Bow and Arrow...Uh Oh...

Layton wanted a bow and arrow from Santa. So, Santa delivered a child sized bow and arrow set. Layton tried out a few things that came with it.



But, he can't pull the string (or whatever you call it) back. It is a 15-18 pound pull. Layton only clocks in at a massive 28 pounds (fully dressed after a meal). I guess he won't be able to use it for a few more years.

Paula Deen Strikes Again...

Ella and I have a Christmas tradition. She and I make cookies every year on Christmas Eve. This year was no exception.

Paula should watch out! Ella has mad skills in the kitchen!

Germs Win...

Last week was the first week of Christmas vacation for the children. How did Layton spend his vaycay? Sick. His sweet feet had to visit the pediatrician. It was not fun. He was grumpy.


He did manage to put together a few puzzles. That's his favorite activity. He loves puzzles.



Best anecdote from the wave of illness:

Me: Layton, what do you want for breakfast?
Layton: Pancakes.

So, I gathered the ingredients and turned on the skillet. I was waiting on it to get hot when...

Layton: Make my breakfast!
Me: I am sweetie.
Layton: No you're not! You just standing there!

Yes, he really did say it like that. He was grumpy and hungry. It was pitiful.

Smell My Feet...

My six year old just looked at me and said, "Mommy, I want you to smell my feet."

She used half a gallon of hand sanitizer on her feet and was so proud of the way they smelled.

Ewwwww.

Give It Away Now...

I am considering doing a give away post. What do you guys think? A fun give away for after Christmas seems like a good thing to do! Suggestions?

Happy Christmas!!!....

Happy Christmas Blog World!!!

My Obituary...

So, I am an insomniac. I have always had a LOT of trouble sleeping. I'm guessing that's why my oldest child only sleeps a few hours a night. I'm also guessing that's why my aunt is awake all the time. Sometimes when I wake up in the wee hours of the morning, I think about calling someone to talk to.

Anywhoodle, my doctor recently prescribed some Ambien for me to use on nights when sleep seems to be further away than New Zealand.


I have taken some. I slept for right at 7 hours one night! You have to understand that I haven't had 7 straight hours of sleep in years. Years.

The point of all of this is that Ambien has a ton of strange side effects listed. Last night, I dreamed about writing my own obituary. All night long. It was the only thing in my head, and the dream seemed to last all night. It was so odd. I remember the way it started...

My name is Amanda, and I have lived a small life.

Who dreams about their own obituary? Strange.

Guess How Many Are Pregnant...

Not all that long ago, several of the girls planned a get together in order to celebrate a birthday. While we were there, a few of us ordered a beverage. It occurred to me that a number of my friends are either pregnant, breastfeeding, or just had a baby. Can you guess how many are pregnant?

Celeste is Blogging!...

Celeste is blogging! For those of you who don't live nearby, Celeste is the fearless leader of the Young Women's Ministry group that I have mentioned a few times.

Sights, Lights, and It Was a Fright....

A family in our community tends to go a little overboard with the decorations as Christmas. Their whole house is decorated....their driveway is in the shape of a U and goes all the way around their house...you get to drive through the lights that have gone one step too far...

This last picture is one take from behind their garage. Looking up. He has lights strung to something that resembles a radio tower way up above his house.

Hadley Got Artsy With It...

Hadley and her grandmother made a gingerbread house recently. Check this sucker out!! Hadley is very crafty and did an excellent job on the house.

Is This His Party Face?...

Recently, I attended Layton's Christmas party at preschool. It was quite an adventure! His class is a handful!

This was his first attempt at smiling for the camera.

He doesn't look too happy to me. What do you think?

Then, he decided to give smiling another chance.

Better but still not what I was hoping for. Oh well! I will keep trying to get some good photographs of him before the end of the year.

On a side note: Please say a special prayer for Mrs. Katie - Layton's teacher. She has a really rambunctious group. I'd probably take up heavy drinking if I had to deal with those children everyday. They are sweet, but they are very exhausting!

