Here's The Latest Episode Of The Random.

I've said it once or 27 times that I'm a lot random. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've said something random to Spencer and he's said back to me, "now how did your brain get to that thought?" It's a gift, I tell ya.

But since you're sitting on the edge of your seats waiting to read my latest random thoughts, I won't keep you hanging any longer.

You're welcome.

1. The noise level of the neighbor's weed eater is directly proportional to how much Tait and Camille need a nap.

2. I have decided that I will spend much of my kids' college funds on toenail polish. My girls want their toenails painted a new color every day.

3. My neighbor found some high end toddler clothes for ridiculously cheap prices this week at Costco. Rock that.

4. I need to write that neighbor a check for the clothes she bought for Camille. TO DO LIST.

5. I need to make a To Do list.

6. My prissy 7 (almost 8) year old, who has been praying for 2 weeks for a warm enough day to wear her cute new black dress to school, finally got her warm, sunny day today. But she decided to wear shorts instead so she could compete better at kickball in PE.

7. I am completely amazed and blessed by my blog friends. They have become some of the closest friends I have ever had in my life. And the funniest thing is that only 2 of them live within an hour of where I live. The others live in TN, GA, TX, KS (soon to be CA), FL, AR, & other parts of AL. I miss them a lot right now and would love to be in the same room as them ALL AT ONCE and hug their necks.

8. I need to paint my toenails.

9. I also need to clean my bathtub. Totally not related to the toenail painting need.

10. I have a full out flip flop tan already. And my ballpark life is just beginning to get really busy. By July, I'll take a picture so you all can marvel at it.

11. I miss my Tallahassee peeps and would like to hang out with all of them soon.

12. I'm entering into the phase of my life where the kids are starting to argue with each other and push each other's buttons and drive each other crazy. AND I DON'T LIKE IT. Advice welcomed.

And I'm gonna end on that one, since I'm now headed to put Tait and Camille in separate corners.

I Can Hear The Waves Crashing Now

Spencer works in the Pharmaceutical Industry, which means he travels a lot. One wonderful thing about Spencer's job is his territory. Part of it is the panhandle of FL - ie: BEACH. So, especially during the summer, if he has to go work down there for several days, the kids and I will pack up and go with him.

I know. It's rough.

But as much as I love the beach, these kinds of vacations aren't exactly relaxing. Spencer works all day, which means I tackle pool and beach, sunscreen, bathing suits, potty breaks, lunch breaks, snack breaks, building sandcastles, dusting off sand, burying people in the sand, nap breaks, carrying sand toys, snacks, towels, blanket, and camera all by myself. It's tiring. I definitely don't get to sit and read a book.

Next week is his "panhandle week." Because Mary Emma and Tait are in school, we can't go with him.

Or so I thought.

Spencer called yesterday and said that he had talked with his mom about coming to the house and staying with the kids while HE AND I GO TO THE BEACH ALONE.

Did you hear what I just said (typed)?

I will be at the beach next week for 3 days sans children. I will be able to sit on the beach and read a book or sleep or listen to my iPod or DO NOTHING. I won't have to build a sandcastle - except for the fact that I like to build them, so I might just do it anyway. Spencer will be working during the day, and then we get to go to dinner together (alone) at night. The break will be exactly what I need because our "busy time" -aka All-Star softball season (yes, Mary Emma made the team! WOO HOO!) is about to hit us square in the face.

But I'm not worried about that. I get to go to the beach.

I cannot wait.

Thank Him in the Small Things

I was taking Tait (3 1/2) to school today when she saw this in the sky...



She got so excited because "God drew a T in the sky just for me!" So I pulled the car over (you know - gotta make the most of that moment) and took a picture and we clapped and cheered and said, "Thank you God for writing a T in the sky!! YAY GOD!"

Then she said, "Mommy, where is God?" I told her "He's in Heaven and He sees you and loves you all the time." (remember, she's 3 - can't get too deep). Tait said, "No he doesn't. He lives in the TV in the big room at church with Jesus."

Well, she kinda gets it. It's a start, right?

Good Friday

Spencer and I were in San Diego in January, and we had a chance to visit Mount Soledad. Mount Soledad is a Veteran's Memorial that sits on the highest point near San Diego. It has an AMAZING panoramic view of the city, the mountains, and the Pacific Ocean. It's absolutely breathtaking.

While we were there, we took a zillion pictures, including one of a helicopter flying below us (awesomeness). But one picture stood out as my favorite.



This Good Friday is different for me than any other one for several reasons.
1st, my oldest daughter really UNDERSTANDS Easter this year. It is a fun, humbling experience to see Easter through a child's eyes. And for it not to be centered around the Easter Bunny.
2nd, we are joining our new church Easter morning. My oldest will be joining with us. She made her profession of faith and will soon be baptized. PRAISE HIM!! We are so very excited to be where God wants us and are excited about the future at this church!
3rd, there seems to be a new level of tragedy going on in the world right now. Maybe I'm plugged in (Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, etc.) more than I have been in the past so I'm hearing about it more, but the news seems to be jammed with senseless tragedies. Daddy's killing their entire families and then themselves. Plane crashes and car accidents. A President who has absolutely no regard for human life and is creating laws and regulations that make it easier to kill an unborn child. I am also brought to my knees over stories like Sweet April and her Mommy, Stellan, and Audrey's family.

