Weekend Overload

Sometimes I miss my kids so much during the workweek that I kind of smother them on the weekends. I'll admit it. I'm that mom who's kissing all over her kids and wants all three of them sitting in my lap and wants to play with their hair and whisper in their ear and have tickle fights. And I call them all my babies, no matter where we are or who can hear. And more often than not, by the time Sunday evening rolls around both they and I are sometimes more than ready for me to go back to work on Monday because I've smothered them to the point of us all being a little bit irritated with one another. The girls get irritated with each other, are tired of sharing toys, one wants to go outside while the other wants to stay in... They get irritated that Mom is holding Jackson and all she wants to do is play with him on the ottoman or on the floor (in between loads of laundry, while the dishwasher is running)... Jack gets irritated with me holding him when he really wants to wiggle around on a blanket on the floor and try to eat his toys without my camera in his face because I just want to capture "ONE MORE grin!"... and I get irritated that everyone's getting crabby from too much togetherness. But I can't help it! I miss out on 50+ hours a week with them, when you factor in my work week plus all the driving time in the mornings and afternoons. By the time we get home there's usually only 3 hours left in the day before bedtime. THREE HOURS. Over 5 days that's 15 hours. So you best bet I'm going to spend my weekends smothering my kids.

I know, I know... half of you are thinking "Why don't you just stay home then?" Believe me, I've tried to figure out how to make that work. One day, that might be a possibility. But in our stage of life currently, its just not something we're financially capable of. More than that, I'm not sure that I am capable of it. I love my kids, but I love my job too. I love the satisfaction I get from completing the work week and knowing that I got things accomplished and made a positive contribution to my team. I love the interaction I have with my coworkers: people from other walks of life that I would have never crossed paths with if I didn't have my job. I love working for a wonderful company! I love that my job not only provides a paycheck for my family, but also health insurance (among other benefits), stock options, a great retirement plan, and who can forget about the Walmart Associate Discount?! Not this girl! Over the last three years that little card has saved us $2200 on general merchandise! That's a good chunk of change to be given back just for being an associate! (That also means that we've spent $22K at Walmart in the last three years... Oy.)

My kids have learned so much from spending their days with other people besides just me! The benefits of having them learn from others is truly priceless. They've gotten quality time with their great-grandparents that is absolutely precious, and that is something that most people NEVER get! Jailyn has participated in a couple of Mother's Day Out programs at a couple of local churches, and will soon begin the Pre-K program at ABC Happy Kids in Bentonville, to get ready for Kindergarten which is just a little over a year away (Did you hear that thud? That was me falling out of my chair at the realization that my child is almost going into kindergarten.) and I know that because of the time she has spent with her great-grandparents and wonderful babysitter Miss Lyndsey, she's more than ready to enter this program. Once she's into kindergarten, Jordyn will start the preschool program, and in turn Jackson will when he's close to the age of 4.

Anyway, back to my original point--

So some weekends I smother my kids. And we're all a little preturbed with one another and ready for Monday once it rolls around again. But NOT this past weekend. This past weekend was bliss! Quite possibly because I had to do hair on Saturday for a few special occasions so the kiddos got about 5 hours of quality bonding time with their Naynay and Poppop, and I got to roll up my sleeves and get elbow deep in some hair and makeup, my true passion. Also quite possibly because it was Mother's Day weekend and my kids somehow knew that Sunday was a special day just for celebrating Mommy. (Maybe Jaret had a little influence over that?)

We played a lot, and watched some movies, and cooked dinner together. We all laid on the floor and tried to coax Jackson into rolling over. (It didn't work but we had fun trying.) We blew bubbles and chased them around the front yard. We had extra goodnight hugs and kisses. For Mother's Day we went bowling, and out to dinner so I didn't have to cook. Jordyn told me "Happy Mother's Day" about 1,537 times throughout the day. I could listen to that sweet little voice all day long!

I'm a blessed momma.

Here's a little bit of cuteness for your Tuesday. It sure is making mine MUCH more enjoyable to relive my weekend through these pics!



Big Boy at his 4 month checkup on Thursday. Almost 14 lbs!




Love that hair!




JACK ATTACK!!
This is how Jack gives kisses. Can't get enough of them!!





Jailyn and her Miss Lyndsey
She loves her so much that she NEVER wants to come home!





All the kiddos with their Great-Grandma Shirley.