Three on the Floor...

Here they are on the floor asleep. This was before school one morning last week. Yes, I still move them to the den and let them sleep in front of the fireplace before school each morning. It just gives them some place to work on waking up.

Camera Thief...

The camera thief strikes again!! You might remember me blogging about Layton taking a series of strange photos a while back. Well, he took the camera again. Let's take a look at his artistic images...



"Gees Ma. Check out the giant R you had monogrammed right in the middle of my shirt."


"I look so cool standing up over the camera. My mom is so dumb that she hasn't ever used the timer on the camera. I am four and have mastered it."

"If you stand really close to the mirror, you can take a picture of yourself using the camera. Wow, my fingers are glowing because of the flash!"

Bikini in a Bank...

I was talking to my friend Angela the other night, and we were discussing being pregnant. She's currently expecting her third child. We laughed about how your body is never quite the same after a baby. I mentioned that when I look back on my life, I realize how conservatively I have always dressed. Me show skin? Never! I am wrapped up like a burrito 90% of the time. I told her that sometimes I think I should have been dressing like a skank before I had children. That's when I decided to blog about....things I should have worn or done before I had children...



1. I should have worn a string bikini all summer long...even to the bank, post office, and Wal-Mart. Hey, I live in Alabama; plenty of people go in public while looking less than public ready. Have you been to http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/? The problem with this one is that my mother would have thrown a fit if I came home with a string bikini.



2. I should have gone to Mardi Gras and flashed the world. Ok. There's no way I would have done that...EVER! It would take a serious amount of alcohol for me to even consider doing that. And then, I would have awakened the next morning in a tub full of ice water missing a kidney. On second thought, this probably doesn't belong on my list.



3. I should have worn one of those ridiculously low cut and tight sweater dresses that Victoria's Secret sells. A woman in her 30s with three children probably shouldn't be wearing one unless she is a VS model with plenty of time and resources to focus on working out three hours a day.

4. I should have worn daisy dukes. Yes, conservative me never actually had a pair of really, really short shorts. Gosh, I dressed like a school marm!

I can't really think of anything else. I guess what I am saying is that...if you got it, flaunt it while you can! Too soon, your body will be a road map of all the events in your life....and it ain't always pretty.

If My Nose Were Running Money Honey, I'd Blow It All on You...

But it's not. My nose has just been running. My throat has been sore, and I have been coughing. The lovely virus that has been nagging me was an early Christmas present from my children. Ella and Hadley have both had it.

This is what Hadley wore on Friday. Floral pajamas, striped toe socks, and her black chucks. O, the joy of a sick day...

Ella Loves Her Pig...

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Deck the Halls...Or Area...

We cut our tree down over the weekend. The children decorated it a day or so later. Yes, I let them do all the decorating. I don't care that it doesn't match. I don't mind that ornaments get clumped in the one spot Layton can reach. I don't even let it bother me when the children insist on only using the ornaments they have made at school over the years. The tree is all about the children. It is all about what they want it to be and the magic of the season. My tree isn't covered in Radko ornaments, but it is doused with love.

Hadley can reach a little higher than the other two...

Layton had a ton of fun decorating the tree...

And Ella was as dramatic as ever...

For Noah...

A short time ago a precious 22 month old boy in my community was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Noah is an adorable little boy who is in need of some prayer.

Noah has a malignant tumor called Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor. He will most likely require chemotherapy. He is having surgery this Friday to put in his port, have a spinal tap to check for free roaming cancer cells, and to repair a burn on his arm. During one of his MRIs, the blanket he was covered with burned his arm so badly that he will have to have a skin graft.

Noah's family is blessed to be blanketed in prayer in our community, but he needs as many prayer warriors as possible. Noah's father is the minister of music at the church where my children went/go to preschool. Please pray for this family.

**Link and information used with the permission of Noah's father. "The more people pray, the more God gets the glory." - John David

My grandmother will be in the hospital for at least another day or two. Please keep her in your prayers.