just in time for the birthday party. We had friends and family over for cake and fun with the help of the Very Hungry Caterpillar. It seemed a bit crazy at times (especially while opening presents) but it was so much fun to see all the kiddos interact and play with each other.

Check out hewood to see all of the birthday fun!

By the way, thanks to my mom, dad and sister for saving my butt this weekend. I put them to work pretty much as soon as they walked in the door on Friday. Instead of knocking out my pre-party checklist as planned, I ended up taking care of my sick baby instead... which even though he was sick, I really enjoyed the snuggle time. Thanks guys!

happy jack

embry jack is a happy jack
there ain't no doubt about it

balls, bats and puppy joe...
don't leave home without it

down the stairs or out for a walk
he sure does take it slow

as everyone finishes dinner each night
he's always the last to go

he's got this spirit, he's got this smile
that's sure to melt your heart

i have been crazy for those kisses
from the very start

Happy Birthday my sweet Embry!

I love you.

miss elle

ellie's a girl who knows what she wants

she just might get that from me

give the girl some shoes and a tutu

and she's as happy as can be

she loves her babies and her blankies...

her paci even more

she always manages to swipe the lipgloss

out of my makeup drawer

challenges, joy and laughter

this girl can bring it all

God blessed me with a special gift

so deep in love I'd fall

Happy Birthday my sweet Ellie!

I love you.

little gym

Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings are highlights around here. Little Gym, my friends! All three kids just can't get enough!

It has been the perfect outlet for Hayes. He is in a sports skills class that introduces the basics of different sports in addition to the gymnastics (running around, goofing off) part of it. Seeing that Kyle and I haven't pushed sports on him, he really doesn't know what he likes. This just seems like the perfect thing to help him figure it out. It's so laid back. He basically gets to be silly for an hour while learning the fundamentals.

Embry and Ellie's class is nonstop action. Lots of little kids running around, with mommies and daddies close behind. There are songs, bells, bubbles, balls, an occasional parachute and gymnastics. They both run around like crazy, exploring everything.

Since school has started and we've settled into a routine with all of our activities, I'm starting to feel the role of the mom chauffeur for the first time... hauling kids from place to place. But I am actually enjoying it. It keeps us busy and out of the house. And after being cooped up for most of the summer, getting out of the house can be a really good thing.

On the way home tonight, Hayes had a meltdown because he wanted to eat at Chili's, not eat chili... then I told him we were out of mac and cheese... then he didn't want to share the sun with the people on the other side of the world. Life's tough for a kid.

I've added a few new pics to the hewood website.

closing in on two

It is hard to believe that my babies will turn two this Friday. It has been quite the ride since the day Embry and Ellie were born. Those first months were rough. I felt as if I was just going through the motions of changing diapers, keeping up with the laundry, working to get them on the same schedule - both sleeping and eating. Have you ever seen twins being breastfed at the same time? It's quite a sight!

And then there was poor Hayes... a two and a half year old toddler who just got his world rocked by not one, but two babies. Needless to say, he had a hard time sharing the spotlight. It's not like we neglected to tell him that he was getting a new baby brother and sister. We did everything the books say to do, talked about how he was going to be the best big brother and um, my belly was kinda hard to miss.

Things did get better. I don't know about easier, but definitely better. It has been so amazing watching these little people develop. They have been opposites from day one. Ellie has pretty much run the show all along. She's feisty, aggressive and she loves pushing her brothers' buttons. And she is all girl... which I can't get enough of! And then there is Embry who is such a sweet pea. He is a little more reserved, very sensitive and absolutely all boy. He will play ball any chance he gets. We were in Pottery Barn Kids the other day and he was playing baseball with a carrot and an orange.

It will be interesting to see what their third year brings. Moving from babies to toddlers. I guess I need to stop calling them babies at some point. Maybe we need to have another baby so I can relish in that sweet baby phase just one more time. Just kiddin' ya Mom! Wink. Wink. No really, I'm serious... I mean kidding. I mean... what do I mean?

wonderfully made

If you feel anything like I do about struggling to not be of this world, you gotta take time to visit The Internet Cafe today. There is a great devotional called "Who Am I?" that challenges the struggles we (I) face about trying to fit in and feel good enough. There's only one to please and I'm pretty sure he doesn't care about the size of my jeans or how clean my house is. That's what is so great about God. He just wants us to be who he's made us to be... wonderfully his.

mark my word

I was going to write about Little Gym today but instead Big Momma Gym got in the way. Stay tuned for thoughts on Little Gym, it's a much more pleasant topic. What it really comes down to is I'm tired. Physically tired. Tired of the way my body looks. Tired of making excuses. I don't know why I do this to myself but I won't allow myself to exercise. I enjoy it, it makes me feel good, gives me more energy, keeps me healthy, blah blah blah. But I keep finding excuses ta not to (imagine Tow Mater's voice there).