These little bedheads woke me up on Sunday morning :)

A little Mother's Day bowling!
Jordyn was obsessed with the "hole" that the ball would come out of.



The lady I celebrate on Mother's Day... my sweet momma!

 Until next time!


Bliss

Bliss. This past weekend was bliss. No better way to say it! At times it was a bittersweet kind of bliss, but blissful nonetheless.

Friday morning we woke up with snow. SNOW. On May 3rd. In Arkansas. Let me say it again... SNOW. Insanity.

My house, covered in snow. In May. Unreal!

Jaret woke me up before he left for work Friday morning just so he could see my reaction to his announcement of snow outside. My reaction: "Shut your mouth!" as I flew across the room to the window. Of course, then he couldn't wait to tell the girls, so he went into their room and raised the blinds so they could see.

Their reaction: "Snow! It's Christmas!! SANTA'S COMING!!!"

Thanks, Mother Nature. Thanks for disappointing my children. Or rather, making ME disappoint them.

They were confused as to why it snowed when it wasn't Christmastime. But they were pretty excited to dig out the winter coats and hats again. (I, not so much, as I was the one who had to do the digging!)



Winter hats.
Jordyn's looks a little funny... She wanted to wear it turned that way because "It looks like Peter Pan's!"
I just smile and nod. I don't get it.



Still confused.
And still arguing about Santa's impending arrival.

 Saturday morning, I got up early with Jack and let everyone else sleep in. I enjoy our one-on-one time, even if it is before 6:30am on a Saturday, because I know he won't be a baby for long. He won't want me to cuddle with him or sing silly songs or blow raspberries on his tummy. So I'm relishing in these moments whenever I get them. Bliss.



Sleepy boy.

I made an extra effort to have the house cleaned up by the time the girls got up and around so we wouldn't be tripping over toys and shoes and blankets while getting around. I also made an extra effort to NOT scold, not correct (too much), and to avoid arguments before they even started. I asked what they wanted for breakfast and made it, without any pushback. I wanted a stress-free Saturday morning, with everyone in a good mood.

Because before the morning was over, we'd be saying goodbye to someone very special, and I didn't want to be flustered.

We dropped the kiddos off at my parents' house and went to Fellowship Bible to celebrate the life of my sweet cheerleading coach.

I made ribbons for each of the former RHS cheer/pom girls that were in attendance, to honor her and to honor our time with her, our memories of her, and our acknowledgement of the awareness of the vicious disease that took her from us.



Blue and white for the RHS Mounties signature colors, pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.

 Of course, I was terrified I'd run out of ribbons so I ran to Walmart Friday night for more and they were out of the blue/white chevron. Isn't that always the way it happens? So we had a mixture of chevron or polka dots to choose from on Saturday.



They turned out cuter than I expected!

My sweet friend Hillary met me at the doors of the church and we passed out ribbons to all the girls from the squads, and their families. It was wonderful to look around and see everyone in the congregation wearing something in commemoration of Mrs. P... blue and white ribbons, pink ribbons, red flowers (her favorite color was red!), RHS/Mountie Blue shirts, etc. She was so so so loved. Bittersweet bliss. 

Her memorial service was beautiful. Quite possibly the best one I've ever been to. It was the most optimistic, upbeat, beautiful message of hope. If a non-believer was present, they left a changed person. At least I would hope they did! I sincerely enjoyed all the stories shared about Mrs. Peacock, about her family, about her involvement in so many groups within the church, and just about her as a person. She loved antiquing, playing with her grandkids, encouraging others, red lipstick and nail polish, football, Route 44 unsweet iced teas with extra ice and extra lemon from Sonic, scripture and worship music, and her family. The church was decorated with items from her home, which was a beautiful place, because of her artistic touch.

The pastor asked that the congregation take a few minutes and shout out a word, a phrase, a title, a color, a song, a scripture, or anything that made you think of Mrs. Peacock. Hillary and I (per Mrs. Peacock's daughter Dru's request) stood up and shouted out "5, 6, 7, 8!!" while clapping our hands, as that was Mrs. Peacock's signature to starting all of our dances, cheers, and other routines when we cheered for her. That got a round of laughter and applause from the rest of the congregation, but all in good fun. It was a true testament to her and how I remember her: on time, on beat, always consistent, demanding perfection of us and of herself in her coaching. And smiling. Always smiling. Bittersweet bliss.

