Oh, no... NOT me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My NOT me WEEK


Nolan is NOT going through a serious “testing” stage right now and has NOT already lost his video game privileges for the entire week.


Reese on the other hand, has NOT been acting super sweet and cuddly all week.





I definitely did NOT realize that Reese loves bath time so much. As I turned around to get some towels, he did NOT decide to go ahead and start bath time on his own… fully clothed.






I was NOT terribly disappointed in my GPS when I was looking for a kid’s park onTuck Road and I ended up in a neighborhood…



on Tuck Lane (not even close. I am starting to think my GPS does this on purpose just for kicks.)




When I finally made it to the park, I was NOT totally jealous at what the kids have goin on these days…


3 story slides!




Rock climbing walls!



(Seriously, the best thing I remember having was a rusty see-saw and metal monkey bars fully equipped to give you the worst blisters ever… tons of fun.)





When Goosers isn’t home, I would definitely NOT have this for dinner and stay up until 3 in the morning watching horrible chick flicks.






Lastly, I do NOT want to thank Leslie and Katie for my blog makeover

(thanks y'all, love it!)



Happy Monday!! =)

Soul Food

I love music. I mean, who doesn’t right?

I listened to a lot of different types of music growing up: rock, pop, country (we will not discuss my Tupac phase). I sometimes like to reminisce with 90s groups and the big-hair 80s bands. I never really listened to a lot of Christian music (outside of church)… maybe a few songs here and there.

But I am beginning to realize how much music can affect me.

Music has a very rare quality.

The sound of voices and instruments melded together can reach places that other things simply can not. It can change your mood. It can make you angry, happy, sad, joyful, and sorrowful. It has the capacity to move you to tears.

A simple song can pull at a distant memory, a lost feeling, and for a moment you can relive the past.

When you are hurting, some music can definitely make you feel worse. But certain songs can uplift your spirit and breathe new life into a weary soul.


I believe this is one of the reasons God blessed our world with song.


That, of course, and as a way to praise Him… There is nothing like standing in a room full of hundreds of people singing worship songs. I realize now that the time before the message when the church is singing, isn’t just for fun. Music can speak to you on a level that a preacher can’t.


Although I am pretty new to the Christian music scene, I have found some groups that I really like; MercyMe, Casting Crowns, and Selah are awesome. (I would love any other recommendations)... I like everything from contemporary to gospel.


I love this song by needtobreathe...



I know I won't totally give up my love for good ol' rock and roll, but I do get the need for some soul music too...


How 'bout you?

Psalm 33:2-3:

2Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
3Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Give me a B-L-O-G

So I thought I was going to be all “with it” on the blogging front, writing every
day and such.

That didn’t happen. But I have a good reason…

I won a Leslie Designs blog makeover from Katie


Since most of you who read this are family and friends who do not blog, I am guessing you have no idea what a blog makeover is.


Quick definition: You can pay to have someone make your blog look pretty. They make a custom header (the picture at the top with your blog name) and you can get cute little buttons and details to make everything match…


Now you know I would have never been able to convince my super sweet (but cheap) hubby that a blog makeover is worth any amount of money. I think when I brought it up to him he said, “oh, but you are so smart… you could figure out how to do all that on your own.”


Yeah, he’s a slick one.


So anyway, I ended up winning a blog makeover from another lovely blogger’s giveaway and I have been working on the details of that…

I finally came up with a new blog name… wow.

I did NOT realize how many blogs are out there… I mean, every single idea I thought of was already used.


I mean is my blog really that important?


No, it’s not.


But if I am going to do something, it's all or nothing (I am the same way with cleaning my house). Plus, I am out of school this semester and I have to have a project(or 10) to take up my spare time… cause you know, with 3 kids I have all sorts of spare time. =)


And it’s not just my own blog stuff, I have been reading other people’s blogs and commenting and getting ideas for crafts/shopping/kid’s stuff/recipes (that I will never make because I am a horrible cook) or sometimes just to peak into someone else’s life and take a breather from my own.


I don’t really watch a lot of T.V. (okay, okay… Lost and 24)



But I admit it; blogging has become my “mommy- time-out”… my little break from reality. I always make fun of Goosers for playing video games, and now he makes fun of me for blogging.


I guess we’re even.