Well, no more. Seeing that I am a girl of her word, I thought that if I write it down, it will get my butt in gear. I have the perfect time each day to get on the treadmill so I'm going to do it. No more excuses. When I start finding other things to do with my workout time, I will say to myself, "No, you made a commitment to change, so stick with it... for the love of all things not jiggly."

I'm realizing more and more as I do this blog that it is really an outlet for me. So if you were hoping to find the family scoop here, you will... but you'll have to deal with my rants and self-discoveries as well. Lucky you.

I caught a sweet moment at Little Gym today...

we have a weiner!

We actually had a successful dinner tonight. Successful in terms of all three kids actually eating it, not in terms of pretty, fancy, healthy or delicious. Beanie weenies, my friends. But hey, at this point, whatever works, works. Can I get an amen?

Dinner around here is a major issue. From start to finish, it's a pretty unpleasant experience. When I begin cooking, we enter Meltdown City. Not even a movie in the other room can keep them from battling it out in the kitchen with me in the middle, literally. It gets even better when no one eats what I have prepared. What I really don't understand is that all three are willing to eat something off the floor and yet many days won't touch what has been provided for them... on a plate!

I love to cook so I guess that is what keeps me going. I know someday it won't be this way. Is it too much to ask for a day when I'm in the kitchen cooking and I glance over at my sweet, innocent children as they sit at the table helping each other with homework, laughing and talking about how they could never imagine getting into a fight because they love each other so much... while Kyle and I discuss our lovely day as he pours me a glass of wine? What? Will never happen?

It seems an almost impossible task to find a meal that fits the requirements of kid-friendly, budget-friendly, time-friendly, tasty and most importantly healthy. So if you've got any great ideas, I'm all ears.

For now, the days when they weren't so picky... and confined to a high chair.

dirty faces

My mom did it. Your mom most likely did too. The licking-the-finger-and-wiping-the-face thing. I said I would never do that and apparently I don't by looking at pictures of my kids. Picture after picture, there is some form of gunk on those little faces. At first, I would get frustrated that a perfectly good picture would be ruined by remnants of dinner or snotty noses or whatever. But then I had a realization... my kids usually have some form of gunk on their little faces. Duh.

I have since grown to love those imperfections in pictures. The smudges of food show that their bellies are most likely full. The muddy faces are the result of getting to play outside and the snotty noses, well, I'm still trying to appreciate those. Life around here is nowhere close to being perfect so why try to make it appear that way through pictures?

I have updated the website with new pics. These are a few that I have been messing around with textures. Making those dirty faces look a bit dirtier...

kay county free fair y'all

We headed back home for the fair this weekend. You will probably never catch Kyle or I at any other fair. Ever. But every year, we find ourselves back at this one. Mainly for the kids' sake. But there is just something about it... it has this familiarity that I just love. The rides (that no one will ride with me), the cotton candy, Doyle and Jackie on the corner, the same fry bread booth that has been there for as long as I can remember. And there are always those run-ins with people you haven't seen in a long time. Other than reunions, this is the place to see old classmates.

Hayes is a huge fan of the fair for obvious reasons. The rides and the caramel apples. He had a caramel apple each night and wasn't willing to share.

Embry and Ellie got to join in on the rides this time around and loved it! Ellie didn't appreciate the whole waiting in line thing and wasn't a happy girl when it was time to leave.

Thanks Grandpa, Nana, Papaw, Minnie and Auntie for helping keep the troops in line!

baking with the boys

It's been me and the boys the last couple days. Ellie is soaking up some special time with the grandparents. We will head that way tomorrow for the big fair!

I officially made the decision today that I'm not a baker. It's annoying. I have no desire to learn how to make it not annoying. Having said that, the boys and I had fun making cupcakes today... baking for fun is what I like. Not when I actually have to make something look pretty.

We were trying a recipe for a birthday party coming up and let's just say that I'm glad there was a cupcake rehearsal. The cupcakes sunk in the middle, had major muffin top and the icing, well, look at the awful green. Sorry but it looks a little like something I've seen in a diaper or two. And my hands are stained red after much scrubbing. I have decided that I'm not going to be a mom that makes her kids' birthday cakes and I am okay with that!

change of scenery

Kyle decided he doesn't want to be a doctor anymore. Just kidding. Wouldn't that be somethin'? It's been finalized that his residency program won't be at OSU Medical Center beginning next summer. As for the hospital actually closing, no one has given specifics. Kyle's program is being moved to St. Francis, some others to Hillcrest. Hopefully, he will get to work at St. Francis South some, which is pretty close to our house. He will also be working quite a bit at the Muskogee VA.