Another Mrs. Peacock story: When she and Coach Peacock were first dating, she was the first to be comfortable saying "I love you." Coach Peacock wasn't quite ready for those words yet... but what he WAS comfortable with was "1-4-3"... 1 for one letter ("I"), 4 for four letters ("Love"), 3 for three letters ("You"). He could say it or show it by holding up his fingers in the sequence of 1-4-3 to show how he felt, and it stuck. They said or showed this throughout their marriage. This story was shared at her memorial service, and it brought back memories of seeing Coach Peacock hold up his fingers in this sequence to Mrs. Peacock from the side lines of a football game or across the field house during practice. This was their "I love you" without saying a word. I always wondered what it meant, but it wasn't until after I graduated that I learned its meaning. Jaret and I really loved this story.

It was so good to see all these beautiful ladies againon Saturday! Such sweet friends! This is a mix of squads and graduating years, but all with a common ground... We had the time of our lives on those squads, and we loved Mrs. P. 1-4-3, girls, 1-4-3.

Meghan, me, Amy, Jennifer, Kate, Lindsey, Mitchell, Sara, Natalie, Jennifer
Allie, Jordan, Vanessa, and Liz
(Hillary was MIA)

I had to have Hillary snap a pic of Jaret and I before we left the church... This guy cleans up pretty good! Its rare to see him with his shirt tucked in, so I had to capture the moment.



So handsome. Love him.

Jaret took me to my favorite restaurant for lunch after the memorial. Just us. That is a rare treat for us. Then I spent the rest of the day with my munchkins. It was good for this momma's soul. Nap time, play time, dinner time, bed time...Bliss.

Sunday was spent catching up on laundry, housework, and getting some much-needed organizing done. I recently pulled out all the boxes and bins of the girls' old clothes that we've accumulated and went through them, making piles to donate, to sell, to give to my best friend's daughter, etc. in order to get rid of some clutter and make some room. Plus, I LOVE to see Lena in handmedowns from the girls! It makes me (and her momma!) so excited to watch the girls grow up together! Seeing her in their clothes or rainboots and rainjacket is just so special!

I can finally say I'm DONE with the organizing. I've emptied 7 boxes and two large storage tubs of everything smaller than 2T size, packed away a few keepsake outfits into the girls' memory boxes, and purged everything else to their perspective destinations. Feels good!

I also had to go through my ridiculous shoe collection and get rid of all of my babies (shoes) that don't fit anymore. A few tears (or maybe more than a few) later, I have sold or given away most of the pairs that I can't squeeze into any longer. (It was like Christmas for Kayla!) This was definitely bittersweet... Not so much bliss, except for maybe to the recipients.

Of course I also got to enjoy a little down time with my kiddos in between my cleaning sprees. Dress up, tea parties, and some snuggle time on the couch while we watched a movie.



Movie time!



Goodness, I love this boy and his many faces!

Funny story: we haven't gotten cable yet since the move (it just hasn't been a priority) so we've been watching movies. Lots of movies. And we let the girls pick what we watch if they're awake. There's a shelf of movies that is full of only "their movies"... anything kid-friendly or family oriented. Last night Jailyn picked "the guitar movie" -- Freaky Friday with Lindsey Lohan (pre-psychotic-break era), Chad Michael Murray (yum!) and Jamie Lee Curtis -- so that's what we watched. During the ending when Anna gives the toast at the wedding while "in" her mom's body, I teared up like I ALWAYS do, and tried hard to blink it away before Jaret could make fun of me. I shot a quick glance over at him only to find that his eyes were filled with tears too! We caught each other's eyes, and laughed so hard at ourselves for several minutes, for crying over a kid's/family movie. Parenthood has made us soft!!

Other movies we have both cried during recently: Parental Guidance (the scene where the grandson perfectly recites "The Shot Heard Round the World" without stuttering... melt my heart!), Marley & Me (because if you don't cry during that movie, well... you don't have a soul), and We Are Marshall (one of our favorites, and a huge tear-jerker!) ... If you haven't seen that one, its worth tracking down. Trust me! Practically all football movies make us cry... The Blind Side, Remember the Titans, Rudy, and Gridiron Gang, to name a few. Apparently, we are saps.

Will Jaret kill me for telling you that he cries during movies? Yes... yes he will. Good thing he doesn't read blogs. :)

Just kidding. He loves me, even if I share some of his secrets on social media.