So anyway, be on the look out for the new and improved layout! Coming soon to a blog near you. =)

~Wordless Wed~

Can you guess what just happened?

NOT our family Monday

I was NOT so happy with our major cleaning and de-cluttering last week.


I then did NOT realize that we just moved all the clutter from one place to another.

I did NOT see double this week watching my sister’s little girls (but I have finally figured out how to tell them apart)

Speaking of twins, I definitely did NOT overhear this conversation between my boys~

Nolan: Ty, can you share your sucker with me?

Ty: No.

Nolan: Please Ty. You are supposed to share.

Ty: No.

Nolan: But Tyyyyyyy, Jesus said that we are supposed to share. He's in your heart and I think he wants you to share your sucker with me.

Ty: Nooooooooo.

Nolan: BUT TY, just one time!!!

(just as nolan grabs the sucker out of ty's mouth and is about to stick it in his own, daddy grabs it)

Daddy: Jesus does not want you to share suckers. ever.

My little Reese’s pieces has NOT gotten too big for his britches… literally.




(yes these are supposed to be footy pjs)





He also does NOT think his new purpose in life is to scoop out laundry detergent and pour it on the floor.





After going out to a lovely (kid-free) dinner Friday night to celebrate my brother and sis-n-law's birthdays, this little adventure definitely did NOT happen...


Our 2005 s.u.v. did NOT decide to break down on us.


At midnight.


In a parking lot.


Causing us to call a tow service at 1 in the morning.


Instead of calling a cab and paying $65 to get home, we did NOT decide to walk (in the freezing cold) a mile down the road to a bar/club that my cousin works security for so that he could give us a ride home. We definitely did NOT have to hang out until closing time at 3am.



By the way, I did NOT get hit on by a not-at-all-sober guy while there, and this was definitely NOT his pick-up line…



“Soooo, you got any tattoos?”






I sooo did NOT want to reply,


"No, no tattoos, but I do have a lovely husband sitting right over there or I might have a few pictures of my three little boys on my cell phone, wanna see?"





After finally getting home and lying down at 4:30 am, my 25 y.o. self did NOT think,





Man, I am gettin too old for this.

Happy Monday! =)

Some Days are Harder than Others

I have been thinking a lot about how personal and different grief is for everyone. I mean even reading the thoughts and emotions of other mothers; there are a lot of similarities and differences. Just like anything else, people respond differently to the loss of a loved one, especially a child.

I am not an extremely emotional woman. Not many people have seen me cry. Even when we first found out about Evie, I wasn’t bawling every day even though it was definitely more than usual.

And now, even though I am thinking about my daughter most of the day, I am not constantly emotional about it. I write a lot about her and that helps. I don’t post most of what I write because it is usually just random, scattered thoughts (although I guess that’s all a blog is anyway)…

It is strange because when you think of how you might react to losing a baby, your actual grief process is not anything like you imagine it will be (or at least mine isn’t). I don't think there is any right or wrong way.

Most days I am okay. I pray and picture Evie with Jesus and He gives me a sweet peace… I am happy. I have so much to be thankful for- my family, my kids, and I feel blessed that I was able to have Evie with me for 36 weeks…

I might hug the boys a little too tight, but I can laugh and joke around and can still be myself most of the time.


But scattered in between are days that just pull at my heart and I walk around with this big lump in my throat, right on the brink of a meltdown.


I felt like that all day...


I was just filling out some paperwork; applications for the boys for Pre-K, patient forms for their first dentist appointment and an eye appt. for Ty. Then, I was working with Nolan, trying to teach him how to write his name.


I told him, “You need to learn how to write your name because when you start school you will be writing it a buzzillion times a day.”


Then, I looked at a picture of Evie’s name and just thought about how much I love it. I love writing it; Evelyn Naomi, Evie - it’s just so flowy and feminine.



And there it was.



I realized why I was feeling so low. All these forms and teaching my boys how to write their names…


I will never do that with my daughter.


I won’t be filling out forms for the pediatrician or Pre-k.


I won’t be teaching her how to write her name.


I won’t be signing her up for dance or piano lessons.


I won’t see her name scribbled all over notebooks when she a teenager… Evie loves So and So…


All those little things that you don’t really give much thought…


Some days they get to me... Today was one of those days.

Wordless Wed- Too Fast