This month and next month's rotation is plastic surgery. The hours still are not my preference (who am I kidding? they never will be!), but he seems to really be enjoying it and is glad to be back in the OR. He was excited to have done half of a breast reduction by himself today. The attending did one boob, he did the other. Pretty cool, huh?

There have been a lot of changes since that first day of medical school.

Graduating this past May.

And the picture that last day of residency? Hayes will be 9!

allergy kid

Embry is unfortunately going to be 'labeled' an allergy kid his whole life. This is something I think about a lot. Sure I worry about the dangers that come along with food allergies and I try to avoid the eggs, peanuts and oats. No peanuts in the house anymore. It's sunbutter sandwiches instead of pb&js... that took some convincing Hayes. I can't remember the last time I bought eggs. We have our list of restaurants where we can eat. Go figure that Chick-fila is out of the picture and McDonald's is one of the best places for him to eat. I am getting better about having the epi-pen with us wherever we go. I pray we never have to use it.

But I can't help thinking about the emotional side of it... him feeling left out. You know, the little kid at the peanut-free table at school or a birthday party or wherever. Everyone else is having a cupcake or cookie while he has a safe snack from home. Embry does have this amazing spirit however. Maybe these worries that I have won't even cross his mind. I hope Kyle and I can teach him to be confident in who he is and not let his allergies define him.

His mother's day out this year is peanut-free. woo! hoo! His teachers are great and seem very cautious. So I don't have any concerns there. Public schools seem to be making steps towards keeping allergy kids safe. Maybe all schools will eventually be peanut-free by the time he gets there. A mommy can only hope.

don't get me wrong

I love our house... more space than we've had for a loooong time, well ever actually. But there are a few things that really date it like the popcorn ceiling for one. Ugh. I want it gone but I think we will gradually get rid of it as we redo rooms. Embry and Ellie like to scratch it off upstairs in the playroom where the ceiling slopes and it drives me nuts! And then there is the kitchen lighting and backsplash and the bathrooms. Oh the bathrooms. The upstairs bathroom is first up on the agenda. Thanks to Andrew and Laura, it is now ready to get things going. Thanks guys!

I should have taken a picture of it before the wallpaper came down. It was straight from the eighties. See the cutesy little flip flop rug? Imagine dozens of mini flip flops, beach towels, balls and umbrellas all over the place with matching shower curtain, shower curtain hooks, towels and suntan bottle soap dispenser. All it was missing was the puff paint on the towels.

With Kyle's work schedule, it has been pretty much impossible to make headway on house projects. So hopefully we can find the time to get these projects knocked out before it's time to move in five years!

Also on the agenda? Haircut.

Highlight of today?

By far, having a special donut date with this guy after we dropped Embry & Ellie off at school.

happy birthday jude

Jude turns 8 today. It's been an interesting last several months with no dog in the house. When we made this last move, Jude got to stay with Minnie & Papaw.

We discovered that Embry is allergic to dogs (along with a few other things) last spring. It was a real struggle for me when I realized I had to make a decision and do something. Jude has been a part of our life for over seven years now and it broke my heart to send him away and never see him again. But my little boy... well, he's my little boy and I hated watching him itch with Jude in the house. Luckily, I have parents who are pretty great and love dogs as much as I do. So I still get to see him, just not every day.

How can you resist this?

Jude, maybe if you're real nice to Papaw, you could snag one of these today!

Happy Birthday Juders. We miss you!

because I need one more thing to do

I have enjoyed reading blogs lately and decided to go ahead and start one. I'm hoping it will be a great way to keep everyone updated and a place where I can record this journey we are on.

I just happened to have my camera on a walk the other night. If only this picture resembled life with kids. It's actually quite the opposite around here... just ask anyone I am trying to have a phone conversation with. If it's not dishing out a time out or cleaning up a mess, it's laundry or trying to cook dinner with two (almost) two year olds each grabbing your legs while crying and pushing each other because they both want Mommy. Sure there are days that are tough but I wouldn't want it any other way.

people to see

2 peas in a pod!

all because two people fell in love

elle rese

finding equanimity

gravity of motion

hawk family

howard house

i don't think i'm a grown-up yet

kid with kids

life with my boys

lightly filtered

mash 4077 on the home front

meet the jangs

mom of monsters

mommy life and me

robertson's

shaffer news

the doctor's wife

the fruits of our labor

the keely chronicles

the story of 5

the tolletts

things that happen in the field of sappen

weyers family

places to go

bakerella

blog chef

bring the rain

etsy

food allergy mama

hip 2 save

life church

money saving queen

pioneer woman

swanky tables

tasha does tulsa

the idea room

the tulsa food blog

tip junkie

totally target