Sweet Jesus, come soon.

And I am reminded of a song that I used t listen to as a child. Here are some of the lyrics that ring SO true today.

When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray,
It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday's on the way!

Happy Easter, my dear friends. Tragedy happens. The world finds a way to get rid of God. But He sent us His Son. His Son gave up everything for us so that we might be free! THE Sunday is on the way, friends. And I cannot wait!

My "Review Blog"

I was talking with Mary yesterday about the opportunities (or lack thereof, in my case) that people have to review products on their blogs. I've had a couple of requests to review things (one in this post) and would welcome the opportunity to do more. Hint hint. I think they're fun and Mary Emma LOVES the opportunity to tell anyone exactly what she thinks about something. Ahem.

Anyhoo, not too long ago, Corrine, from Turner Publishing Co. in Nashville contacted me about reviewing a new book that was coming out. It is a coffee table book entitled Historic Photos of Birmingham. It immediately caught my attention because 1. I love coffee table books of any kind, 2. I love old pictures, and 3. I live in Birmingham. Score. Score. Score. Of course I said yes and she immediately shipped the book to me.



Y'all. It's a beautiful book. The pictures are mostly from the Turn of the Century - Great Depression era, but some are also from the Civil Rights era through the late 70's. My dad, who was born in Birmingham and spent a lot of his childhood here, absolutely LOVES the book. Many of the pictures are of the coal and steel mills, which is the foundation on which Birmingham is built. There are some awesome aerial pictures, including a picture of The Spirit of St. Louis flying over Birmingham during a visit by Charles Lindbergh, himself. There are pictures of celebrities, including Bob Hope and Doris Day, during a visit to Birmingham. It's fascinating. If you live on Birmingham or are from Birmingham, you will really enjoy this book. It's sitting proudly on my coffee table even as we speak.

The second item I'd like to talk about really hits a sensitive part of my heart. It deals with our children and their knowledge of stranger safety. My biggest fear (and probably yours, too) is for someone to take one of my children. It's a scenario that I don't even want to think about, but one that I feel compelled to teach my children about. But there's the fine line where I want to make them smart and aware, but don't want to scare them. So I researched and found this DVD.



It's called The Safe Side: Stranger Safety. It was developed by John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted and the parent of an abducted child, and Julie Clark, creator of Baby Einstein. It takes a scary subject and makes it completely kid-friendly. They don't use the word "stranger" because that word generally makes kids think of a mean, scary-looking person. They categorize adults into 3 categories: 1. Safe-Side Adults, 2. Kinda Knows, and 2. Don't Knows. They teach your child what to do in a "Kinda Know" situation as well as a "Don't Know" situation. The mood is kept light-hearted and funny so the kids aren't scared. Safe Side Superchick, the main character, is ultra corny, but the kids LOVE her. My girls giggle and laugh and love watching the DVD. And when I pop-quiz them on "stranger safety," they understand what they've been taught. I cannot recommend this DVD enough. It is absolutely fantastic. If you have kids, this should be a part of your movie collection. If you don't have kids, buy it for someone who does. Consider it your acceptance of the challenge.

That's all for now. Hope to have more stuff to review in the future.

Until then, have a good one.

I'm Usually Better At My Job

See these kids?



They are my world. I'm their mommy. It's my full-time job.

And yesterday, I was pretty terrible at my job.

I didn't feel well (stupid garden, stupid apple, stupid snake, stupid Eve, therefore stupid cramps) and it rained all the live long day. Mary Emma slept with me the night before and I'm pretty sure she was training for a kick boxing event all night long. Camille was in a MOOD yesterday and Tait found a way to target that mood and drive Camille out of her mind. I didn't clean up the kitchen. The kids ate McDonalds for lunch and breakfast for dinner. The day was filled with fussing and time outs. I did manage to squeeze in a Bible Study, but I'm not sure it counted since I was yelling, "Girls, please leave Mommy alone and go play and BE QUIET so I can listen to Beth Moore!" at them. There's just something wrong about yelling during Bible Study.

The Bible Study was being a Wise Mom. Otherwise entitled I've Been a Terrible Mom Today And Need Some JESUS To Make Me a Better One Tomorrow. One thing that hit me square in the face was Beth talking about how fast they grow up.

Y'all, this will be over before I know it. I only get one shot at being a good mom. ONE. And. I. Will. Be. A. Better. One. Today. Than. I. Was. Yesterday.

Will I be perfect? No way. Far from it. But my girls will know that I love them more than anyone on this planet.

Because no one loves them like I do. And I will show them that today. They deserve it.

Well, This Was Definitely A Shock.

I haven't been feeling exactly "up to par" lately. I've been battling a stupid cold (not a bad one, just bad enough to be annoying) and have had very little energy.

But hello, everything, including the sidewalks and bricks, are blooming right now. Spencer sat outside on the back deck the other day and played on the computer for a while and was constantly wiping the pollen off the screen.

I sat on my front porch 2 days ago and watched bees flying around the big holly tree and could actually see the harvested pollen on their legs. Jeff Corwin's got nothing on my front yard.

Anyhoo, no amount of medicine was making me feel better. I tried allergy meds, cold meds, knock-you-out sleep/cold meds...nothing worked.

Then I started wondering....

And yes, it happened.

I'm pregnant with #4.








Oh, and April Fools.