10!

so 10 years ago Shawn was born and changed my little world. i clearly remember waiting and waiting that night in the hospital waiting room. here's a picture of me and my friend Jason peeking at Shawn just about an hour after he was born. i can't believe it's been that long ago... it seems just like yesterday.

Shawn: then

Shawn: now

corn: week five

goal!

somewhere amidst all the birthdays and partying i reached my weight goal! i've officially lost those 20lbs i wanted to loose before the end of July. i'm early, who knew!??! i started out at 160 and this morning the scale said 138. don't be fooled.... remember i'm only 5 feet tall so those pounds look different on me then on a normal sized person :o)

it's so nice to put your mind to something and actually have it work. this was the first time i really tried to loose weight. i've always been conscious & self conscious of my weight but this time i did something about it and really it wasn't as hard as i thought it would be. i simply brought my calorie intake down to about 1,500 per day which is actually quiet easy to stay within if you don't eat fast food, soda or sugary junk (which is something i had to ween myself off of).

next goal- 130lbs

party

tonight will be the night of a thousand posts well, maybe not a thousand.... but many because i'm very far behind.

the birthday party was good, not great but good. i think May had a fun time and that's probably all that matters. i think next year we're just gonna take the kids to Sesame Place or something like that for their birthdays!

here are some pics.....(and by some i mean a million)

all set up (about 2 minutes before it started raining and we had to move everything into the garage)

one of the only games the kids liked... throw water balloons at Shawn

gifts

what in the world is everyone looking at me for?!

blow!

okay so maybe red wasn't the best color :o) my savage baby!

it was hot

pool time!

me & my kid and Julie & her kid

good shot of May & Lacy

Lacy & Cam having fun on the swings

getting ready

i now know why it's a good idea to have birthday parties... it's the one of the only times all year your house gets cleaned top to bottom, inside and out!

we've (read: I've) been busy getting the joint ready for the birthday extravaganza that will occur tomorrow afternoon. it's going to be a typical 3-H day (hazy, hot & humid) ... perfect for being in the pool and only coming out for cake.

perhaps if i'm not passed out i'll post pictures tomorrow evening.

corn: week four

here are the newly three & one year old kids in the field. the corn is officially higher then Cameron (sitting) now!

Happy Birthday Mayden Rae!

earlier this week i was telling her how i couldn't believe she was going to be three....

me: i can't believe you're going to be three!
May: i can't believe you're going to be three!
me: i'm not going to be three, i was three a long time ago
long pause
May: (very concerned & very serious) i don't remember your party....

3 year old Mayden is in high gear. in fact today (despite all it's good parts) on a raging sugar high May-May tried to put me in time out when i wouldn't let her stay in the bathtub longer. she was 100% serious and really upset when i wouldn't comply.

my how they grow!

june 20th, 2005

june 20th, 2006

june 20th, 2007

june 20th, 2008

middle day

so today is middle day... the day in between the kids birthdays. i hadn't really contemplated how strange having their birthday's so close together is until recently. this is really the first year of having their birthdays together (last year was a blur or boobs, catnaps & crying) and it all feels a bit rushed. i have to switch my focus from Cameron to Mayden in an instant instead of savoring each birthday. today we went and got some photos taken which may become a tradition for middle day. i think they turned out pretty cute!

happy birthday Cameron Jude!

Cameron has come along way in the last year. from spitting up to standing up.

june 18th 2007

june 18th 2008

here are some more pictures from today.

one note: Mayden upstaged Cameron's big day for a few hours this afternoon by falling off the top of the large slide in our backyard. she hit the back of her head on a brick. it was scary and complete with lots of blood but the good news is that she's doing well. we did not need to go to the hospital for stitches so that is wonderful! i'm just thankful we didn't have to shave her head the day before family pictures :o)

one year ago today...

i was in sever pain that soon turned into overwhelming joy. i was calm and frantic. i was extremely hopeful and soarly heartbroken. i was unable to keep my eyes open and unable to keep my eyes off of my sweet baby. what a strange place to be in. as memories fade i truly believe that i will never forget the feel, smells, sounds & moments of the days my kids were born. but just in case, i wrote it all down.

first birthdays are always bittersweet for me. on the one hand it's a grand victory to have survived the craziness of that first year. but on the other hand it means my baby isn't a baby anymore. Cameron, you have already surpassed all my expectations. you are the most joyful person i know. i hope your love for life stays with you always. don't let the burdens of this world take that away from you.

pictures later tonight!

corn: week three

dad day

i'm late! my dad is in Guam as he has been for the last 5 weeks on some military duty. i try not to as too many questions because if you know my dad then you know he'd still be talking to me about what exactly he's doing over there. but anyway like i said i'm late... it's tomorrow already in Guam so i missed his Father's Day but i'm hoping to catch him on Skype in a few hours so i'll make the cut off for the EST Father's Day.

I am by no means "Daddy's little girl" but i do have great respect for all he has accomplished in this life already. nobody i know works harder then he did/does. in fact i'd say he is very much overworked most of the time and should probably add the word "no" (not to me) to his vocabulary. Chris (my husband) and i have been talking about how we'd like our kids to think of us as they grow up. the following is a list of my top 5 adjectives that best describe my dad:
1. confident
2. talkative
3. opinionated
4. committed
5. busy

P.S. don't you think Cameron looks a little like me??? maybe just a little?!?!?

a summer food rut

what do you do when your kid only eats 4 things??

i've been feeling like with Mayden i'm just rotating between Hot Dogs, Spaghetti, Mac & Cheese and Chicken nuggets.... a preschoolers dream diet!

any creative ideas out there??

photo friday

Cameron's barn bedroom is finally finished!!

Corn: week two

this corn sure is shooting up fast and they don't even water it!