In my purging of boxes this weekend, I ran across some keepsakes from high school.
For your viewing pleasure...

Senior Prom.
We were hot stuff.




One of my senior pictures.
Someone told me once that I looked like Marie Osmond in this picture.
I don't see it... but Ok.



You may not recognize this person with thin arms. And nice calves. And a waist.
But I swear that's me. Eight (gulp!) years ago.

Well, that was fun.

Someone whip me back into shape.

Sorry for the boring post today, folks. Rereading it now, it feels like a diary entry. But I guess this is my blog and I can post about what's important to me, right? Right. I like when I agree with myself.

Until next time!

Time

I've shared this multiple times before, both here and on Facebook, but I'll say it again. I often feel that as a mother, my biggest enemy is time. Time just gets away from me far too quickly. Not just hour by hour, but days, weeks, months, years... It's just flying by. And I haven't figured out how to make it stop. I never will, either.

What I HAVE figured out is that instead of wracking my brain for ways to slow things down, it's better to just capture the moment. Then I can look back at those captures and relive the memories. It doesn't slow the minutes but it does allow me to treasure the minutes longer than just during that fleeting moment.

Fortunately, I have an amazing family photographer to help me capture these moments in time.

KReative Photography by Kayla Rushing (479-633-4839)

Why is she amazing? Well, I couldn't give you a complete list because I'm sure blogs have some type of entry size limit. :) But here's the top reasons:

1. She knows her stuff. She knows her equipment, she knows her lighting, she knows her surroundings. She knows her capabilities and does her absolute best. Every time. Example:



She managed to get this shot, in perfect lighting AND with a smiling toddler, before the rabbit jumped out of the basket and tried to make a run for it.



She captured this before Jordyn squeeze this chick to death.
No baby chicks were harmed during this photo session. (Thankfully!)

 2. She knows my kids. They are comfortable with her. She knows what sets them off, what to say to get that perfect facial expression, what pushed their buttons, and how to help them relax. She also knows when we've hit our limit and when to say "That's enough!" for the day. Example:

Love this perfect picture of Jordyn taken last spring. Gorgeous!

I have always treasured this awesome picture of Jailyn at 17 months old.
One of my all-time favorites!

3. She knows my husband and how ridiculous he can be about getting his picture taken, and she likes him anyway. :) She doesn't make him do awkward poses that make him uncomfortable (which he always tells me he appreciates!) and somehow she manages to make him look even more handsome in pictures than he already is, all the time. Example:




So handsome!



I like him. :)


4. She's fair and flexible with her availability and scheduling. Also with rain checks due to weather issues!

5. She's AFFORDABLE. Key word there for all the mom's out there!

6. She listens to my crazy ideas for photo ops and props (mainly that I've found on Pinterest) and is willing to try them out. Some are hits, some are misses... but she always says "Let's try it!"



Prop was a hit!



This pose was a miss (at least in Jordyn's opinion)
But hey, we tried! :)

7. She doesn't always make us "pose"... Sometimes she tells Jaret "Just go play with the kids!" and then starts snapping. Example:



I just adore these!

 8. She captures our crazy life just the way it is: Crazy. Messy. Disorganized. Loud. Laughing. :) Example:

Just a-swingin'



MMMM... cake!



Duck lips!



"Aunt K! A BALL!!"



9. She doesn't promise to work miracles. But it often seems like she does anyway. Example:

NO ONE feels beautiful while this pregnant.
But she made me feel that way after looking at these pictures!
(Maternity shoot, fall of 2010)

I gained more weight while pregnant with Jackson than I did with either of the girls.
But I don't feel like I look like a whale in this picture!
(Maternity shoot, winter of 2012)

10. Plus the best reason of all... She's my favorite. :)

Photo courtesy of another awesome photographer!
Stacy Gough of Phorever Studio (479)366-0537
www.phoreverstudio.com

So why the free advertising today? Because she deserves it. Because I was reminded this week that some photographers aren't half of these things, aren't 1/10 as talented as she is, and are incredibly overpriced, and sometimes a little arrogant. Because she's passionate about photography and it shows in her work. And... because she's still my favorite.

And because she's done it again.

Here's a few pics from our spring family session two weeks ago. Our first photo shoot as a family of 5!

Enjoy. :)

Until next time! :)